Off on an adventure in Uzbekistan! (page 3 of 6)

Day 10 (continued)

Stop! Enough excitement for our fragile little hearts—it’s time to return to more classic standards of beauty. How about the Shah-i-Zinda complex, a simple street lined with a few ordinary mausoleums of 14th- and 15th-century dignitaries?...











Okay, now that we’re here—mea culpa for calling it a "simple street" and "ordinary mausoleums"! I’ve been saying it all morning, but today we’re treated to a perfect triptych. Superlatives don’t grow on trees, yet we could really use some to refresh our vocabulary! A true ancestral architectural treasure! Not for the faint of heart—it’s beauty beyond words! A lineup of tiles worthy of the best Portuguese craftsmen!...

Oops, I warned you—I’m running out of words...

Day 10 (continued)





So, how do we top off a day this perfect? Flo votes for plov at the restaurant, while I insist the night should seal the deal with the sound and light show at the Registan! To hell with varicose veins—we’re treating ourselves to both!!! Perfect day, just like we warned you!

Shah-I-Zinda was definitely our favorite spot, even though there are other stunning places. See you!

Shah-I-Zinda was definitely our favorite spot, even though there are other stunning places. A+

Yes, magical... More subdued atmosphere than at Registan! Did you go to the contemporary cemetery next to it (which is impressive)? That’ll be for "tomorrow"...

Did you go to the contemporary cemetery next to it (which is impressive)?

That doesn’t ring a bell, but I’ll wait for your post about tomorrow. See you later!

I share your enthusiasm for Uzbekistan, especially Samarkand. It had an unforgettable effect on us too, just like the Taj Mahal, Angkor, and the Duomo in Florence. I was also surprised by the contemporary cemetery where I took a few photos myself.

You're whisking us from one continent to another in the blink of an eye! 🙂

I thought it wouldn’t be too hot in Uzbekistan in early spring. Looks like that’s not the case?

(I’m still noting that I should rent a car if I want to get off the beaten path.)

It's just so beautiful 🙂 All that turquoise blue reminds me of my teenage years too, when we all used to wear the same turquoise bracelets (in Marseille, at least). This travel journal is magical—it makes you feel nostalgic for a place you’ve never even set foot in in Uzbekistan 😏

It's all so beautiful!

Would you recommend ending with Samarkand when visiting the cities?

It's all so beautiful!

Would you recommend ending with Samarkand for city visits?

Absolutely! It’s definitely better to finish the magical trio with the most dazzling one: Samarkand. I even recommend doing it in the same order we did: Khiva, Bukhara, Samarkand.

You whisk us from one continent to another in the blink of an eye! 🙂

I thought it wouldn’t be very hot in Uzbekistan in early spring. Doesn’t seem like that’s the case?

(I’m still noting that I should rent a car if I want to get off the beaten path.)

The temperatures were perfect. A nice 25 °C! For the car, yes, you can rent one. That said, hitchhiking is really common in this country...

I share your enthusiasm for Uzbekistan, especially Samarkand. It had an unforgettable effect on us too, just like the Taj Mahal, Angkor, and Florence’s Duomo. I was also surprised by the contemporary cemetery where I took a few photos myself.

Yes, as I mentioned in my post, I don’t understand why Samarkand isn’t elevated more as one of the "wonders of our world." The "New Seven Wonders of the World" list is really nonsense when you realize Bagan, Angkor, or Samarkand aren’t included (while Corcovado, the Colosseum, or even Chichen Itza made the cut...

It's just so beautiful 🙂 All that turquoise blue reminds me of my teenage years too, when we all wore the same turquoise bracelets (in Marseille, at least). This travel journal is magical—it makes you feel nostalgic even though you’ve never set foot in Uzbekistan 😏

So you can imagine how nostalgic I feel diving back into these texts and photos months after being there... Is it in your plans, then?

