Adventures with Julia

Saturday, May 4, 2013

We sure had a full day of sightseeing today and I am going to be hard pressed to tell you the differences between one monument and another. They have all run together.

First, for those of you interested in Mark’s health, let me say that he slept through the night and stayed near the bathroom for the first part of the day, missing Timur the Great’s Mausoleum. However, he rallied by late morning and made it through the rest of the sites and even ate a bit of lunch.

Second, Jenia read my last post and suggested I make a correction. The population percentage of urban to rural is not 60/40 as I understood it. It is 50/50. I stand corrected.

Our first site of the day was the Gur-i-Mir or Tomb of the Emir and is the final resting place of Timur (1336-1405). Originally he intended it to be the tomb of his favorite grandson, Muhammad Sultan, who died tragically in 1403. Not long after the grandson was buried, Timur died in 1405 while planning a huge military campaign against Ming China. The tomb became the resting place of both of them, plus two of Timur’s sons, his spiritual teacher and another grandson, Mirzo Uligbek, who built several madrassas and became the finest astronomer of his age.

Born into a Turkicised Mongol family a century after Genghis Kahn, Timur, aka Timur the Lame or “Timurlane” after an arrow struck his right hip and made him lame while he was rustling sheep at the age of 27, deserves a descriptive paragraph. During the following 35 years he created a huge empire from Constantinople and the Mediterranean to India and beyond. He defeated the Ottoman sultan in Ankara, destroyed the Golden Horde on the Kazakh Steppe, and wrested control of trade routes from Delhi to Damascus. According to my reading, his merciless campaigns killed 17 million people. I don’t know about you, but I do not remember ever studying about this giant of a figure in school. He seems to have been in the same league with the likes of Genghis Khan, Mao, Stalin, Hitler and Pol Pots, yet is nearly unknown in the west. Although he spoke Persian and Turkic fluently and respected learned men, he was illiterate, like Genghis Khan. A nomad who lived on the move, he also created some of the world’s best architecture, especially in Samarkand, which became a symbol of his new empire.

Anyway, the tomb is is beautifully decorated with deep blue and turquoise mosaic tiles as well as painted plain tiles called majolica. The entrance portal is very lovely and finely designed. The facade of it is a huge rectangle with narrow side walls. The most interesting and unusual part of the structure is the ribbed dome that is described as having the same number of ribs as Mohammed had years–63–all of which are covered in mosaics. Inside, under the dome, are the tombs which are carved stone blocks in different sizes. Timur’s tomb is solid dark green jade. The bodies are actually buried below the main floor in the same relative location as the tomb stones above. The interior walls also contained mosaic tiles and calligraphy done in gold leaf. The building was most recently restored in 1994. I was told that 4 kilo of gold was used on the walls and I believe it. There were a lot of tourists in the place, most of whom were Central Asian.

We drove back to the hotel, picked up Mark and headed a few blocks away for the highlight of Samarkand, the Registan, or “sandy place”, which is considered the “single most dramatic architectural ensemble in Central Asia” according to our guide book. Laid out in a large square, three massive madrassas face into the square and make an imposing, even breathtaking, statement. Originally a market area where six roads came together, the buildings on the site had deteriorated so significantly over the centuries that it is hard to grasp how much restoration had to be done to bring them to their current, imperfect splendor. Not only had war, neglect and weather taken their toll, but major settling had and continues to occur as a result of such heavy structures being built on sand. The most recent restorations were completed in 1994 and already there is more settling. Drawings from the mid 1800’s provided us with a good depiction of how seriously damaged the buildings had become.

The first madrassa was built in the 15th century by Timor’s grandson, Ulugbek (1394-1449), who was the finest astronomer of his age. His school specialized in scientific studies, some of which he taught himself. Opposite his madrassa is another, built in the 17th century that is unusual for its depiction of tigers, deer and painted faces near the top of its facade. The last was also built in the 17th century. Together, set in a large stone square, they make a very impressive sight.

