A new country unlocked!
The first business trip at my new job could hardly be to a more exotic location. And although my travel was for business reasons limited to Tashkent, the capital of the country - this was an exciting introduction to the country with its captivating history, once one of the greatest empires the world has seen. So here we go.
On may way, I was taking in the views and bites of history here and there. Just look at the madrassa and the mosque next to the Chorsu metro station.The first brick of the mosque was apparently laid earlier than Kievan Rus was founded, on the occasion of the Arab conquest of the then-zoroastrian city. In the 15th century, the mosque was reconstructed on a new scale by Khoja Akhrar to become a local center of sufism. In 1868, the mosque suffered from a powerful earthquake and its restoration was financed by Russian Emperor Alexander III. Since then, it was restored a few more times so most likely I saw it not as Alexander III or Khoja Akhrar saw it, but the view through time is very impressive.
Everything is of large scale in Tashkent. To me it seems like a city of horizontal skyscrapers. A walk around a quarter will easily take you 30 minutes at least.
The inscription on the portal of Tamerlane's Palace Ak-Sarai in Shakhrisabz reads: "If you doubt our might, look at our buildings". Indeed, still holds. Even the billboard stands are giant - like the multi-storey one across the street from the Kukaldosh Madrassa...
I could not resist the temptation to explore the metro and compare it to other examples of the Soviet grandeur. It was gorgeous as expected.
My metro experience was a little bit like travel in time - it reminded me of my first memories of Moscow, but I bet it is even closer to the times when I was not around yet (1980s). To enter, you use tokens like you still do in the St Petersburg metro (and like it used to be in Moscow in my early childhood). The decorations are exquisite on all central stations that I saw; although the portraits in passages between the lines are of Tamerlane and the likes and not of Mr Lenin, otherwise the design idea is similar and similarly beautifully implemented. Probably the only substantial difference with the Moscow underground is that train wait times are three times longer than those in Moscow. Otherwise - feels like home.
And now - the long-awaited Chorsu Bazaar! All colours of Uzbekistan in one place...
So many handmade goods, arts and crafts that you will want to get all of it. Next, you step into Gobbler Rows - and your suitcase becomes hopelessly overweight.
Perhaps it was a good thing that this moment was when I had to start wrapping up to eventually head back to catch my car to the airport. On my way back I took an iconic shot near hotel Uzbekistan (classics, isn't it) - Timur (Tamerlane) with [hotel] Uzbekistan in the background, very symbolic and of a great scale, typical in this country.
See you soon, Uzbekistan!