An Afternoon in the Fergana Valley. Kokand and Rishtan.

Pat and Hasan lead the way!

Kokand is located in the heart of the Fergana Valley, about 228 kilometers (142 miles) southeast of Tashkent.  In Silk Road days, Kokand was situated at the crossroads of trade routes, as so many other ancient cities also were.  It was also a popular spot for poets, writers, scholars, art and culture.

Drive Through The Fergana Valley.

The beautiful scenery of the Fergana Valley.

Front entrance of the Shodlik Palace Hotel.

We arrived into Tashkent around midnight last night.  Any worries that no one would be at the airport to meet us were quickly dashed when a beefy, bald headed man, dressed in a track suit approached us.  He looked like that movie character who's hired to do a hit. He introduced himself as Yevgeni and told us he was our driver.  We followed Yevgeni, who I had quickly decided was our bodyguard, to our car.   Having gone through this same route before, I knew it would be a very short drive to our hotel - the Shodlik Palace.  Yevgeni deposited us out front and before we drove off, we agreed that we would meet back up with him at 9a this morning.

An Afternoon in Khiva.

Pat and I in Khiva. 

Entering through the West gate.

I've been in Khiva for less than a day and I've already decided that of the three historic cities in Uzbekistan - Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva, this is my favorite.  There's something about the vibe of this place that suits me to a tee.  I think it's because it's small enough that it is easily walkable - we've yet to have to get into any sort of a vehicle to see the place.  Yet, it is able to deliver up just enough mosques, madrasahs and souvenir vendors that you don't feel overwhelmed by any one thing.  You can get a good sense of historic Uzbek Islamic architecture here without getting dizzy.  Lastly, though some including me (for a brief short minute) are surprised by the lack of dining establishments, that actually is a good thing.  You can easily walk outside the gates to find food so this place can remain a city museum.  Now about those souvenir vendors.....and one highwire act and one camel.

After our leisurely lunch, Pat and I made our way back to the old city to meet up with Saida.  Our meeting point was the minaret of Juma mosque as the mosque would be the place where we would resume our sightseeing.  Our itinerary only called for a half afternoon of guided tour after which we would be on our own so I didn't expect for Saida to be taking us around to see much.

A Morning in Khiva.

Taking in the view from the watchtower of the citadel, Kunya Ark.  

It was another restful night's sleep.  I woke up refreshed and raring to go!

Pat and I were down in the hotel restaurant for breakfast by 8a.  There was already a crowd of tourists there.  From the cacophony of chatter, I figured out they were Western European - but definitely not Germans though as that's one of the few foreign languages my ear can discern. In any event, the tourist horde as about to clear out the buffet plates so Pat and I quickly got a table and our food.  It was the usual Central Asian tourist fare we've had on this entire trip.  Ho hum but enough to fill the belly.

First Glimpses of Khiva.

Room with a view.  This is what we saw looking out from our hotel room window!

We returned back to Uzkbekistan on foot.  Kseniya and our driver had dropped us off on the Turkmenistan side right around 2p which was when the border crossing opened.  Pat and I had no issues clearing Turkmen immigration and customs.  We then braced ourselves for reentry into Uzbekistan.  First, it was customs clearance.

Bukhara. Last Moments.

Wall hangings at our hotel.  I wanted to get some of these but got so distracted with buying other things, I completely forget about them :-(

Our last afternoon in Bukhara was free time for us. After we said our thank you's and goodbye's to Sukhrob, Pat and I headed back to the room and rested for a bit. Then, we headed out to for a pre-dinner stroll. We didn't have any particular destination in mind. As far as I was concerned, I had already seen enough historic sights so a nice relaxing walk was perfect!

Bukhara. Chor Bakr Necropolis.

Also called "The City of the Dead", Chor Bakr Necropolis is one of the more unusual landmarks in Bukhara.  Ostensibly the necropolis developed around the burial site of Abu Bakr Said, who died in the year 360 of the Muslim Calendar (970-971 AD) and claimed to be a descendent of the Prophet Muhammad.

In 1560, the Shaybanid ruler, Abdullakhan II ordered that a mosque, madrasah and khanaka be built here as a gift to his teacher, Djuybar Sheikh Muhammad Islam Khoja, who was buried here when he died in 1563. The construction of the complex was completed the same year.

Bukhara. Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa Palace.

Inside one of the ornately decorated rooms at Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa Palace.

Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa Palace which translates from Tajik as *Palace of Moon-like Stars* is the palace of the Emir of Bukhara.

In the mid-XIX century, the Emir of Bukhara - Nasr-Allah bin Haydar Tora (aka Nasrullah Khan), who ruled Bukhara from 1827 to 1860, decided to build a summer palace for himself. To choose the coolest place not to suffer from summer heat, the architects applied a tried and true method - dressed sheep were put on the potential sites of construction.

The site, where the meat spoiled the last, was chosen as the spot for where the palace would be built. The palace was constructed but unfortunately it was destroyed.

Subsequently, the next Emir - Muzaffar al-Din bin Nasr-Allah (aka Muzaffar Khan), who ruled from 1860–1886 initiated construction of a new palace on the same grounds as the first once stood. A legend has it that the Emir dedicated the palace to his wife Sitora, after her death. Even though the second palace was also destroyed, its name was carried over to the third and last palace that was built.

Bukhara. The Memorial Complex of Bakhouddin Naqshbandi.

The tomb of Bakhouddin Naqshbandi.

