A WEEK IN UZBEKISTAN

Uzbekistan? Why Uzbekistan? Exotic, different, historic - so many romantic names from history - Samarkand, Tamerlane, Bukhara. Why not? Friends said that it's the third world and we shouldn't drink the water, or eat the food. Other friends (who had lived in the Soviet Union) told us the Soviets had ruined any vestige of cultural interest during their 80 years of rule. And still other friends (those with relatives or family ties to the region) told us it would be a fantastic experience, with great food and incredible history.

In the end, we went. We went with a group of 30 for 8 days including 2 internal flights. All of our above friends were right, especially the ones who warned about not eating the food. It was definitely third world, and there was plenty of history. It was really very interesting. The Soviets had poured a lot of grey concrete, but they also invested millions in renovating historical sites. However, regarding the food, it couldn't have been worse. Nobody enjoyed the food, and almost the entire group had diarrhea (or worse) by the end of the trip. After we got back and we started talking to other people from other groups, who had been there, we found out that this was the norm - almost everybody who goes gets it! We can call it Tamerlane's revenge.

There are probably those among you who aren't exactly sure where Uzbekistan is. Below is a map showing the general neighborhood. The countries shown in colors other than grey are considered part of "Central Asia".

Uzbekistan is about the size of California and has a population of around 27 million people. It's one of only 2 doubly landlocked countries in the world. (The other is Liechtenstein.) Being doubly landlocked means that it has no access to the open sea, and that it is surrounded by other countries with no access to the sea. It has a couple of rivers, but most of its land area is desert. It's very hot in the summer and very cold in the winter. The only time to visit it is in the fall or spring. Click here to see an excellent map of Uzbekistan which shows all the places we visited.

There aren't a whole lot of options when visiting Uzbekistan. The main sites/cities worth visiting are Tashkent, Samarkand, Shahrizabz, Bukhara, Khiva, and if you have more than 6-7 days, you can add the Fergana Valley in the east of the country near Kyrgystan. All the tour companies pretty much visit the same sites and the only real option they have is to do the route clockwise or counter-clockwise. Here's a link to an English itinerary similar to the route we took offered by one of the local companies.

Our itinerary went like this:

DAY 1	LAND IN TASHKENT: DO SOME SIGHTSEEING, OVERNIGHT TASHKENT
DAY 2	FLIGHT TO URGANCH IN ORDER TO VISIT KHIVA, OVERNIGHT KHIVA
DAY 3 DAY 4	FLIGHT TO BUKHARA (A THIRD FLIGHT IN 3 DAYS MAY SEEM BRUTAL BUT IT'S INSTEAD OF AN ALL DAY RIDE IN THE DESERT WHICH MOST GROUPS DO.) VISIT BUKHARA DAYS 3 AND 4. 2 NIGHTS IN THE SAME HOTEL IN BUKHARA.
DAY 5 DAY 6	DRIVE TO SAMARKAND VIA SHAHRISABZ. SWITCH FROM BUS TO 10 PRIVATE CARS FOR A RIDE THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS NEAR SAMARKAND. VISIT SAMARKAND DAYS 5 & 6. 2 NIGHTS IN THE SAME HOTEL IN SAMARKAND.
DAY 7	MORNING IN SAMARKAND, DRIVE TO TASHKENT, VISIT A FEW MORE ATTRACTIONS IN TASHKENT, GO TO THE AIRPORT.
DAY 8	5 HOUR FLIGHT HOME AT 1 AM (DAY 7-8 WAS A LOOOONG 24 HOURS.....)

