Uzbekistan: Land Of Arabian Nights

Uzbekistan lives comfortably in several centuries but is also a forward-looking nation, Deepa Gahlot discovers on a visit to this Central Asian country.

The names of the cities and towns in Uzbekistan have an Arabian Nights sound to them -- Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva.

Once part of Central Asia and at the centre of the Silk Route that linked the West and the East, a bustling centre of trade and commerce, a diversity of cultural influences can be spotted in the country -- Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Judaism, and, of course, predominantly Islam.

The Silk Road was established when the Han dynasty of China opened trade with the West in 130 BC. It extended over 6,400 km and connected China and the Far East with the Middle East and Europe and included routes through what are now Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, as well as modern-day India and Pakistan.

The Silk Road was a route for the exchange of silk, spices, precious metals, minerals, handicrafts, architecture; but there also had to be an intermingling of artistic, architectural, cultural and culinary influences.

There are traces of the Shikarpuri Sindhi traders who settled there, but today, there are very few Indians living in Uzbekistan.

The wide roads, green roundabouts, and the fabulously ornate metro stations of Tashkent are indicators of the long and bitter Soviet invasion in 1917.

A prime example of what came to be called Brutalist style of architecture is Hotel Uzbekistan, which would remind Indians of old government buildings in Delhi.

The metro stations, however, are as exquisite as banquet halls, and named after famous events or people. In spite of heavy footfalls of regular commuters and photo-clicking tourists, the stations are immaculately clean.

There is, as could be expected, in the heart of the city a small monument to Lal Bahadur Shastri, who died in Tashkent under mysterious circumstances in January 1966. Indian visitors stop by to pay tribute.

India is popular in the country, thanks to Bollywood. People greet Indians with a "Namaste" and "Indiaaaa! Shahrukh Khan." Hindi movies dubbed in Uzbek are regularly telecast on television.

Still, it was surprising to see on the train's entertainment screen, a reality show called Bollywood Battle in which locals danced to popular Hindi film tunes, dressed as the movie characters.

There are restaurants with names like Salom Namaste and Dostana, that serve Indian food and have walls decorated with faces of Bollywood stars.

The flight to Tashkent was full of Indian medical students, studying in Samarkand, finding the cost more affordable than Indian medical colleges, and the teaching standards high, with the professors from the US and Europe.

During the Soviet occupation, most of the magnificent mosques, madarsas and mausoleums of Uzbekistan fell into disuse. After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Uzbekistan (and four other republics in Central Asia -- Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan) declared independence.

Uzbekistan went about reclaiming its heritage with a lot of help from UNESCO, restoring the monuments to their former glory. Some of the madarsahs have been converted into hotels, and walking through the courtyards, under arches and pillars, is like walking back into history.

Strangely every monument is full of stalls selling tourist bait souvenirs of Ikat stoles, camel hair shawls, ceramics, trinkets, the inevitable T-shirts, mugs and fridge magnets -- turning the whole country into a colourful bazaar. In the markets, women sit embroidering, knitting, sewing and painting, while the men and younger women hawk the wares.

Some of them have gold teeth, which are a sign of their prosperity. The teeth also pay for their funerals when they die. A safe deposit vault in their mouths!

When the smiling women try to sell Ikat stoles, and you say "India," they make a sound of awe and respect, as if acknowledging superior craftsmanship. To the Indian tourist, the shawls, embroidered robes, quilted jackets and silver jewellery are reminiscent of similar objects found in Delhi, Jaipur and Mumbai's Colaba Causeway.

Tashkent's famous Chorsu Bazaar is as maze-like and varied as Mumbai's Crawford Market and the bazaars of Bhuleshwar and Kalbadevi.

The Uzbeks also returned to the Arabic script, after being forced to accept the Cyrillic script by the Soviets -- during their oppressive regime, those who persisted on using Arabic, were executed.

Our local guide, picked by Khaki Tours (that conducted this trip), Alikhontura Khojiamonullokhonov, shortened to Ali, is a font of historical nuggets, having won the history Olympiad in his student days; he is also has a degree in international law and owns a horse farm.