Bakhouddin Naqshbandi was the founder of what would become one of the largest and most influential Sufi Muslim order - the Naqshbandi. He is the unofficial patron saint of Bukhara and the Memorial Complex of Naqshbandi is where he is entombed.  It is considered to be a pilgrimage site for Sufi Muslims and a popular tourist attraction.

In addition to the Mausoleum of Naqshbandi, the complex also contains mosques, madrasahs, and khanakas.

Bukhara. Chor Minor.

I woke up rested and ready to take on the day!  I'm liking being in Bukhara.

With Pat in charge of the clock, we're never late.  We had to meet back up with Suhkrob at 9a and shortly before then, we were waiting for him to arrive.  It was another picture perfect day in Bukhara so we decided to stand by the road.  Soon enough, he came around.  A quick phone call to Shavkat and he appeared as well.  Apparently, he had come by earlier but couldn't find a space to park the car so he went to a nearby street.  We all got in the car and drove a very short distance out of town.

Bukhara. More of the Old City.

Toki Zargaron.

Leaving the Po-i-Kalyan Complex behind, we continued with our visit to the old part of Bukhara.  Most of the area is pedestrian only which is really nice, especially for someone like me who is paying more attention to the sights around here than cars driving by.

I didn't realize how small the old city was until the end of our walk, when we ended back up at a very familiar place - Lyab-i-Hauz.  Of course, if you asked me to retrace my steps from Lyab-i-Hauz back to  Po-i-Kalyan, I'm not sure I could do it in a straight shot.

Bukhara. Po-i-Kalyan Complex.

As keen as I was to get going after lunch, a full belly and warm temperatures made me want to take a nap instead.  But....I didn't come all the way to Uzbekistan to snooze so onward march!

From the teahouse near Bolo Hauz, we crossed the main road back to the Ark.

Bukhara. The Ark.

Once you see a photo of the unique corrugated brick wall of the Ark, it's forever seared into your memory.  So, standing in the iwan at Bolo Hauz and looking across the street, I knew exactly what I was seeing and where we were going to next.

Bukhara. Two Mausoleums and a Mosque.

Bolo Hauz

Last night was the perfect storm of conditions for a good night's sleep - just the right room temperature, just the right amount of hardness for the mattress, just the right thickness for the pillow and blanket that was not too thin and not too thick. I woke up well rested and ready to face the day.

Meet My Travel Partner.

Say hello to Pat, my travel partner for this trip. When I had decided to do this trip,  I wanted a seasoned traveler by my side as I knew that traveling through Central Asia would not necessarily be easy.  There was only one person that I thought who would be even remotely interested and capable in coming with me and that is this lady.

She is an experienced traveler who has been to more than 70 countries and counting.  Her travels have taken to all corners of the globe and even in her younger days, when money was tight, she and her husband (now deceased) figured out how to stretch their money to enable them to travel.  They were budget travelers before the phrase ever even existed!  Her husband's love of foreign languages took them to non-English countries that most people would never dream of traveling to - like Mali.  I find it amusing to think that off all the places that she has never been to but wants to go to, the UK tops the list.  

First Glimpses of Bukhara.

Lyab-i-Hauz.  A really pleasant place to unwind from a long day's drive.

We arrived into Bukhara around 5p today. I was so excited to be here, there was no way I would not see a bit of the place before nightfall. Thankfully, Pat is ever so energetic and is always ready to head out and explore a place.

Our plan was to walk around a bit and then have dinner at a restaurant that Shavkat recommended to us - it's located just around the corner from our hotel.

On Our Way to Bukhara.

Pat standing at the entry portal to Rabat-i -Malik Caravansarai.

We had one last place to visit before we said goodbye to Samarkand and I'm glad we left it to the end.  We had a quick visit to the Afrasiab Museum, a small museum dedicated to the history of Samarkand.

The museum is located on the site of ancient settlement called Afrosiab. As the capital of Sogdiana, Aafrosiab was conquered by Alexander the Great in 329 BC. In the early 8th century AD, it was conquered by the Arabs and soon became an important center of Muslim culture. In 1220 the city was almost completely destroyed by the Mongol ruler Genghis Khan.

The museum was designed by an Armenian architect, Bagdasar Arzumanyan and was built in 1970 with funding from Korea.

We arrived at the Afrasiab Museum from the Mausoleum of Daniel - it was just a short ride.  I was hoping it would be a short visit.  Truthfully, I wasn't really in the mood to be visiting a museum but it's on our itinerary so we went.

Samarkand. Ulugbek Observatory and the Mausoleum of Daniel.

Posing with a group of Uzbek women at Ulugbek Observatory.  They were all as short as me! :-)

After spending time learning about paper making at the Meros workshop, located in the village of Koni Ghil, we returned to Samarkand and went to the Ulugbek Observatory.

Samarkand. Making Paper at Meros.

Dolls made from handmade paper.

Today, we left Samarkand for Bukhara. Our day started with the usual *breakfast-in-the-hotel-restaurant* routine. Yesterday, we were the only two people in the place. Last night, a European tour group arrived so the place was crowded. Pat and I managed to find a table to sit at and we took our food from the spread on the buffet table.

Samarkand. Shah-i Zinda Ensemble.

Our last sightseeing stop for the was at a necropolis. I have to admit that when I read that on the itinerary, I initially dreaded the visit.  Who want's to end their day with a visit to a cemetery.  Seriously.  Well, if you ever come to Samarkand, you MUST end your day here because this will be the highlight of your day!