Ulugbek’s structure (1417-1420) has 109 feet tall columns and is richly decorated with star designs, geometric patterns and stunning mosaic and majolica tilework. The opposite madrassa (1619-1636), gets its fame from the mosaic lions, that look like tigers, that adorn the top of the facade along with the equally heretical faces painted on the lions’ backs. The third madrassa (1646-1660) is wider that the other two, has a huge turquoise tiled dome and magnificent gilded interior. All three buildings are filled with vendors occupying each of the old student quarters. There are many tourists in Samarkand, as this is high season, many of whom are Central Asians. So far we have seen no other recognizable Americans. In one of the stores I saw small ceramic bowls that attracted my attention and later went back and purchased 8 of them. Jenia said I paid too much and will see the same thing in Bukhara for less. Too late now and anyway, I got what I wanted.

From the Registan we walked along a broad pedestrian boulevard to the Bibi Khanum Mosque built by Timur as the Cathedral Mosque (the largest Friday mosque that will hold all the men in the city) of Samarkand in the early 15th century in honor of his chief wife, Saray Mulk Khanum. It was a monumental building planned on a hitherto unseen scale and financed with the spoils of a recent campaign to Delhi in 1398. The 116 feet tall entry arch was flanked by 165 feet tall minarets constructed with the help of imported Indian elephants. The imposing exterior is mostly restored, while the interior has been left un-refinished and was almost as appealing as the restored interiors of other buildings. It was a quiet place with the underlying structure totally exposed along with some of the original designs which can be discerned in the walls. We found it very appealing in its simplicity.

Back on the pedestrian walk we came to a large covered bazaar with open sides that specialized in candy, nuts, wedding candy cakes and other sweets. There were rows and rows of the same items being sold by different vendors. The cakes are made of hard candy with decorations and words in Russian or Uzbek marking the occasion. To eat it you must break off pieces. Vendors kept offering us samples of their wares and gypsies with babies kept asking for som–the Uzbek unit of currency.

Eventually we escaped the bazaar and drove a ways out of town to a paper factory where we watched how silk paper is made. It was similar to the way we have seen paper made in Madagascar and Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka, the main ingredient was elephant dung and the paper was a bit course. Here, the main ingredient is the membrane layer under the bark of mulberry branches and the result is more refined. The paper is finished by rubbing it with a smooth stone to polish it to a silky finish. Of course, I had to buy some. Lunch was served behind the factory in a lovely courtyard complete with shady trees and flowing water. Our meal consisted of a noodle and meatball soup followed by the usual tomato, cucumber, onion salad and a beef stew with carrots, potatoes and tender chunks of beef. It was all very tasty, but so much and so filling, I am turning into a butter ball.
Back in town, our first stop was the Ulugbek (1394-1449) Observatory, built under his direction during the 1420’s. It was the largest astronomical observatory of the time and helped him correctly reposition 1018 stars in an astronomical catalog that was the first of its kind since Ptolemy. His book “Zidj of Ulebek” , which contained the catalog and a theoretical introduction, became famous in the west when it was published at Oxford in 1648. We saw the excavated remains of a giant quadrant arc and a small museum showing illustrations of his work and copies of his book. I thought the place very interesting.

From there we stopped briefly at the elongated tomb of St Daniel, a legendary figure who is supposedly connected to Islam, Christianity and Judaism as a Biblical prophet. His tomb is at least 50 feet long and has been increased in length as the saint is reputed to continue growing in his tomb.

It was a long day and we had seen more than enough sites. After a short rest in our hotel, Genia took us to a fast food, pizza and pasta place for a culinary diversion. We both appreciated the change and actually enjoyed the spaghetti and pizza. On the way back to the hotel, Rafkat stopped at a large popular fountain where there seemed to be some activity. It was surrounded by young people enjoying the Belagio Hotel like affect of dancing waters, revolving colors and changing music. We enjoyed the scene for awhile, then took a quick look at the Registan and the Gar-i-Mir sites lit softly for night time viewing. Back at the hotel, we dove into bed, with visions of ancient and exotic Samarkand dancing in our head.