Here are my helpful hints for those brave enough
to visit Uzbekistan after reading this web page:

1.	Don't drink the water.
2.	Don't eat the food. (That's Alisa's advice. We actually brought with us a few cans of tuna, but due to circumstances only used one. Had we eaten more canned tuna, we might have avoided our digestive problems.) Here's a picture to the right of fresh meat "aging" in the sun on the street.
3.	You can get by using US dollars almost everywhere and you don't want to buy too much local currency (the "SUM" (pronounced "soom"). At the present exchange rate, one dollar buys 1350 SUM and the largest bill is 1000 SUM, the equivalent of about 70 American cents. There are also smaller bills, so if you exchange more than 30 or 40 dollars, you may get a stack of local currency 3 or 4 inches high. There are not a lot of places to exchange money (banks are few and far between and there are no ATM machines!) and the best place is the hotel. And don't forget to count your money. You get so many bills even for a small exchange, that errors are easy to make.
4.	In most tourist attractions you are required to pay to photograph. The fee varies from 500 SUM to 5000 SUM. The 5000 was for all day in the entire city of Khiva. The enforcement is spotty at best, but in several places, the site clerks came around checking and insisted on payment from those caught illicitly using their cameras. Click here to see the "photography permit" from Khiva.
5.	The people are very friendly and if you speak Russian, you can converse with most everybody. They don't speak much English.
6.	Despite 19 years of independence, the country is still very much run like a Bolshevik state. When you enter the country, you have to fill out 2 forms and the most important information on the form is how much foreign currency you are bringing into the country. When you leave, you have to fill out a third form and state how much foreign currency you are leaving with. Obviously, you should be leaving with less than you brought with you. But they do not check.
7.	The country is not ready for full scale western tourism. Last year about 500,000 tourists visited Uzbekistan, however there isn't a big selection of hotels, and our experiences in restaurants was poor at best. There are also many reports of overcharging and tourist rip-offs. Check out this article about overcharging and why most restaurants have no menu.
8.	The toilets are a real adventure. Many restaurants don't have any toilets and if they do have one, it will probably be: a)filthy, b)broken, c)clogged, d)eastern crouch style, e)no paper, f)no water in the sink (if there's a sink), or all of the above. Also keep in mind that most public toilets (even inside a restaurant) cost 200-300 "sum" to use. Now that's a minor sum of "sum" , but even where the toilet is paid for the conditions are no better. Bring lots of toilet paper and hand cleaner and disinfectant.
9.	As for shopping, there isn't much. The few supermarkets are pretty much empty, and the main things to buy are rugs, jewelry, and various kinds of handwork done by women. This includes, scarves, wall hangings and tapestries. Very popular are "suzannies", hand embroidered wall hangings with a rich cultural and artistic history. Here's a site with information about the "suzanni". The background of this page is a classic suzanni pattern. Here's a link to a page with a full description of this pattern and where you can order a suzanni with this very pattern online.
10.	We flew on Air Uzbekistan for all 4 flights. The international flights were reasonably up to international standards, but the internal flights were an adventure. Check out the picture to the right showing the emergency exit on the plane we flew from Urganch to Bukhara. Try and figure out how to get out in an emergency.
11.	Uzbekistan is a poor country run by a police administration which has been in place since the Soviets left. The people are poor, and general hygienic conditions are low by western standards. There's lots to see and it's an interesting country, but come prepared for the third world.

Here's a description of the places we went and the things we saw.

Tashkent is the capitol of Uzbekistan and its biggest city. It has 2.5 million inhabitants and is the only city in the region with an underground subway. Our visit here was split into 2 parts, half a day upon our arrival and another half day prior to departure. On our arrival day, we stayed overnight at the Merkazi Hotel which is a former Sheraton hotel and is located very near the center of the city. The hotel has seen better days and breakfast was terrible, but the rooms were large and well appointed and reasonably nice.

The first place we visited was the MUSEUM OF APPLIED ARTS, whose name in Uzbek is the Amaliy San'at Museum. It is dedicated to the handicraft arts of Uzbekistan and it was a fascinating place for our first stop. It really gave a good look into the arts and crafts of the region. We took no pictures inside and to the right is a picture of the entrance. The official web site of the museum (link above) gives a full description and lots of pictures of the exhibits.

After the museum we went to a beautiful site called HAST IMAM which was built very recently and which now houses the Osman (or Uthman) Koran a very rare Koran from the 7th century. It is considered by many to be the oldest Koran in the world. To the left is a view of one of the beautiful buildings at the site and to the right is a close-up view of the beautiful artwork on the building exteriors. Here is a site about the history of this Koran, although it is not updated as to its new location. Taking pictures is not allowed here either.

