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Travel by Nivine Maktabi © Archives Nivine Maktabi © Archives Nivine Maktabi Travel Tashkent During its centuries-old history it has repeatedly changed its name: Shash, Chach, Chachkent. The first name was Tash then during the 7 th century when the Arab came they changed the na- me into Chachkent, Persian name meaning «city» then the Russian changed it into Tashkent or Toshkent, meaning the «Stone City». From 1930 till 1991 Tashkent (in Uzbek Toshkent) was the capital of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic in the structure of the former USSR. Today it is considered one of the biggest cities in central Asia. It is a bilingual city where they speak Russian and Uzbek with around 4 million inhabitants and 29 million in all of Uzbekistan. In fact, I noticed that like in Iran, there are no international chain hotels even the previous ones had to change its names. There is probably only the Radisson SAS as an international chain at the moment. However, we stayed in Miran Hotel (a very new hotel) on our arrival and Tashkent Palace Hotel before our departure, which is a great hotel, very centrally located full of tourists with a beautiful square just outside the hotel building, with an ama- zing fountain. The fountain was greatly visited at night as it is a choreographed fountain where the water shoots up with the mu- sic, not exactly the Dubai fountain but in fact very similar to the fountain facing Marriott hotel in Yerevan, Armenia where they only play music by Charles Aznavour (Shahnour Vaghenag Aznavourian) as he is a native. Back to Tashkent, well it is a very agricultural city where the major suppliers of wheat and cotton exist, that is why it was known as the bread city during the 2 nd World War. Again, very similar to Iranian customs, they serve their guests bread and green tea. Green tea is the national hot bevera- ge taken throughout the day and a drink of hospitality; teahouses (chaikhanas) are of cultural importance. Ayran, very common in Lebanon as well, a chilled yogurt drink, is also popular in the sum- mer, but does not replace hot tea. There is also a lot of vodka consumption as it is the Russian influence it is like the Arak in Lebanon, funny enough many consume it from the morning. I was happily surprised to eyewitness how beautiful the whole city is. I recommend anyone who is curious to discover a different culture to visit this part of the world and learn about its very rich history and the numerous times it was invaded till its independence in 1991. «Timurland» 2200 years old of history... It might be no surprise for those who have been following my travel articles and are acquainted a bit with my background to understand why I have chosen Uzbekistan. For those who would like to know, well it all started with the fabulous «Suzani» and «Ikat» colorful, hand loomed delicate fabric that drove me to want to discover the Silk Road. After doing my «homework» for many months and talking to people who live in Tashkent, I finally booked for my «so much» anticipated trip to discover the «Suzani» land with my mother Parvine. We travelled via Istanbul with Turkish Airlines to arrive to Tashkent, which is the capital city. Luckily I met with the previous American Ambassador to Uzbekistan in the plane who gave me some tips and his view on the different cities I was planning to visit before meeting with my amazing guide Timur. Upon our arrival, we had to get our entry visa at the airport provided you have an invitation, (costing approximately $60 per person). My plan was to visit 3 cities: Tashkent, Samarkand and Boukhara. A s an introduction to the area, it is important to realize that Uzbekistan has the most diverse rulers over the millennium, with Persians, Alexander the Great, Arabs (replaced Zoroastrianism), Genghis, Timur, Cezars, and Soviets taking turns ruling the land. Uzbekistan the Silk Road Uzbekistan one of my most «perfumed» travels, beyond a dream trip We started visiting the important squares and old schools they call «madrassat» (religious schools) and of course mausoleums. Among the different places we visited in Tashkent, I will quote few, i.e.: Independence Square, Navoi Theater square, Barak-Khan Madrasah (16 th c.), The Kaffal-Shashi mausoleum (15 th c.), Kukeldash Madrasah (16 th c.), the Djuma mosque (9 th c.), Tashkent National Arts Centre, Museum of Applied Arts, Amir Temur square. Mui- mubarack Madras in Tashkent has the first Qur’an, created by Calif Osman in 648 AD, it is really very exceptional to see its enormous size, weight, all made from gazelle skin. