Things to see and do Central Asia

Country information and advice to travellers that it may be advisable to consult before leaving.

This travel blog provides an overview of the different folk and folk music of Uzbekistan and Russia (which is found throughout the region). An original contact with the local culture.

Five kilometres beyond the village, at 1 800 m above sea level, Kul Kurban, the lake of the victims, is a walking destination, to walk on foot where the cable car works. The lake appeared in 1766, following an earthquake. Two mountains collapsed on a village, killing its entire population, and creating a vast depression where water came to accumulate. A new landslide almost wiped out the lake in 1998. The lake fills only at the time of the melting of the snow, and looks like the rest of the time to a mini desert in altitude, where there are some paltry pedal. The surroundings of this lake, which was an excellent starting point for many walks, are now forbidden, as are access to the surrounding mountains. In order to protect the region from the fundamentalist land mines, anti-personnel mines were set up around Chakhimardan, as well as around other Uzbek enclaves in Kyrgyz territory, Soukh and Voroukh.

Slightly in retreat from the mausoleum, the Khamza Museum was built in 1989, in tribute to the late th century Uzbek poet and composer, Khamza, who lived in the last years of his life in Chakhimardan. Many traces still testify to his contribution to town planning: construction of terraces in terraces, an aqueduct… The museum also displays all kinds of tools, instruments, furniture, clothes recovered from the inhabitants of Chakhimardan during the construction of the museum and testifying to the daily life of the Uzbeks at the beginning of the century.

Chakhimardan is one of the seven holy places of Islam, one of those where, according to legend, the son of the Prophet and fourth caliph of the Muslim world could be buried. Before his death, Ali, conscious of being loved and respected throughout the umma, the community of believers, asked that seven graves be dug in the empire and that seven coffins be prepared and painted of the same weight, no one to know in which his body really rested. Thus, and after his assassination by the Omeyades, the seven coffins were placed on seven camels who dispersed into the Muslim world. Another legend claims that one camel wore Ali's casket, but multiplied by seven after a few metres, each bearing some of the relics of the deceased caliph. When the last camel disappeared, one of Ali's sons turned to God and asked him: «How would I know how to make sure I get to know my father's real grave? And God replied that the real tomb of Ali would be surrounded by very high mountains at the still snowy peaks, at the confluence of two rivers in the translucent waters. This description corresponds to Chakhimardan (which holds his name as Ali, Chakhimardan meaning "King of Brave Men"), but it is part of the legend that changes according to the tomb near which one is located. Uzbekistan claims to have hosted two other tombs, one in Uzs and one in Nourata; the others would be in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Afghanistan. For each Muslim, the passage over the tomb of Ali before the great pilgrimage to Mecca is compulsory. According to the elders of the village, a first mausoleum was built by the fourth generation of descendants of Ali, or towards the end of the th century. In reality, no one knows when the original building was erected. We know, however, that it was destroyed in 1922, as well as the 234 stone and fir steps that led to it. A second mausoleum was built during the Second World War, but on a different model than the first one, no longer knowing the techniques necessary for the same reconstruction. This second mausoleum was once again destroyed by the Soviets in 1956 and replaced by a monument to the dead of the Second World War. In 1991, this monument was moved, and a third mausoleum was erected on the model of the second.

A point of passage for all those who pass through the Amu Darya and discover the citadels of the desert, the bridge alone is worth a small car descent. It is made of rusty barges thrown on the water and linked between them by channels. The levels between each barge are harmonised by plate plates and sand shovelfuls. Old boats are crammed to the west. With drought, and the déviation of the river upstream for the construction of the new bridge, the legendary Amu Darya, nicknamed jayhun ("indomitable river", is a very sad one, and its scant currents through between the sand dunes, witness to the problems of silting in the whole region. The Berouni bridge does not float on the river, it rests almost directly on the bottom, and the differences at each of its ends give an idea of lowering the level of the river. A new bridge, built some tens of metres downstream, is soon to be the death knell of the old Berouni bridge.

