Lonely Planet Central Asia (Travel Guide) by Various

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Raddus JSS HOTEL $$ for some comfort. King-size beds, reliable
(%120 77 48; [email protected]; Suleymanov wi-fi and a relaxed and friendly atmos-
39/41; s/d US$51/73; aWs; mOybek) A much- phere are this place’s hallmarks, and about
needed renovation brought this place up to the only complaint is that you’re a good
the standards of its midrange brethren in 15-minute walk from the nearest metro
the Mirobodsky District. The cover over the station.
courtyard out back is a questionable call, but
the rooms look brand new and some have Tashkent Palace HOTEL $$$
(%120 58 00; [email protected];
king-sized beds for couples. Buyuk Turon 56; s/d from US$160/180; paWs;

Rovshan Hotel HOTEL $$ mKosmonovtlar) This grand Soviet-era place
(%120 77 47; www.rovshanhotel.com; Katta Mi-
robod 118; s/d US$54/62; aW; mOybek) Not has a superbly central location, though its
age was beginning to show when we last
thrilling and rather characterless, but none- visited. A floor-by-floor renovation was Uzbekistan TSAalsSe ehHpKkieEnnNgtT ( ToO sS hH kK eE NntT )
theless a solid midrange option in the quiet scheduled for 2014, so things may soon
Mirobodsky District. The twin beds are change. Rooms are a good size, many with
more comfy than in other hotels of this ilk, balconies and fridges. Use of the pool, sauna
and a lux with king-sized bed is just a small and gym is free for guests, while in-room in-
step up in price. ternet costs US$15 per day, though it’s free
in the lobby.
Hotel Silver HOTEL $$
(%+998 514 400 078; Niyobek Yuli 54; s/d
US$33/43; a; mHamid Olimjon) Called both Hotel City Palace HOTEL $$$
(%238 30 00; [email protected];
the Hotel Silver and the Hotel Silver Dew, Amir Timur 15; s/d from US$160/180; pai-
this 12-room place is rather obscurely lo- Ws; mAbdulla Qodiriy) Despite a fairly taste-
cated (off Karay Niyazov kochasi), but not less and characterless lobby, the upper
too far from the metro and a decent deal floors of this hotel are well decorated and
in a pleasantly residential neighbourhood. rooms have good furnishings, including in-
There’s hot water in the otherwise fairly viting king-sized beds with fine linens, writ-
poor bathrooms, and rooms are clean, each ing desks and some impressive city views.
with a TV.
Hotel Uzbekistan HOTEL $$$
(%113 10 12, 113 11 11; www.hoteluzbekistan.uz;
Hotel Akbar Shox HOTEL $$
(%246 06 02; Sagban 5; per person US$35; W;
mChorsu) Rather inconveniently located, Tarakkiyot 45; s/d from US$100/130; pai-
Ws; mAmir Timur Hiyoboni) This old dino-
this is still a decent enough fall-back option, saur towering over central Amir Timur
with slightly musty but spacious rooms and maydoni has reinvented itself as Tashkent’s
admittedly fairly cramped bathrooms. It’s best-value top-end hotel. Where there were
750m north of the Chorsu metro station. once scowling babushkas there are now
more helpful receptionists, although don’t
oHotel Nur BOUTIQUE HOTEL $$$ expect to feel totally welcome. Rooms are
(%140 08 21, 140 08 20; Rakatboshi 3A; r from
US$80; aWs; mKosmonovtlar) This fantastic now rather sleek and modern with flat-
screen TVs, cushy white comforters and
new place is just what Tashkent needs – a shiny bathrooms.
well-located, upmarket but affordable hotel
that has style, security and good service. It
The Park Turon HOTEL $$$
(%140 60 00; www.theparkturon.com; Abdulla
has a big pool and garden (perfect for break- Kodiri 1; s/d US$140/150; paWs; mAlisher
fast in the sun), spacious and well-decorated
rooms and staff who fall over themselves to Navoi) Once the Leningrad Hotel, the totally
be helpful. refurbished Park Turon now has Indian-
Uzbek management, as its incense-infused
oHotel Bek BOUTIQUE HOTEL $$$ lobby, Indian restaurant and popularity
(%215 58 88; www.bek-hotel.uz;Yusuf Khos Khodjib
64A; s/d from US$90/100; aWs; mKos- with Indian businesspeople demonstrates.
However, while the renovation has been
monovtlar) With friendly and professional very thorough, the rooms’ low ceilings and
English-speaking staff, spotless rooms, styl-
ish touches and a small but very welcome rather cramped layout remains unchanged.
Flat-screen TVs, the fluffiest towels in
courtyard pool, this hotel is a great choice Tashkent, a gym and a sauna sweeten the
for business travellers or those looking
deal somewhat.

