Treasures of Antiquity
Uzbekistan is historically a land of builders. The proto-urban sites of Sapallitepa and Dzarkhutan (now located in Tajikistan), dating from the 2nd millennium BC, are the witnesses of the first forms of sedentary settlements in the region. Researchers have discovered already very elaborate forms of urban organization with citadels centered around courtyards where daily life was organized. These sites herald the advent of the ark, a Persian concept meaning "heart of the state" and designating citadels erected to house and protect the places of power. The origins of the very first fortified enclosure in Bukhara date back to the5th century BC. To understand how much Uzbekistan has been a land of meeting between cultures, it is in the province of Surkhandarya that you should go. The area is full of amazing archaeological sites, witnessing the presence of centuries-old Buddhist communities. At the site of Kara-Tepe, you will be able to observe the remains of a Buddhist monastery dug out of the rock. But the most impressive of the sites is undoubtedly that of Fayaz-Tepe. Dating from the first century BC, the site presents the ruins of a vast monastic complex, built in mud brick, including a central courtyard, study rooms and a refectory, without forgetting the traditional stupa (monument housing the relics of Buddha). At the same time, in the desert of the Kyzyl Kum, imposing citadels were built, creating the vast defense network of the rich province of Khârezm. These are the elliq-qala, the 50 fortresses of the desert, protective sentinels as well as meeting places for merchants and travelers, which were used until the 7th century AD. One of the oldest is Qoy Qyrylghan Qala. Researchers believe that it was also a temple and an observatory. Ayaz-Qala, the citadel of the wind, is in fact a set of three fortified works with a defensive system composed of loopholes, watchtowers and underground protection. But the most famous of these fortresses is Toprak-Qala, the citadel of clay. Surrounded by walls 20 m high and 12 m thick, the citadel was built with mud bricks, to which stones were added to solidify the bases and sand to preserve the interiors from humidity. Rediscovered in the 20th century, these citadels also bear witness to an advanced urbanistic research with the organization of spaces according to their functions (market, living areas, temple). Unfortunately, time and wind accelerate their erosion... so visit them without delay!
Splendours of Islam
The greatest Islamic dynasties have endowed the country with architectural treasures that are now classified as World Heritage by Unesco. The Samanids, who made Bukhara their capital and transformed it into a powerful cultural center, developed an architecture with very elaborate decoration. The Ismail Samani Mausoleum is one of the best preserved 10th century mausoleums in the world. Its basic structure is that of a square surrounded by four arches supporting a dome on trunks, the trunks being small corbelled vaults allowing a change of plan between the lower part of a construction, here the square, with the upper part that it supports, here the octagonal dome. The engaged columns at the corners and the small gallery running along the top of the walls contribute to lighten the whole. But the most impressive element of this mausoleum is its decoration. Baked bricks have been laid horizontally and vertically in a way that creates zigzags and rows of circles, reminiscent of the fine and delicate weaving of basketry. The powerful Karakhanids left an exceptional witness of their building genius with the Kalon minaret in Bukhara, the only remnant of the great mosque built in the 12th century. Kalon means big in Tajik... the minaret of 47 m resting on a base of 10 m did not usurp its name. In addition to its superb decoration based on geometric patterns made of bricks, the minaret is astonishing by its architectural properties. Indeed, the latter rests on solid reeds serving as antiseismic protection. Several times restored, the minaret has never collapsed! Other Karakhanides vestiges, the ruins of the caravanserai of Rabati Malik of which only remains today the imposing portal, one of the oldest arches with buttress of Central Asia. Note its surrounds decorated with calligraphic motifs. Researchers have determined that the caravanserai had an area of several thousand square meters. A monumentality that will be found in the fourteenth and fifteenthcenturies in the Timurid architecture. Led by the legendary Timur, whom the West called Tamerlan, the Timurid campaigns were devastating... but also gave birth to a superb architecture. During his campaigns, Timur made artists and craftsmen prisoners. On the one