About kilometres south of Tashkent. Take bus 153 at the hippodrome. The mausoleum of Zenghi Ata and that of his wife Ambar Bibi were erected in the th century on the order of Timur. One legend tells the story of this construction: between two conquests, Timur decided to build a mausoleum to the revered Sufi Akhmed Yasavi, near the village of Turkestan in the present Kazakhstan. But the construction didn't progress because every morning the work of the day was destroyed. The craftsmen then decided to watch to see who démolissait their work. In this way, once the night fell, they saw an immense and very powerful bull swinging on the walls and turning them into his passage. Tamerlane wanted to see with his own eyes, but while he was watching before the building of the mausoleum, he heard the voice of Yasavi telling him to raise a mausoleum for his uncle Zenghi Ata, also the Sufi priest and patron saint of the shepherds, before building his own. The body of this man was still needed… The voice of Yasavi indicated how to proceed: You had to follow a white camel until it was down for the seventh time. From sunrise, the servants of Timur went to the market and followed a white camel up to the outskirts of Tashkent, where a mausoleum was built in Preston Khodja, nicknamed Zenghi Ata, the «black father», because of his mate skin. This high place of Islam was recently renovated and is no longer a romantic ruin that was known to him in the 1980 s. The pilgrims are enthusiastic and many, the quiet tourists. The original mausoleum dates back to the th century. Architecture, decorations and mosaics are typical of the era. La was added in the th century and the mosque in the th century. Minaret dates from the beginning of the last century. The mausoleum of Ambar Bibi is located in the cemetery next to the mausoleum of Zenghi Ata. There are many women to get there, doing three times the tower of the building while embracing the walls. They are covered with prayers, vows, or simple words with pens from the brick to the extreme height to which an arm can be attached. The pèlerines will then choose a tree in the graveyard to which they attach small pieces of cloth so that the wind takes their prayers.

The house of the 1997 th century Uzbek musician and composer, Yunus Rajabiy (1897-1976) was converted into a museum in. In the different rooms on the ground floor and on the floor, you can familiarize yourself with the artist's universe through numerous photographs and musical instruments. If you are a distinguished musician, you can spend some time deciphering the partitions: Yunus Rajabiy is indeed the first to capture traditional Uzbek music in scores. In the artist's office, you can also see a musical booklet of the Khorezm written with the Arabic notes system. For others, it will always be interesting to compare the many photographs in Tashkent with the city of today. On the first floor, a work room should allow a small orchestra to take place for visitors. No notice or comment is duplicated in English or French. But with a bit of luck, you'll be guided by the son of Yunus Rajabiy himself, who is still the owner of the places, who are not tired of telling all the stories that have touched his father's life and can tell you the biography of each character on any of the photographs of the museum. But again, in Russian or Uzbek…

The museum's fund includes the rich collection of Grand Duke Nicolas Konstantinovich Romanov who lived in Tashkent at the beginning of the last century. As a result of his unusual conduct, the tsar's cleptomane cousin, accused of many evils, reportedly reportedly «borrowed» some parts of his collection, including crown jewels, at the Palais de l'Hermitage. It is one of the five largest art galleries of CIS. European painting and sculpture, Russian, Uzbek, icons and oriental art (China, Japan, India). Several rooms are devoted to decorative art. Antique shop, carpets. If you have to visit only one museum in Tashkent, it must be this one…

The former palace of the diplomat Alexander Polovtsev, who for a time was housed in Austrian prisoners and then an administration, was transformed into a museum in 1938. Of the original pieces, there are only twelve, four of which have been restored: The reception room and the small oriental eclectic style lounge deserve to be explored. The architectural ensemble is reminiscent of a mosque, with iwan and interior courtyard, with a reception room with a mihrab which indicates the direction of Mecca. A quote from Umar Khayyâm - "The world is a two-door palace, by one one, one comes out. " - orne one of the doors of the large hall with walls full of painted stucco. Columns of carved wood support an impressive painted wood ceiling as well. Unfortunately, the central fountain was covered with marble some years ago. Just behind, the small lounge where air conditioning was smoked also suffered from the restoration. In the exhibition rooms you will see suzani (embroidered drapes), tioupé (caps embroidered) in the first room, pottery and ceramics in the second, wood sculptures, musical instruments and jewellery dating back to most of the th century. At the end of the day, you will be able to take a look at the souvenir shop that offers beautiful local crafts.