Next we visited the memorial commemorating the victims of the earthquake of 1966 which devastated Tashkent and left thousands dead. The monument is typical Soviet style with giant heroic figures in the center and a block with inscription and a cleft in the ground symbolizing the earthquake. Here's a picture to the left with Alisa standing next to the monument to accentuate its size. In the right foreground you can see symbolic cleft in the pavement.

Then we visited Independence Square, which isn't a square but is a large area which is considered the city social center. Here (and in town centers all over the country) newlywed couples come with their friends (not parents) to stroll and take pictures. Check out the pictures to the right. On that particular Sunday, there were dozens of brides. In this square we also visited the memorial to the victims of World war 2.

CHECK OUT THE
STRETCH LIMO

On our second visit to Tashkent, we visited the Opera House, a beautiful neoclassic building, a market specializing in spices, nuts and dried fruit, and the State Museum of History. The museum was very interesting and the guide spoke very nice English. The highlight of our second visit to Tashkent was our tour of the subway. The stations are similar to the Moscow subway and decorated in various motifs. The most impressive one is the one dedicated to the Russian space program and its cosmonauts. It's forbidden to photograph for security reasons.

As for the restaurants in Tashkent, on our first visit, we ate at a Russian style restaurant - tables set around a dance floor, with music, dancing and a buffet meal - (see the picture to the left). It was fun and the food wasn't half-bad, although the buffet ran dry and there was a long wait until they brought out more food. During our second visit to the city, for our "last supper" we ate at a Chinese restaurant where we had to beg for a second portion of rice. As noted above, most of the group had diarrhea and rice was what we all wanted. (see the picture to the right.)

KHIVA is called an outdoor museum. It is more than 2500 years old and was a city with trading ties to Europe even before it became a popular stop on the silk route. Its walls and many buildings and roofs are made of mud and it is one of the few towns of its type to have survived to the present day. The inner city (that within the mud walls) is called ITCHAN KALA and is a world heritage site. It is a beautiful city and was the highlight of our trip to Uzbekistan. (Maybe that's because it was only the second day of the trip and everyone's stomach was still functioning properly.) To the right is a picture of the south gate into the city which is very close to the location of our hotel, "The Asia Khiva Hotel", a small but very charming hotel.

SOME HISTORY OF KHIVA

A SITE WITH PICTURES AND CORRECT NAMES

DESCRIPTION OF KHIVA AND ITS TOURIST SITES

A GREAT SITE OF KHIVA AND ITS MONUMENTS

The main entrance into the city is the west gate and that's where we entered. One of the first views you see (and one of the most impressive) as you enter is the view to the left, a market street with the beautiful KALTA MINOR Minaret, also known as the unfinished minaret as it is very low and never reached the intended height of the Khan who built it. The minaret is connected to the MUHAMAD AMIN KHAN MADRASSAH, which is the largest madrassah (religious school) in Khiva and into which we made a short visit. To the right is a statue of the father of modern algebra, MUHAMMAD IBN MUSA AL-KHWARIZMI who was a native of Khiva. Khwarizmi lived during the first half of the 9th century and was a noted mathematician, geographer and astronomer.

We visited the JUMA MOSQUE, which is an incredible structure and which reminded many of the Mezquita in Cordoba. The interior space is a single hall with a flat ceiling supported by 212 wooden columns, some of which are original columns from the earliest structure on the site which was built in the 12th century. We also visited the TASH KHAULI palace complex which is comprised of several structures including a harem building. In the early evening we attended a cultural show which was a music and dance family performing within one of the courtyards. To the far upper right is a picture of the dance group and to the lower right is Alisa with one of the merchant ladies who has a shop right at the entrance to the palace grounds. We also visited the MAUSOLEUM OF PAHLAVAN MAHMOUD, considered to be the patron saint of Khiva. He lived in the 13th century and was a poet, a philosopher and a wrestler.