hand this prevents the creation of opposition centers around intellectuals, on the other hand it allows Timur to carry out the embellishment works of Samarkand, his brand new capital. Timurid architecture takes up the great codes of Persian architecture: the courtyard with 4 iwans - a vaulted room open at one end and generally located in front of the dome room which houses the mihrab, the prayer niche indicating the direction of Mecca -, the dome and the imposing facade equipped with a monumental portal or pishtaq often delimited by twin tapered minarets - the pishtaq designating the raised arch and the portion of facade surrounding the iwan. To this, the Timurids brought innovative and remarkable developments. They developed a more complex system of vaults, including the use of transverse arches, which made it possible to cover much larger areas than before. But the most exceptional contributions concern the decoration. The Timurids widely spread polychrome ceramic decorations. The techniques used in architecture take up those used in pure ceramics: cuerda seca (technique of the dry rope that delimits the glazes by a line of purple pigments), relief patterns, lajvardina (decoration based on blue glaze and enamel), glazed ceramic mosaic (arrangement of small fragments of tiles well adjusted and glazed with different colors), cartouche (patterns made with a series of plates, themselves composed of ceramic tiles) Glazed ceramics allows the creation of very flexible and beautiful motifs: arabesques, floral scrolls or even thuluth inscriptions - a cursive, simple and monumental writing. For the exteriors, the Timurids also used a technique called bannai consisting of an assembly of glazed or enamelled bricks arranged horizontally and vertically, so as to create patterns and inscriptions visible from afar. The remains of Aq Saray Palace, the white palace of Shahr-i Sabz, are a fine example of what these decorative techniques could achieve. Elements of the impressive 40-meter high pishtaq are also still visible here. Do not miss the beautiful Kok-Gumbaz mosque and its blue dome. But the most beautiful Timurid masterpieces are obviously to be seen in Samarkand, which bear not only the mark of the great Timur, but also that of his grandson Ulugh Beg, also great builder. So go and discover the great mosque of Bibi Khanum, the funeral complex of Gur-i Mir, or the complex of Shah-i Zinda - one of the most beautiful necropolises of Central Asia, and let yourself be moved by the light falling on their decorations of gold and turquoise. In the 16th and 17th centuries, it was the Shaybanids and then the Djanids who put their mark on the Khanates of Khiva and Bukhara. Among the most beautiful achievements of this period, let us note the medersa Chir-Dor (literally the door of the lions) with its portal decorated with roaring felines defying the Islamic prohibition to represent living animals or the medersa Tilia Kari with its courtyard transformed into a garden and its golden decoration. Take a good look at its ceiling whose tapered patterns made of gold leaves give the impression that it is a dome...while the ceiling is perfectly flat! In addition to their architectural mastery, these great Islamic dynasties also left a very important urban heritage. Each city has its registan, a central square where the great events of the city are organized, as well as the markets. The most beautiful is that of Samarkand with its superb medersas with blue earthenware decorations. Another very beautiful square not to be missed is the Liab-i-Haouz of Bukhara organized around a basin protected by hundred-year-old mulberry trees. Around these squares, the eski-chahar or old cities are organized. Their tortuous streets are composed of one or two storey houses articulated around a central courtyard, with straw roofs and mud brick walls. The urban fabric is punctuated with religious buildings (mosques, mausoleums, medersas) and commercial buildings (caravanserais, galleries or shopping domes) and has a very efficient water supply network that feeds the pools and fountains but also the hammams. Most cities also have an inner city, often fortified, like the ark of Bukhara which took its present form under the Djanids. Finally, in Khiva, do not miss the achievements of the builder khan Alla Kuli, of the Uzbek dynasty of Kungrates. In the 19th century, he endowed the fortified inner city (Itchan-Kala) with the superb Tach Khauli Palace which shines with the beauty of its decoration mixing blue ceramics with jade green, a medersa, a caravanserai of the Saïtbaï mosque (the summer mosque of the city) and surrounded Dichan Kala (the new city) with 6 km of walls. So many splendors that will not fail to dazzle you!