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures. Moreover, the reason be- hind the monument of courage is the earthquake that occurred on the 26 th of April 1966. How fascinating to see the area rebuilt with a monument of courage, plus it is today the most expensi- ve area where mostly wealthy Russians live. Another interesting data I learnt was about the Parliament that has 250 deputies, 70% occupied by men and 30% by women elected for 5 years. Yet, the president Islam Karimova has been in power since 1989. Caravan and Sato were among the nicest restaurants we tried their food. I loved the interior décor and all the fabrics from Suzani throws and Ikat cushions they use on the walls, tables, chairs, it is so colorful and full of life and stories. Uzbekistan’s signature dish is palov (plov or osh), a main course typically made with rice, pieces of lamp meat, grated carrots, raisons, eggs and onions. In Tashkent, where the oldest Qoran is found. Amir Temur madrassah. In front of Amir Temur statue. They usually eat it on Friday before the weekend, as it is a hea- vy dish especially in summer, where most people prefer to have their siesta right after. The interesting part of this dish is the use of horse meat as it’s a meat that gives a lot of energy to men in particular. It has a special sweet flavor, full of perfumes that I enjoyed very much. And of course we went shopping; women’s ritual in all their travels. We checked local young designers work and among them, the famous brand Guli, owned by designer/singer/ diplomat/businesswoman Gulnara the daughter of Islam Karimova the authoritarian president of Uzbekistan. Glamour store was another interesting huge boutique for all international expensive brands and, boutique Domstulya for more local trendy designers. Now for exchanging dollars to their local currency, that is a spectacular incident because you need to go to the «black mar- ket» (a maze inside the bazaar) to exchange your dollars as the bank charges double the rate. The Currency exchange in the black market is $1 = 1961 Som (local currency), the big- gest note is 1000 hence you need to carry a big bag as 100’000 Som is only equivalent to $37. I will leave it to your imagi- nation to visualize the amount of notes to carry for $100 in Som. The monument of Courage. LE MONDE DES CÉLÉBRITÉS Prestige Prestige LE MONDE DES CÉLÉBRITÉS Prestige Prestige
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TashkentDuring its centuries-old history it has repeatedly changed itsname: Shash, Chach, Chachkent. The first name was Tash thenduring the 7th century when the Arab came they changed the na-me into Chachkent, Persian name meaning «city» then the Russianchanged it into Tashkent or Toshkent, meaning the «Stone City».From 1930 till 1991 Tashkent (in Uzbek Toshkent) was the capitalof the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic in the structure of the formerUSSR. Today it is considered one of the biggest cities in centralAsia. It is a bilingual city where they speak Russian and Uzbek witharound 4 million inhabitants and 29 million in all of Uzbekistan.In fact, I noticed that like in Iran, there are no international chainhotels even the previous ones had to change its names. There isprobably only the Radisson SAS as an international chain at themoment. However, we stayed in Miran Hotel (a very new hotel)on our arrival and Tashkent Palace Hotel before our departure,which is a great hotel, very centrally located full of tourists witha beautiful square just outside the hotel building, with an ama-zing fountain. The fountain was greatly visited at night as it is achoreographed fountain where the water shoots up with the mu-sic, not exactly the Dubai fountain but in fact very similar to thefountain facing Marriott hotel in Yerevan, Armenia where theyonly play music by Charles Aznavour (Shahnour VaghenagAznavourian) as he is a native. Back to Tashkent, well it is a veryagricultural city where the major suppliers of wheat and cottonexist, that is why it was known as the bread city during the 2nd
World War. Again, very similar to Iranian customs, they serve theirguests bread and green tea. Green tea is the national hot bevera-ge taken throughout the day and a drink of hospitality; teahouses(chaikhanas) are of cultural importance. Ayran, very common inLebanon as well, a chilled yogurt drink, is also popular in the sum-mer, but does not replace hot tea. There is also a lot of vodkaconsumption as it is the Russian influence it is like the Arakin Lebanon, funny enough many consume it from the morning.