Dedicated to the timurid era and its historical heritage, the museum Flotilla Timur opened its doors in 1994. According to the curator, his architecture would be inspired by the Gour Emir, but doubt is allowed… We would rather recognize the crown of the emperor. The museum has some interesting pieces, such as an immense th century Koran, but it is mainly the replicas of Uzbekistan's monuments that attract attention. The Bibi Khanum mosque and the Gour Emir are reproduced in their state of origin, which, by visiting the museum at the end of the stay, allows a good comparison with what has been seen in the country. A model of the Taj Mahal, built in India on the order of the grandson of Babur, by the architects of Bukhara, also makes it possible to compare styles and make reconciliations. As illustrated by the paintings on the second floor, the cult of Timur is double that of Uzbekistan, which was glorified through its national hero and its inescapable President Islam Karimov.

In the centre of Tashkent, on square Flotilla Timur, a huge statue by Timur on horseback replaced that of Karl Marx shortly after independence. Recently, with the construction of the new congress centre, the statue was designed to deal with the latter, while it was previously facing the pedestrian street Saligoh (ex-Karl Marx). All around, pluricentenaires trees were brutally shot to "set the horizon on the city". You will appreciate, or not, the view on the new shopping centres of the president's daughter, who has completely reviewed and corrected the city centre for his benefit….

To the west of the square is the colossal Uzbekistan hotel, whose architecture evokes an open book while the «web» of concrete on the façade symbolize Koranic writing. Many buildings, in Tashkent and Uzbekistan, have the facades hidden by massive geometric motifs evoking the cotton flower, the Koran or traditional Uzbek ornaments.

Chorsu, whose name means the «four roads», is the biggest bazaar in the centre of Tashkent. A bazaar inside the bazaar, the grand hall, built after the earthquake of 1966, welcomes products from all over the country: dry fruit on the floor, spices and condiments on the ground floor. In recent years, Chorsu has undergone some changes. The open-air meat market, where one trébuchait on freshly decapitated heads of sheep, and where even the night was odeur of blood and fat, was moved to a new closed and glass building. The previously reserved space is now host all year round and seed sellers, except during the melon season, where the production of cucurbits from all over the country is managed, leaving just the place for sellers from afar to sleep alongside their merchandise. In the middle of the bazaar, grids were set up to ban access to small sellers and allegedly fight the informal economy and the black market. Many families have lost their activity, and spaces surrounded by grids are currently only used to park a few cars. At the foot of the grand hall there are still clowns, wrestlers and acrobats of all kinds, attracting a dense and enthusiastic crowd. On the other side of the grand hall, the clothing shops have also been renovated and rebuilt in a hard way. The large bus station has been reorganized, and the nearby intersection, from where to reach the old town of Chorsu, has been completely redone. You will find a model supermarket as well as an amazing building with a children's crib and at the top of which you can climb through a spiral staircase to admire the view over the bazaar or the mountains.

Built in the second half of the 1598 th century under Abdullah Khan II (1557 -). Under the Soviets, the Koranic school had become an administrative building. The motifs of the facade are inspired by Madrasas of Oulough Begh in Samarkand. The madrasas welcomes students again, and if the entry is theoretically forbidden to tourists, it is sometimes possible to take a look at it, outside the hours of course, addressing the guardian at the entrance. Next door is the great mosque on Friday.

In this region of Khorezm to the east of its first capital, Kath, formed a network of fortified citadels defending the territory while enriching their position on trade routes and on the border of the nomadic worlds. Their military and commercial role was broken by the Mongolian tornado, but their many ruins left behind still scattered the desert of their enigmatic forms carved by centuries of erosion. The archaeological team of Professor Tolstov was born and explored more than sites dating from the th century before our age until the th century after the th century. Only about sites abandoned in the desert were searched, others wait for them to wake up. Since 1972, the kolkhozes have colonized these desert steppes and come closer to ancient cities to identify them, as is the case for Toprak Kala. Unfortunately, they use the walls of enceinte to fertilize the desert… most of the fortified cities of Du are in Qoraqalpoghiston or Turkmenistan. Starting from Uzs or Ourgentch, a great Day is enough to see half a dozen in the Berouni area. Further distances, such as Ayaz Kala or Jampik kala, require more time. If you leave Uzs, there is a great chance that the taxi driver will know the way to have it with other tourists. If you leave Ourgentch, be more suspicious, you may lose time with a more loose driver than you yourself, to find, after hours of research, in front of a small pile of land and pieces of bricks: there are around sites scattered around the ancient Amu Darya courses, in a distance far from the straight line.