Russian influences
As early as the 19th century, the Russians coveted Uzbekistan. In 1865, the troops of Emperor Alexander II marched on Tashkent and erected a fortress unique in Central Asia. Following a six-sided plan, the citadel was protected by pits, corner bastions, walls and crenellated towers and housed a real city with barracks, an armoury and a hospital. The Russians also redesigned the city according to a grid plan. From 1917, the Soviets took control of the Uzbek towns and adapted them to the new egalitarian and hygienic standards of the regime. Rejecting religion, they destroyed a large number of religious buildings, as well as many so-called "pre-colonial" districts deemed unsuitable for Russian modernist aims. The few buildings that were preserved were put at the service of the regime. The squares were emptied of their bazaars to accommodate large political demonstrations and the medersas were transformed into cinemas where propaganda films were shown. It is only from 1940-1950 that the heritage value of Uzbek buildings is taken into account. The Liab-i-Haouz basin, the Kalon mosque and the gates of Khiva were restored. The USSR wants to show the world that it knows how to take care of its heritage. It is also from this period that the great urbanistic and architectural changes took place. On thewhole, the Soviets gave pride of place to large squares and wide avenues (designed to allow large planes to land!), parks and green spaces (the Navoï Park in Samarkand is a fine example) and favoured a two-faced architecture. On the one hand, residential buildings are standardized. The aim is to build quickly and cheaply to meet the growing demand for housing. You will notice that some of these concrete blocks do not exceed 5 floors... It's because at the time elevators were expensive, so it was decided that the maximum acceptable height without an elevator was... 5 floors! On the other hand, public buildings are getting in tune with the monumentalism and classicism wanted by the regime (the Tashkent Opera House is the most striking example). Under the Soviet regime, architects were subject to very strict guidelines. However, some of them managed to impose a personal vision through astonishing buildings. Whether they are considered "brutal" or "unattractive", these buildings are nonetheless part of the country's history. The city that most obviously bears the Soviet mark is Tashkent. It was thefourth largest city in the USSR. Among the buildings not to be missed: the radio andtelevision tower andits 375 m high and especially the famous Uzbekistan Hotel and its impressive facade covered with identical and symmetrical cells. In Tashkent, don't forget to go underground to admire the city's metro, created in 1977. It is one of only two metros in all of Central Asia. Each station has its own grandiose decoration of marble, bronze, granite and cast iron. Amazing!
Since 1991
Contemporary Uzbek architecture is concentrated in Tashkent and bears the mark of the man who was president until 2016: Islam Karimov. He has favored an architecture mixing monumental classicism (marble, colonnades...) and modernity (steel, chrome...) for all the key buildings of power: city hall, presidential palace, senate. Tashkent also has a business complex, the Akva-Park and the highest tower in Central Asia, the NBU bank tower, 108 m high. Without any consultation with the other actors of the country, Karimov decided on an urban plan aiming at making the city more functional by making a clean sweep of everything that could hinder this vision and then privileging a sort of neo-Uzbek style with many domes and other codes of traditional architecture. Karimov has somehow recreated a mythical city in order to base the national identity on a legend. The Khazrati Imam religious complex, fully restored in 2007 - the year Tashkent was designated the capital of Islamic culture - is the most obvious example. Some elements of the original complex were destroyed (school, library) and others were completely rebuilt like the mosque which has the highest minarets in Central Asia (63 m). An architectural ensemble which many have criticized for its lack of authenticity. Today, the new president, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, wishes to make a definitive break with the Karimov period and has committed himself to a joint action plan with UNESCO to ensure the protection of Uzbekistan's rich heritage and, when restoration is necessary, to preserve its authentic beauty, notably by using traditional materials.