After so many upheavals, Ali says Uzbeks are a peace-loving lot. They are not hostile towards the Russians who live there, and the leaders have resolutely kept politics and religion separate.

Women are traditionally dressed and wear the hijab, but Ali says, have equal or more rights than men!

In Tashkent, the city square has a statue of Amir Timur -- or Taimurlang -- which was built after removing the statue of Stalin. He is seen astride his horse, but other statues have him seated on a throne.

Indian history records his inhuman brutality, but in Uzbekistan, he is a national hero, who united Central Asia and established the Timurid Dynasty. His descendant Babur came to India and founded the Mughal dynasty.

Babur's birthplace, Fergana, is on the checklist of history buffs, if not regular tourists, due to the long and tough journey. Taimur, from whom Babar had descended, was of both Turkic and Mongol descent, and was distantly related to Genghis Khan, who was a source of inspiration to him, as he went about his conquering spree.

In Tashkent, a popular destination is the State Museum of the Timurids, which has works of art and artefacts about Timur's dynasty and their achievements. The other is the Hazrati Imam Complex, which houses the oldest Quran in the world, written in the 8th or 9th century -- the only original manuscript of the Quran that has survived.

Away from the cities, the nomadic past of Uzbekistan is visible. There may no longer be too many camel caravans existing any more, but for the traveller, a night or two in a yurt (tent) camp and camel safari can be arranged -- complete with melancholy songs around a bonfire, under the star-lit sky of the Kyzylkum desert.

Going to Khiva is like stepping into a living museum. Inside the Ichan Kala fortress is the most quaint and lovely township, studded with rather spectacular monuments, that have stood the test of time for over 2,000 years. The stone and brick structures with lapis lazuli blue and turquoise tile work are typical of Uzbekistan.

The ancient mosques, and a 45-metre tall minaret that offers a grand view of Khiva to whoever is brave and fit enough to climb to the top.

The town is full of small family-run guesthouses, lovely cafes and restaurants and a central square bustling with musicians and puppeteers.

But the architectural marvels are what give Khiva its charm, like the 18th century Juma Masjid with its 210 columns, richly carved, brought from other ancient monuments, since they are all different.

Once the sun sets, and the lights of Khiva go on, it is really magical.

Bukhara is a beautiful, historic city, full of landmarks like the Ark fortress and the Kalon minaret. Tourists gravitate in the evening towards the Lyabi-Hauz complex, with boutiques and cafés surrounding a small hauz or pool.

There is a statue in the complex of Mulla Nasreddin Hodja, the much loved storyteller and satirist, astride his donkey. The 'wise fool' appears in folk tales and legends all over Central Asia, though his place of birth is not clear -- there are debates about whether he actually lived, or is a fictional character. Uzbekistan claims him as their own, and it is believed that rubbing his right shoe brings good luck.

In a large open-air eatery in this complex, performances of folk dance and music accompany a lavish dinner.

Uzbekistan is completely non-vegetarian -- the guide says they had never heard of vegetarianism before Indian tourists started visiting -- but vegetarians will enjoy the lush, sweet, succulent fruits, grilled vegetables, various cheeses and the wonderful array of delicious breads, and pumpkin-stuffed somsa, a variant of the samosa.

At one of the small cafes in the huge square of Bukhara, one can participate in an elaborate tea ceremony too -- a selection of delectable teas, accompanied by baklava and other sweet treats.

The bazaars are replete with exotic spices, herbs, medicinal teas and piles of delectable dry fruits and sweets.

In Bukhara is also located the tomb of Prophet Ayub or Job as he was called in the Bible. It is believed the Chashma Ayub mausoleum, marks the spot where the Prophet Job struck the arid ground and a spring of fresh water burst forth.

The interlocking brickwork construction of this mausoleum is unique and set the template for other monuments built in the future. The tomb is austere and for a structure so significant has no security around it.

In fact, in most monuments, security is minimal -- people touch, pose for photos and film around them, and no guards rush in to stop them. Still all buildings, old and new, are spotlessly clean -- the curse of the tobacco spit has mercifully not reached Uzbekistan, nor the vandals who leave scratches or graffiti on pristine walls.