April 15 - Day 11





Samarkand, take two. And it’s starting to get interesting because there’s still a crowd around! Like the merchants of old, we kick off our day at Samarkand’s Siyob Bazaar. The vibe back in the Silk Road days must’ve been different, but we still get to see products from far-off lands that are totally new to us. And, as usual, if it’s offered, I taste it... the good stuff... and then the rest! Like unripe green apricots that Uzbeks love. Not great! Or these weird stuffed pancakes with... raw pancake batter inside. Not great! Or something that looks like nougat but tastes more like dehydrated condensed milk. Not great! Freshly squeezed pomegranate juice with a bitter aftertaste. Not great! But then there were those crispy onion flatbreads. Good! "Oh no, the vendor’s smoking in the mirror!"

Day 11 (continued)

After that crowd bath among the living, no hard feelings—we dive into another crowd bath, but this time among the dead! First, we pay our respects to their leader, Uzbekistan’s first president, Islam Karimov, in his beautiful white setting near the Hazrat Khizr Mosque.







Then, we slip into the large cemetery of Samarkand, not sure if we’re committing a faux pas. Phew, no one scolds us. This cemetery has the unique feature of displaying large engraved portraits of each deceased person on their graves, making it feel like we’re being watched by the dead as we wander through its paths. Interesting... So I take a few photos, which might be another faux pas... But once again, no one scolds us!

Absolutely! It’s definitely better to finish the magical triptych with the most dazzling one: Samarkand. I even recommend doing it in the same order we did: Khiva, Bukhara, Samarkand.

I totally agree with Franck’s take. The experience just keeps getting better, even though Khiva already sets the bar so high. See you around!

Day 11 (continued)

And the award for the most beautiful mausoleum goes to... the local superstar, of course! Tamerlane, aka Amir Temur! The Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum treats us once again to a turquoise dome, minarets, blue tiles galore, and gold decorations everywhere—we love it! Fun fact: the building’s architecture is supposedly what inspired the architect of the Taj Mahal... Hmm, not sure we see the resemblance. Anyway, unlike the Taj Mahal, here you can go inside to see the main attraction: the seven tombs in the central hall, including Tamerlane’s and those of his prominent family members. As is often the case in Uzbekistan, the place invites quiet reflection...













While we’re at it, to wrap up this chapter on Samarkand’s afterlife wonders, we also take a few minutes to ourselves in the Ak-Saray Mausoleum. It’s not much to write home about unless you really love its mandala-style ceiling...





Then came the time for a reward! A reward for our bodies—for putting up with us on all these adventures without complaint. Let’s be honest, without them, we wouldn’t have any stories to tell! So off we went to Oyoq Hammomi Markaz for a massage that hits the spot. Add to that a new light-and-sound show (limited edition, thanks to a Saudi official delegation), and you’ve got another day that left us with happy eyes, tired legs, and a memory bank full of new treasures!

Hi, I totally agree—ending on a high note with Samarkand!!! I went there 20 years ago, and the Registan is still the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. I’ve never felt such a strong emotion in front of any other monument.

Hey, I totally agree—ending with Samarkand is epic!!! I went there 20 years ago, and the Registan is still the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. I’ve never felt such a strong emotion in front of any other monument.

I’ll admit I loved Petra, the Taj Mahal, Bagan, Angkor, Teotihuacan, Abu Simbel, Borobudur... but the Registan? 😎😎😎

It's just so beautiful 🙂 All that turquoise blue reminds me of my teenage years too, when we all wore the same turquoise bracelets (in Marseille at least). This travel journal is magical: it makes you feel nostalgic even though you’ve never set foot in Uzbekistan 😏

So you can imagine my nostalgia as I dive back into these texts and photos months after being there... Is it in your plans now?

It really wasn’t at all (I’d never seen photos of the country before your journal) because I’m more into grand nature than human monuments too. But I have to say it’s just made its way onto my to-do list, which didn’t really need any more additions... We’ll start with Namibia in 1.5 months first...