I was happily surprised to eyewitness how beautifulthe whole city is. I recommend anyone who is curious todiscover a different culture to visit this part of the worldand learn about its very rich history and the numeroustimes it was invaded till its independence in 1991.«Timurland» 2200 years old of history... It might be nosurprise for those who have been following my travelarticles and are acquainted a bit with my background tounderstand why I have chosen Uzbekistan. For those whowould like to know, well it all started with the fabulous«Suzani» and «Ikat» colorful, hand loomed delicate fabricthat drove me to want to discover the Silk Road. After doingmy «homework» for many months and talking to peoplewho live in Tashkent, I finally booked for my «so much»anticipated trip to discover the «Suzani» land with mymother Parvine. We travelled via Istanbul with TurkishAirlines to arrive to Tashkent, which is the capital city.Luckily I met with the previous American Ambassador toUzbekistan in the plane who gave me some tips and hisview on the different cities I was planning to visit beforemeeting with my amazing guide Timur. Upon our arrival,we had to get our entry visa at the airport provided you havean invitation, (costing approximately $60 per person). My planwas to visit 3 cities: Tashkent, Samarkand and Boukhara.
As an introduction to the area, it is important to realize thatUzbekistan has the most diverse rulers over the millennium,
with Persians, Alexander the Great, Arabs (replaced Zoroastrianism),Genghis, Timur, Cezars, and Soviets taking turns ruling the land.
Uzbekistanthe Silk Road
Uzbekistanone of my most «perfumed»travels, beyond a dream trip
We started visiting the important squares and old schools theycall «madrassat» (religious schools) and of course mausoleums.Among the different places we visited in Tashkent, I will quotefew, i.e.: Independence Square, Navoi Theater square, Barak-KhanMadrasah (16th c.), The Kaffal-Shashi mausoleum (15th c.), KukeldashMadrasah (16th c.), the Djuma mosque (9th c.), Tashkent NationalArts Centre, Museum of Applied Arts, Amir Temur square. Mui-mubarack Madras in Tashkent has the first Qur’an, created byCalif Osman in 648 AD, it is really very exceptional to see itsenormous size, weight, all made from gazelle skin. Unfortunatelywe were not allowed to take pictures. Moreover, the reason be-hind the monument of courage is the earthquake that occurredon the 26th of April 1966. How fascinating to see the area rebuiltwith a monument of courage, plus it is today the most expensi-ve area where mostly wealthy Russians live. Another interestingdata I learnt was about the Parliament that has 250 deputies,70% occupied by men and 30% by women elected for 5 years.Yet, the president Islam Karimova has been in power since 1989.
Caravan and Sato were among the nicest restaurants we tried theirfood. I loved the interior décor and all the fabrics from Suzanithrows and Ikat cushions they use on the walls, tables, chairs, itis so colorful and full of life and stories. Uzbekistan’s signaturedish is palov (plov or osh), a main course typically made withrice, pieces of lamp meat, grated carrots, raisons, eggs and onions.
In Tashkent, where the oldest Qoran is found.
Amir Temur madrassah.
In front of Amir Temur statue.
They usually eat it on Friday before the weekend, as it is a hea-vy dish especially in summer, where most people prefer to havetheir siesta right after. The interesting part of this dish is the useof horse meat as it’s a meat that gives a lot of energy to men inparticular. It has a special sweet flavor, full of perfumes that Ienjoyed very much. And of course we went shopping; women’sritual in all their travels. We checked local young designers work andamong them, the famous brand Guli, owned by designer/singer/diplomat/businesswoman Gulnara the daughter of Islam Karimovathe authoritarian president of Uzbekistan. Glamour store wasanother interesting huge boutique for all international expensivebrands and, boutique Domstulya for more local trendy designers.Now for exchanging dollars to their local currency, that is aspectacular incident because you need to go to the «black mar-ket» (a maze inside the bazaar) to exchange your dollars asthe bank charges double the rate. The Currency exchange inthe black market is $1 = 1961 Som (local currency), the big-gest note is 1000 hence you need to carry a big bag as 100’000Som is only equivalent to $37. I will leave it to your imagi-nation to visualize the amount of notes to carry for $100 in Som.