Gouldoursoun. 40 km from Berouni towards Tourktoul. A first site surrounded by walls of wall is called the little Gouldoursoun. The big Gouldoursoun is 10 km along the same road. Fortresses controlled and protected irrigation canals. A legend tells how the daughter of the dekhan who reigned on the city fell in love with one of the enemies who besieged the city and how she betrayed her own by leaving the army into the walls. The unfortunate was then abandoned by his lover and the city fell into the hands of the enemies. The same legend is told in Mizdakhan, the ancient city near.

Toprak. About kilometres from Berouni. A ruined fortress dating from the first century B.C. became a regional capital under the Kouchans, in the th century, it underwent repeated attacks by the Huns Hephtalites who, by destroying irrigation channels, were right for the royal city. In the life of the century, she went into oblivion. Led by Professor Tolstov, archaeological excavations began just before the Second World War. The frescoes that were discovered there are in St Petersburg today; The Hermitage Museum has phagocyté or protected, according to interpretations, most of the testimonies of the ancient cultures of Central Asia. However, a collection of objects, found on the sites of Fouille by Igor Savitsky, is exhibited at the Musée museum. Here, in Toprak Kala, you can still see the traces of the many pieces and gardens of the Royal Palace, including the hall of kings, the ballroom and the black guard hall, and imagine what the temple of worshippers of the fire or the large clan houses gathered under one roof of the families of more than members. At 3 km from Toprak Kala, the high walls of Kyzyl Kala were housed in the old fortress.

Koi Krilgan Kala. About kilometres from Toprak Kala, south-east. The most famous archaeological sites with Toprak Kala. A large circular citadel, fire temple where funeral rituals were used and used as an observatory. Dated th century BC in the fourth century of our era.

. Kala. miles from Toprak Kala, direction Kyzyl Kum. . Kala is probably one of the most impressive sites. The ensemble consists of two perched citadels on hills of different heights. At the foot of the hills there are traces of homes and irrigation. The ruins offer an admirable view of the surrounding desert and Sultan Uvays mountains. The citadels kept a good part of their walls. From spring, you can eat lunch or even sleep under yurts installed behind citadels: Camping Ayazqala, contact Karimberdieva Dilbar Ziyatdinovna, tel: 221 07 07 or 350 59 09, e-mail: [email protected]).

Kirkiz. Even more enfoncé in the desert, the site, which dates back to the th century BC, is saved by kolkhozes. Photogenic ruins.

Djampik. kilometres from the entrance of the Bala Tugaï nature reserve. From the th-century fortified town, there are still large sections of the wall and part of the apartments of the dekhan. Such huge sculptures stand in the vastness of the banks of the Amu Darya, dominating the desert on one side and Bala Tugaï forest on the other. By way of cutting, we can appreciate the technique of constructing the walls, made of land and bricks between which were planted layers of straw. A strength that did not save the citadel of destruction, but which allows its ruins to keep still standing seven centuries later. If you go to August, you may have the chance to see the unique occupants of the citadel, eagles coming to nest between wooden poles that go beyond walls. The first role of these poles was that convicts were placed there. A truly superb desolation, which inspired the sculptor Joldasbek Koumimouratov, the most famous artist of La and companion of Savitsky, who wanted to make it a city of artists. Dreams are what they are, and the ruins remained abandoned. If you cross someone in the fortress, ask him for news from the black rock knocking behind the walls in the centre of the citadel. According to warned observers, it grows from year to year with approximately five fingers left out. One of the mysteries of the desert…

Chilpik. In the vicinity of the village of Bestam, one hundred kilometres from Berouni. Perched on a hill, the walls of Chilpik Kala dominate the desert steppe. Round of silence or fire fortified post dating from the second in the th century. This fortress can be easily visited if you go to, from which it is perfectly visible, left of the road.

This old necropolis has suffered numerous damage, including the construction of a neighbouring embroidery factory. The complex comprises three mausoleums dating from the th century: the mausoleum of Kaldirgach Bey, built in the beginning of the fifteenth and which is the oldest construction in Tashkent, the Yunus Khan Mausoleum (descendant of Genghis Khan and Babur grandfather) which dates back to the end of the fifteenth century, and the mausoleum of Sheikh Khavendi Takhoura (says Sheikh Antaour), built in the th century and rebuilt at the beginning of the th century, according to the original plans. Sheik Antaour and Kaldirgach Bey are ancestors of Khodja Akhrar, one of the great spiritual masters of Central Asia, whose mausoleum is in Samarkand.