To the right is a picture of one of the symbols of Khiva, the minaret of Islam-Khodja. It is the highest structure in Khiva at 44 meters.

We went up onto the city walls in order to see the beautiful views of the city at sunset. We took lots of great shots. To the right are two.

Bukhara is a city of 250,000 inhabitants and used to be one of the major cities in all of central Asia and a major stop on the silk route. In the 9th and 10th centuries it was the religious and cultural heart of the entire area with 300 mosques and 100 madrassahs. Today it's a bit rundown but it has a compact and interesting center. To the left is a picture of the gate to the ARK FORTRESS, which was the main palace of the Bukharan emirate for 3 centuries ending in 1920 when the Soviets took over. It was largely destroyed by the Russians as reprisal for the execution of their envoys. Today, the ark fortress is primarily a museum and a market for souvenirs and pottery.

To the right is a picture of the KALIAN MINARET, taken from within the courtyard of the Kalian Mosque. This minaret is one of the symbols of the city. At one time it was considered to be the tallest structure in the world. This mosque (also known as the Great Mosque) was very beautiful. The blue dome (there are actually 2) in the background is part of the MIR ARAB madrassah which we foreigners are not allowed to enter.

LUNCH AT LABI-HAUZ

The center of Bukhara is the area called LABI-HAUZ. The area is a square pool with several restaurants right on the edge, and three well known madrassahs surrounding the square. The name literally means "around the pool". During our two days in Bukhara, we had both our lunches at one of the restaurants on the edge of the pool, and in my opinion they were the best meals we had in Uzbekistan. They brought out a tray of salads we could choose from and everything else was pretty clear and edible. Above on the left is a picture of the restaurant, and below it is Alisa actually enjoying her lunch. On the table is the tastiest dish I had in Uzbekistan, a salad of cooked tomatoes and eggplant.

ABOUT BUKHARA

HISTORY OF BUKHARA

MORE ABOUT BUKHARA

Right nearby the Labi Hauz, is the Bolo-Hauz Mosque, also known as the mosque of the 40 columns, as well as the Jewish quarter. There used to be a very vibrant Jewish community in Bukhara, but today there are only a few hundred Jews left (the numbers vary greatly depending on whom you ask) and there are one or two old synagogues still in use.

BUKHARAN SYNAGOGUE

THE CHOR MINOR
MOSQUE

Here are a few other sites we visited in Bukhara:

MAUSOLEUM OF ISMAEL SAMANI which is the oldest building still standing in Bukhara, and whose facade is made of mud bricks in such a way that it appears to have an embroidered effect. (picture to the right)

CHOR MINOR mosque, a most unusual structure with four minarets, one at each of the four corners. (picture to the left.)

JOB'S WELL - The first line in the Book of Job in the Bible is "There was a man in the land of Uz." Uz was described as a dry land suffering from drought. So maybe Job was from Uzbekistan, and that's why this spot is named after him. It is a well which gives sweet fresh water to this day. According to local legend, he struck the spot with his staff and brought forth fresh water for the thirsty people (a story similar to one told about Moses).

MAUSOLEUM OF
ISMAEL SAMANI

THE GOLD MARKET, which is run entirely by women, as well as several other markets, either for food or clothing or handicrafts. In the picture to the above right is a picture in an artisan's market of our guide Rachel with a woman embroidering. Some of these small markets have been operating since the days when the silk route was active. In the picture on the lower right is Alisa checking out carpets in an area right attached to the gold market.

THE SUMMER PALACE OF THE MOON AND STARS, otherwise known as Sitorai Makhi Khosa which is located a few KM from the city center. It was built by Mohammed Alim Khan, the last Emir in 1911, inspired by the beautiful chateaus of Europe. However, it was barely used when it was new due to the untimely takeover of the country by the Soviets in 1920 and the exile of the Emir. Today it is seedy and rundown and not well maintained.