Unlike Indian tourist spots, there are no beggars and touts. Ali says there are no homeless people in the country. If there is no family to look after a poor person, the government steps in to help.

A stop at Nurota is of particular interest -- the ancient town Nur was founded in 327 BC by Alexander The Great during one of his conquering journeys.

The ruins of his fort remain, as well as the water supply system that he had installed. A chashma or spring, the water of which is believed to cure ailments, gives this serene place its pilgrim attraction.

Every ancient country has its legends -- like it is believed that the stairs that lead to the Shahi Zinda mausoleum have a different count going up and down; anyone who gets the same count can have their wish fulfilled.

Then there's the curse of Taimur that states that anybody who disturbs his grave will face disaster. In 1941, Soviet anthropologists dug up Taimur's grave and took the bones to Moscow for genetic testing. The facial reconstruction from the skull allowed a portrait of Taimur to be painted, a reproduction of the human form is forbidden by Islam. Within a week, Hitler invaded the Soviet Union.

Before that, Nadir Shah stole the ebony gravestone of Taimur from the final resting place of him and his clan. In an uprising in his country, Nadir Shah was soon assassinated.

The grave is now respectfully cared for in the magnificent mausoleum of Gur-e-Amir in Samarkand. Outside the monument is a simple slab which was Taimur's throne brought there from his palace.

There is also a large stone container in which Taimur supposedly made pomegranate juice for his soldiers with his own hands. It was things like this which won him the loyalty of his soldiers.

There's the story of Saray Mulk or Bibi Khanum, Taimur's favourite among his forty-three wives and concubines -- most of them captured after he conquered their fathers' or husbands' lands. He had also married the beautiful and intelligent Bibi Khanum after killing her husband and his predecessor Amir Husayn.

She was his confidante and advisor, and it is to her that he assigned the task of building the biggest mosque in Samarkand, while he was away fighting in India. It was taking much too long to complete the mosque, because the architect had fallen in love with the queen.

On being asked to hurry, he said he would if she allowed him to kiss her, and in desperation to have the mosque ready before Taimur returned, she did. Her husband noticed a mark on Bibi Khanum's delicate skin, got the story out of her, and had the architect beheaded.

The Bibi Khanum mosque still stands grand and proud amidst verdant gardens.

From this tribe of barbarians came Ulug Beg, astronomer and mathematician, whose observatory in Samarkand is a place of wonder. The grandson of Taimur, the polyglot Ulugh Beg was not as interested in ruling as he was in pursuits of the mind.

He built the observatory, which was the largest and finest in Central Asia. Under his reign, the region became a centre of culture and learning. However, he failed to exert power as an emperor, was overthrown and assassinated.

A change from the tours of many mosques, madarsahs, mausoleums and museums, is a visit to the handmade paper factory in Konigil village outside Samarkand. Paper is made from mulberry bark by using a centuries old method of stripping the bark, hand pounding it and putting it to dry in wood frames.

The paper is strong enough to be turned into wearable garments.

Dropping by at a silk carpet factory, where skilled artisans still make hand-knotted carpets using natural dyes was eye opening. The intricate designs -- including portraits of celebrities -- can take two years to make; it's a rare and almost dying art, competing with machine-made carpets, and only the connoisseur would go for the real and very expensive item, that would become a family heirloom.

Uzbekistan lives comfortably in several centuries but is also forward-looking.

Right from the airline safety film, with models dressed in traditional costumes, a glimpse of the rich past is spread out for the traveller.

Driving from one city to another, the Amu Dariya river is seen, meandering through arid desert land and cotton fields.

There is Karakalpakstan, an autonomous republic of Uzbekistan within the country.

An occasional Soviet era Lada car is glimpsed, but the most commonly used car is the Chevrolet, manufactured in Uzbekistan.

The country, still shaking off the shackles of Soviet rule, is making the best of its resources, and tourism potential.

Travellers get what they come looking for -- gorgeous architecture, a complex history and a welcoming heart.

Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com