The highest construction in Central Asia (375 m) was designed to withstand earthquakes up to the 9 index on the Richter scale. It was inaugurated between 1978 and 1984 and was inaugurated on 15 January 1985 and dominates the entire city of Tashkent, offering a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains. You can admire the landscape with a bird's eye or eat Uzbek cuisine in the highest restaurant in the city ($ 2 for a small buffet, or à la carte choice).

" Giant doors ", or doors of the East, built between 1806 and 1835, are the oldest in the city. A vaulted passage to 6 domes leads to the old town. Left of the gates, facing Ichan Kala, was the slave market. In a retreat, in the niches on each side of the corridor, the slaves who had tried to escape were chained while waiting for a fatal fate: it was in front of the market that the convicts were beaten or killed from 1840.

In this necropolis lies the double tomb of Abu-Bakhr Saad and Abu-Bakhr Ahmad, the descendants of Mohammed. The whole is made up of a mosque, a khanaka and a madrasas, which have the particularity of being built in the same alignment, facing a necropolis. From 1560 to 1563, Abdullah Khan raised this monumental ensemble for members of the Djoubaïri Sufi sect (or khodjagon), a branch of the order of Naqchbandi. The founder of the sect, Khodja Islam Djoubaïri, who died in 1563, was Abdullah Khan's spiritual leader. In the centuries that followed, many nobles in Bukhara were built at the tombs near the tombs of the saints, and a veritable necropolis was drawn around the streets. The enchevêtrement of tombs and the ruined pishtak give the whole charm a very special charm. This impressive architectural ensemble has been the subject of one of the latest renovation programmes in the Bukhara region, completed in 2001.

East of Joailliers bazaar. " Kosh madrasas "means" two madrasahs ". This term refers to all buildings facing or belonging to the same set. Thus, to southwest of the Bolo Khaouz mosque, the two madrasahs Supercritical-i-Khan and Abdullah Khan are also referred to as «kosh madrasahs».

La Oulough Begh dates back to 1417, the oldest of the two, and the passage from Central Asia. It was built by Oulough Begh, the aristocratic prince of Samarkand, the successor to Timur. The entry of the entry door recalls the wisdom and openness of its manufacturer: " Striving for knowledge is the duty of every Muslim and Muslim. " Open mind that few of his contemporaries and successors shared, since the building, like all madrasahs, remained forbidden for women. This was the first of the three madrasahs built by Oulough Begh, the other two in Samarkand and Gidjuvan, 45 km from Bukhara in the direction of Samarkand. The madrasas of Bukhara is smaller than its counterpart in the Registan de Samarkand, but its harmonious proportions and the savante sobriety of its decoration make it a good example of medieval medieval architecture and a valuable legacy of the Timurid architecture in Bukhara, which is well neglected at this time compared to Samarkand. After independence, students could come back to study in the cellules cells, but the government finally preferred to restore it and open it up to tourism. The City Restaurant Museum is located in the old mosque on the right, and souvenir and craft shops have invaded the cells. A spiral staircase leads to the arched roof above the entrance.

The madrasas of Abdul Aziz Khan, much less sober than his neighbour, was built two hundred years later, in 1654, while Bukhara became the capital of the khanate. The architecture and decoration of the imposing madrasas built under the Chaybanides were carried out by the best craftsmen of the time. The mosaic mosaic, or gate gate, as well as the portals overlooking the inner courtyard, is a vegetable enchevêtrement of a bright yellow where you can find simorgh birds, and even a dragon. These decorations, such as those on the façade of the Nadir Divanbeg, are a departure from the Islamic rule prohibiting representation. But the decorator of madrasas, Abdul Aziz Khan, seems to have risked the limits of tolerance: From the darskhana, looking at the bottom of the mosque when the lights are extinguished, and leaving the eyes to get used to the darkness, we see the silhouette erased from a man in turban, who disappears when one moves towards the entrance and the eyes réhabituent to light. Many techniques have been used for décoration decoration: majolica in relief, painted gantch cast, engraved marble, chiselled mosaic… Decoration of the interior domes of the winter and summer mosques is particularly remarkable. The darskhana on the right of the entrance, transformed into antique shops, is to be seen in double title: The decor is not restored and there are beautiful carpets and suzani. La also has chimneys, a great innovation for the time. The decoration of the facade and part of the courtyard remained unfinished. Indeed, Abdul Aziz Khan was deposed and his successor terminated the work.