THE ARTISANS MARKET

ALISA SHOPPING FOR
A CARPET

I think the most interesting place we visited in Bukhara was the shrine of the Sufi saint Baha al-Din al Naqshbandi located several KM from the city of Bukhara. The Sufis are an Islamic order dating back to the clash over the true successor to Mohammed. The Sufi movements adherents can be found all over the world but the most significant order is the Naqshbandi group in Uzbekistan founded by Bakhauddin Naqshbandi in the 14th century. To the left is a picture of a small group praying within the shrine. They were very accommodating and answered all our questions after they finished their prayers.

ABOUT THE SUFI ORDER

THE NAQSHBANDI SHRINE

On one of the evenings we ate dinner at a cultural dance, and fashion show at the Madrassah Noolir Devon Begi. This madrassah is located right at Labi Hauz and dinner wasn't half bad. The dancers were good and they had real live, tall, attractive models (most looked Russian) modeling local fashions. To the right is a picture of one of the dancers. After the show was over, (during as well) shopping could be done at the souvenir stalls surrounding the courtyard.

And last but not least, I have to mention our hotel - the Bukhara Palace. A palace it definitely wasn't. In fact, it was one of the worst hotels I have ever had the displeasure of staying in. Every room had a different problem - in some the doors wouldn't close, in others the doors couldn't be opened after closing, in some there was no water in the bathroom, and in others the toilet didn't work. In our room, the toilet wasn't properly attached to the floor, and this broke the connection of the pipe feeding fresh water to the toilet. This caused the bathroom to flood every time the toilet was flushed. Breakfast wasn't very good either. On its web site it lists itself as a 4 star hotel!! Instead of posting a picture of our flooded bathroom, to the left I've posted a much more enjoyable picture - of one of the models at the dinner show.

As a closing entry about Bukhara, I've posted the picture to the right. It is the pattern on several tablecloths we encountered at restaurants. It is a classic Uzbeki pattern. Alisa saw it and immediately identified it as a pattern used by Missoni (the expensive Italian designer) on scarves and other items. Wonder where they found it...

MORE ON TAMERLANE

EVEN MORE
ON TAMERLANE

SHAHRIZABZ is the place everybody stops at on the way from Bukhara to Samarkand or on the way to Bukhara from Samarkand. It's a convenient stop in the middle of a long boring ride, and its main claim to fame is that Amir Tamur was born nearby and when he recreated much of the Mongol Empire, he made his capital here.
Amir Tamur, who became famous as TAMERLANE is the national hero of Uzbekistan and statues and memorials to him can be found everywhere around the country. In Tashkent is a beautiful museum dedicated to him, but it is in Shahrizabz that his most famous monument can be found. In the central square of the city is a giant heroic statue of him (about 40 meters high) and behind it are the remnants of the giant gate to his palace, which was built around 1400. What's left are the two sides of a giant arch which was about 50 meters high. It's very impressive even today.
See the picture on the upper right of Tamerlane and behind him part of his arch in the town square. It was some sort of a local holiday and everybody was out celebrating. There were lots of brides and several bands. On the lower right is a picture of liberated women working on the garden at Tamerlane's feet.

TAMERLANE IN THE CENTER OF SHAHRISABZ

LIBERATED WOMEN IN TAMERLANE'S GARDEN

ALISA IN HER FAVORITE PLACE - SHOPPING FOR VEGETABLES

After leaving Tamerlane's monuments and his female work force, we took a stroll down the city's main street. We passed through the main shopping area, visited a market (picture to the left), and visited the Hazrati Imom complex which houses the tomb of Jehangir, Timur's eldest and favorite son. There is also a mosque here which is said to house the tomb of Hazrat-i Imam, a revered 8th century imam from Iraq.
Behind the Hazrati Imom complex is a bunker with a door leading to an underground chamber, discovered by archaeologists in 1943. The room is nearly filled with a single stone casket, on which inscriptions indicate that it was intended for Timur. However, it is known that he was buried in Samarkand, not at Shahrisabz, and mysteriously, his tomb in Shahrisabz contained two unidentified corpses. Hmmmmm.