The monument of Courage.
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SamarkandWe travelled by train from Tashkent to Samarkand. The trainstation is very impressive, in fact similar to the Swiss train stations,that much they are clean, neat and impeccable. It is the 2nd largestcity in Uzbekistan, with a population of half a million; unexpectedlythey speak Farsi (so I managed to communicate a bit with them)as well as Russian and Uzbek. One of the important spots to vi-sit is Registan. It is the heart of the ancient city of Samarkand ofthe Timurid dynasty, now in Uzbekistan. The name Registan means«Sandy place» in Persian. The rich and splendid city of Samarkandis divided in 2 parts the old (built by Amir Timur) and the newas of 1868 occupied by Russia. My favorite site I have visited isRegistan, which is in the center of Samarkand with 3 madrassas,looking like a duplicate of Isfahan in Iran with same embelli-shed mosques and doors all in turquoise and floral patterns tilesThe courtyard, the doors, and the little shops inside each mad-drassah are so inviting and full of colors and stories. Other sitesto visit like: Madrassah Ulug Bek (XV), Madrassah Shir-Dor(XVII), Madrassah Tillya-Kori (XVII), Mausoleum Guri Emir -Tamerlane’s Tomb (XIV-XV) and Bibi Khanum Mosque whichis the biggest mosque in the east, constructed by Timur in 1403.On our way to Bukhara we stopped by Saint Daniel mausoleum.It is a very special place that I was pleased I visited. Accordingto my guide, it is where the right bone of Saint Daniel wasburied around the holy water and pistachio tree, (the storybehind it was very touching). Pilgrims drink water from thespring which is reputed to be a holy spring; they pour the waterinto bottles and take it with them for drinking and washing.We also passed by Shahrisabz, where we got the chance tohand pick organic cotton from the field with all the locals, itwas a fun experience. Surprisingly I noticed Mosques do not prea-ch as request from their president, only for Friday prayersyou hear the «adhan». The government is strict about separatingreligion from politics, avoiding them to interfere and create conflicts.
BukharaThe nation’s fifth-largest city, it has a population of 263,400.Located on the Silk Road, the city has long been a center oftrade, scholarship, culture, and religion. The historic center ofBukhara, which contains numerous mosques and madrassas, hasbeen listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Persian-speakingTajiks constitute the largest element of the city’s population.The city has long had a mixed population including Jews andother ethnic minorities. We had the chance to visit one of theirfamous synagogue and view some of unique antique furnitureand textiles in old Jewish family households. I have been toldover 700 historical monuments exist in Boukhara. Sasha & Son,was the boutique hotel we stayed in, constructed in national sty-le, it was the merchants house in the 16th century in the centerof old Bukhara, all rooms are traditional bukharian style madeby hand by well-known craftmen from Uzbekistan. It has a tra-ditional courtyard with a beautiful small garden. Again here isa list of historical places to visit, Ismael Samani Mausoleum(the tomb of representatives of Samanids’ dinasty at the end ofIX - beginning of X), Chashma Ayub Mausoleum (we alwaysrepeat «saber Ayub» in Arabic) (Spring of Job - XIV), Bolo-Hauz
Mosque (beginning of XX), Citadel Ark (IV) - city in a city,Poi Kalon Ensemble (Pedestal of the Great), religious heart ofSacred Bukhara, consists of Minaret Kalon (XII), Kalyan Mosque(XII), Miri Arab Madrassah (XVI), Ulugbek’s Madrassah(1417), Madrassah Nodir Divanbeghi, Abdul Aziz Khan Madrassah,Magoki-Attori Mosque (dated XII-XVI centuries), Lyabi-KhauzEnsemble (dated XIV-XVII centuries), Kosh-Madrassah Ensemble(consisting of two resisting Madari-Abdullakhan Madrassah(Abdullakhan’s mother) and Abdullakhan Madrassah. Chor-Minor(four minarets). I very much liked the jewellery market TokiZargaron (the Dome of jewellers) looks exactly like the vege-table market, only US$ is used in this market as if we are inthe stock market. The most remarkable thing we have noticedthrough our travels in the region is that many local people havegold teeth as apparently it was very fashionable and a sign ofhigh status. People used to get rid of their good healthy teethto replace it with gold ones. Should I have stayed a bit longerI would have most probably considered getting myself a gold tooth.Finally by the end of my trip, I managed to pick up few words thatlocals use everyday like «Rahmat» meaning goodbye and thank you.