Check out this excellent 3 minute YouTube video which shows Tamerlane and his arch for the first 2 minutes and the Hazrati Imom complex during the third minute.

THE VIEW ON OUR WAY
TO SAMARKAND

BUYING NUTS AND
DRIED FRUIT

After lunch, we transferred from our bus to 10 private sedans, (3 of us in each car) and headed out to drive to Samarkand through the mountains, a route which the bus couldn't negotiate. This turned out to be a very interesting ride. (See the pictures to the left.) The high elevation provided us with interesting views and landscape which we hadn't seen at all in Uzbekistan, we stopped at an oasis or two where they sold nuts and dried fruit, and the most interesting thing of all was the stop we made in a remote village. It was amazing how happy the people were to see us. (It's a very remote village!) The family we visited welcomed us onto their property and into their house. Here's a picture to the right of part of the extended family whom we visited.

SAMARKAND - CENTER OF
THE SILK ROAD

IMPORTANT TRAVELERS
ON THE SILK ROAD

A NICE TRAVELOGUE WITH GREAT PICTURES

SAMARKAND AGES FAST (2750 YEARS)

Samarkand...can you think of a more historically romantic place to visit? Samarkand was the very center of the silk route, where east and west met. Samarkand was the center of several different empires. Samarkand with its colorful bazaars and incredible mosques and Koranic universities. OK, it didn't turn out to be quite as exotic and romantic as we had expected, but it was certainly more interesting than Tashkent, and there were several absolutely fascinating sites we visited.

REGISTAN SQUARE

We were there for the city's 2750th birthday celebrations. Only 2 decades ago the city celebrated 2500 years, but recent archeological discoveries have awarded the city with another 250 years of history. We were in the central square, "Registan Square" while they were setting up for an extravagant celebration which included a visit by the country's number one citizen, Islam Karimov, as well as a performance by Rod Stewart. (In 2007, Parade magazine name Karimof number 8 on its list of the world's worst dictators.) Registan Square is truly impressive surrounded by 3 beautiful madrassahs, (one of them is pretty shabby inside) Ulug Bek, Shir Dor and Tillya Kari. To the left is the "essential" view of Registan Square, and to the right is a picture which could be taken only once in 2750 years, showing acrobats practicing for the evening's celebration.

2750 YEARS OF SAMARKAND

MAIN AVENUE OF
SHAH-I-ZINDA

CERAMIC ARTWORK ON
ONE OF THE TOMBS

The first place we visited when we arrived in Samarkand was the mausoleum of Emir Timur, known as GUR-EMIR. There are legends about divine retribution for opening the tombs, even one that claims that World War II started due to the opening of the grave.
The most impressive place we visited was SHAH-I-ZINDA, a necropolis with a long avenue of mausoleums covered with incredible ceramics artworks. Buried here are quite a few very famous personages, including several women. The mausoleums were built from the 11th to 14th centuries. Apparently, the most important person buried here was a famous martyr and religious leader named Kusam ibn-Abbas, whose tomb is the most complex and interesting. According to some legends, he continued living underground after death, and was known as the "Living King". Pictures to the left and right.

THE ENTRANCE TO IBN-ABBAS'S TOMB IS UNDER THE ARCH

OUR GUIDE RACHEL IN THE TOMB OF IBN-ABBAS

Perhaps the most interesting place we visited was the remains of the astronomical observatory of ULEG-BEK, Tamerlane's grandson and successor. It's located on a hill just outside of town. Uleg-Bek was a prolific builder but his main interest was astronomy. He built the most advanced astronomical observatory in the world at the time.

When it was operational (in 1429), it was 3 stories tall, but today only the underground part still exists and that was rediscovered only a few years ago. Unfortunately for Uleg-Bek, he was more interested in astronomy than politics, and he was assassinated by religious extremists, including his own son!

THE PRODUCE MARKET

We also visited the Jewish cemetery in Samarkand, which was surprisingly well taken care of, and we attended a concert of chamber music at the a place called the Gallery. They sell local art at inflated prices and they attract customers with some culture. The musicians were all Russians and the concert was very good. Here's a picture to the right. We also visited a huge market, apparently the main produce market in Samarkand. It was, like most of the markets we visited in Uzbekistan, extremely clean and tidy. Here's a picture to the left.