Inside anold palace.
Registan madrassah in Samarkand.
Organic market in Samarkand.
Organic cotton from the field.
Silk Ikat.
Weaving lotto carpet design.
Ikat loom.
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The highlight of the trip was of course to learn more about the his-tory of Suzani and Ikat and to work manually on these fabrics. Itwas like learning about carpet weaving from a to z, and it is verymuch similar as it all starts with the washing of the natural fiber i.e.:cotton and silk, the dyeing technique, the design drawing and finallyall the handmade needlework on the cloths. For many centuries handwoven silk and cotton fabrics have been an essential part of na-tional clothes, culture and interior. The hand-made silk fabrics arecalled «Ikat» on the West. This name came from Indonesia andoriginated from the verb «mengikat», which means «to bundle».
In the 18th century silk weaving was developing in Fergana,Bukhara, Samarkand, Tashkent, Shahrisabz, Urgut, etc. -magni-ficent silk fabrics were produced in these cities. These fabricsattracted special interest in the rest of the world. Manufacturingmethods of producing the hand-made fabrics were very compli-cated and tedious, and required special qualification. Just like wi-th carpet wool dyeing, Old-time fabrics were colored by naturalcolorants. The colorants were produced from the roots, fruits and
leaves of those dye plants which grew in Central Asia. Thoseincluded «ruyan» (madder), «isparak» (larkspur yellow), «anorpusti» (pomegranate peel), «tukhumak» (flower buds of Japanesepagoda tree or sophora), «gulkhayri» (mallow); as well as impor-ted plants, such as «nil» (indigo) and «kirmizi» (cochineal). Today,Ikat print is very popular on clothes, bags, shoes as well as on in-terior furniture items. Brands from H&M to Gucci, Iceberg, DriesVan Noten use the Ikat print on their red carpet fashion shows. Ikatis in fact one of the oldest forms of textile decoration. Many designmotifs may have ethnic, ritual or symbolic meaning or have beendeveloped for export trade. Traditionally, Ikat are symbols of sta-tus, wealth, power and prestige. Because of the time and skill in-volved in weaving Ikat, some cultures believe the cloth is imbuedwith magical powers. It is all worked on the loom using the feetand the hands in a very quick manner which of course needs a lotof practice and speed. As I have crossed many shops, manufacturersand collectors during my visit, I had the chance to see some ofthe most unique pieces of Ikat and Suzani old and new, and ofcourse bought some interesting pieces that are not very common.
With Suzani, the main design is very floral and repetitive withcloud bands or circle symbolizing the sun and the «gul» flowerfor life and fertility. It has been known that as soon as a girl isborn in a family, the mothers, the aunts and many female familymembers start working on Suzanis as presents and part of thedawry of the future bride. Suzani is from the Persian Suzan wordwhich means needle. Suzanis usually have a cotton (sometimessilk) fabric base, which is embroidered in silk or cotton thread.I was lucky to learn from female artisans about different hooksand needles and types of embroideries that make the art ofSuzani making even more special on each fabric. I leave youwith all these bright vibrant array of colors and invite you todiscover some of the interesting Suzani and Ikat pieces up clo-se and personal at my concept store Oumnia in Saifi Village...to fill your mind and spirit with tales from Uzbekistan... Rahmat
Dancing with the locals it is more fun. Washing dyed silk for Suzani.
Needlework with a hook. Ironing the silk Suzani.
Suzani drawingsbefore needlework.
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Suzani Museum.
With an uzbek family mother and daughter wearing traditional Ikat. In the jewellery bazaar.
Cutting the horse meat.
Traditional dishwith horse meat.
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More than an unforgettable trip,Uzbekistan is fascinating
by its beautiful sites and rich history...
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