THE GALLERY CONCERT

DINNER AT THE
CONSTANTIN HOTEL

We spent 2 nights in Samarkand at the KONSTANTIN HOTEL. This is a new and beautiful hotel dedicated to Marilyn Monroe. The owner, Boris, who seemed to be more Russian than Uzbeki named this hotel after his son and had it decorated with the best things money could buy, and hung pictures of Marilyn all over the place. There was only one problem during our stay here - no water pressure. The pressure was so low, that the shower head merely dribbled, and the bidet was useless. Also, breakfast was very disappointing. We did have a nice festive dinner one evening, and I though it was pretty good. I spent most of the evening sitting with Boris and drinking vodka. I don't know if there's any connection, but my diarrhea started the next morning (and lasted for another week)... To the left is a picture of the group at our sumptuous dinner and to the right is the buffet before we started eating. Look above the food in the center of the picture and you can see a picture of Marilyn.

THE BUFFET AT
THE CONSTANTIN

ABDUL EXPLAINING THE PROCESS TO US, STRESSING THAT THEY USE ONLY NATURAL COLORS

ONE OF THE WORKERS WEAVING A RUG, WHICH MAY TAKE A YEAR TO MAKE

The very last thing we did in Samarkand, literally on the way out of town on our way to Tashkent was to visit a very interesting silk rug factory. The factory is run by an Afghani family who left Afghanistan during the reign of the Taliban. We were greeted and escorted by Ahmed, a very personable host who speaks wonderful English and has a great sense of humor. He explained to us how the factory is run according to humane principles with full social benefits for the workers, who are mainly women. Abdul is a doctor by training, and now spends 3 months a year in Afghanistan practicing medicine. The rugs here are not cheap, but it is clear that they are of high quality. We bought a couple of small items, and Alisa "won" a cheap wool rug after she answered a question Abdul asked while describing the process. He asked what is the most important quality they look for in a silk worker and the answer is "patience". This factory will custom make a rug for you from a picture you send them. The price will be about 10,000 Euros, half in advance. See the picture to the upper right.

AT THE TOP - A PAINTING DONE FROM A PHOTO BEING USED AS THE PATTERN FOR THE RUG BEING WOVEN AT THE BOTTOM.

ABDUL IN THE DISPLAY ROOM SHOWING US THEIR SELECTION OF RUGS

Here are a few pictures of people we came across in Uzbekistan. I didn't have any particular place to put them above, so I've put them below.


IN THE MARKET, THE DAUGHTER WAS HAPPY TO POSE, BUT MOMMA WAS EMBARRASSED.	THE PARLIAMENT IN BUCHARA	2 TWIN SCHOOLGIRLS IN SHAHRISABZ HAPPY TO POSE	2 YOUNG MOTHERS ON THE WAY TO PICK UP THE KIDS FROM SCHOOL?	2 LADIES IN KHIVA PROMOTING THEIR MERCHANDISE	THIS WIZENED OLD GENTLEMEN IS CHASING AWAY EVIL SPIRITS ON THE SIDEWALK IN SHAHRISABZ.

PAGETOUR	EXCELLENT SITE WITH LOTS OF USEFUL INFORMATION
ODDYSEI	AN EXCELLENT SITE WITH LOTS OF TRAVEL TIPS
OREXCA	A LIST OF TASHKENT MUSEUMS
SANAT	TASHKENT ARCHITECTURE & BUILDINGS
FANTASTICASIA	HIGHLIGHTS OF UZBEKISTAN
ABA SAYYOH	TOUR COMPANY SITE WITH TONS OF USEFUL INFORMATION
AVANTOUR	WEAVING OF DECORATIVE FABRICS
SAIRAMTOUR	THE TREASURES OF ULEG-BEK
CHRON	TALES OF THE SILK ROUTE
FOTKI	LOTS OF GREAT PICTURES