150 Franz Bäckerei BAKERY $
(Nukus ko’chasi; cakes from 5000S; h8am-8pm
5 Eating Mon-Sat; mToshkent) This Austrian-run
bakery has brought a much-needed com-
You’ll eat better in Tashkent than anywhere bination of baked goods and real coffee to
else in Uzbekistan and perhaps even than Tashkent’s deprived expats. You can drop
most of Central Asia as a whole. This is no in to pick up the city’s best fresh bread, or
great reason to get excited though, but af- stop by for a coffee and pastry at the airy
ter a long journey through the region, arriv- and bright cafe.
ing in Tashkent is something of a culinary
event. oJumanji INTERNATIONAL $$
(www.jumanji.uz; Yusuf Khos Khodjib 62/2; mains
Tashkent’s burgeoning middle class loves 5,000-15,000S; hnoon-11pm Mon-Sat, 5-11pm
to drink good coffee and eat cakes, is crazyUzbekistan TEAatsSiHhnkKgeE NntT ( TOo Ss hH kK Ee nNtT )Sun; WvEc; mKosmonavtlar) A charming,
for sushi and particularly Italian food, and laidback and family-friendly environment
also enjoys more traditionally popular cui- reigns here. There’s a varied and interesting
sines such as Russian, Caucasian and Cen- menu that runs from Georgian specialties to
tral Asian. The large Korean population in Asian dishes and traditional Uzbek soups,
Tashkent means that there’s plenty of au- while the coolly efficient staff ensure that
thentic Korean food to be had, while street this is one of Tashkent’s most perenially en-
food from shashlyk to laghman (noodles, joyable eating experiences.
also a noodle soup) can be tried almost
anywhere. oNational Food UZBEK $$
(Milliy Taomlar; Gafur Gulom 1; dishes 5000-
Western-style supermarkets and mini- 15,000S; h6am-10pm; mGafur Gulom) You’ll be
markets are now abundant, but for fresh hard pressed to find a restaurant with more
produce you are much better off at a farm-
ers market. Most restaurants add on a 15%
to 20% service charge.

Kafe Kafe CAFE $ local colour than this bustling eatery oppo-
(Shakhrisabz; h8am-10pm; mOybek) A slice of
Bohemia in the centre of decidedly unbo- site the Circus. Walk through the entrance,
overhung with goat parts, and be greeted
hemian Tashkent, this hip outfit has eclec- by giant kazan (cauldrons) filled with vari-
tic, comfortable furniture, writing all over
the walls, and fun and friendly staff, not to ous national specialities. In addition to the
requisite plov, and laghman, you can sam-
mention the best coffee and cake in town. ple beshbarmak, dimlama (braised meat,
Smoothies and a breakfast menu featuring
such Central Asian rarities as eggs benedict potatoes, onions and vegetables), halim
(meat porridge) and naryn (horsemeat
(10,000S) are also available. sausage served with cold noodles), the

PLOV GLORIOUS PLOV

Few things excite the Uzbek palate like plov, that delicious conglomeration of rice, veg-
etables and meat bits swimming in lamb fat and oil. This Central Asian staple has been
elevated to the status of religion in Uzbekistan, the country with which it’s most closely
associated. Each province has its own style, which locals loudly and proudly proclaim
is the best in Uzbekistan – and by default the world. That plov is an aphrodisiac goes
without saying. Uzbeks joke that the word for ‘foreplay’ in Uzbek is ‘plov’. Men put the
best cuts of meat in the plov on Thursday; not coincidentally, Thursday is when most
Uzbek babies are conceived. Drinking the oil at the bottom of the kazan (large plov
cauldron) is said to add particular spark to a man’s libido.

To sample the city’s best plov – and drink the oil if you dare – head to the celebra-
tion of plov that is the Central Asian Plov Centre (cnr Abdurashidov & Ergashev; plov
5000S; hlunch). Walk past the mob of people crowding around steaming kazans and
take a seat inside, where a waitress will eventually come and serve you. Your group’s
order will arrive Uzbek-style on a single plate from which everybody will eat. The best
day to come? Why Thursday, of course! Other worthy plov options include a lunch-time
restaurant just north of the Chorsu Bazaar atrium, and National Food opposite the
Circus on Gafur Gulom.

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latter prepared in the main dining room by oHan Kuk Kwan KOREAN $$$
an animated assembly line of middle-aged (Yusuf Khos Khodjib 1; mains 18,000-30,000S;
women. hnoon-10pm; vE; mKosmonavtlar) Tashkent’s

Sunduk FRENCH $$ large population of ethnic Koreans is what
drives demand for all those Korean restau-
(Azimov 63; mains 8000-20,000S; h9.30am- rants around town. Popular Han Kuk Kwan
midnight Mon-Sat; WvE; mAmir Timur Hiy-
oboni) The comfort food at this diminutive is one of the best. It fries up absolutely deli-
cious dishes such as bi-bim-bab (rice, egg,
eatery, kitted out like a French country vegetables and chopped meat fried together
kitchen, is as perfect as the handwriting on
the menus – on homemade paper, no less. in a stone bowl) right at your table and serv-
ice is charming.
The good-value business lunch is popular
with the diplomatic set, many of whom
work nearby. Caravan UZBEK $$$ Uzbekistan TEAatsSiHhnkKgeE NntT ( TOo Ss hH kK Ee nNtT )
(%150 66 06; www.caravan.uz; Abdulla Kahhor 22;
mains 20,000-60,000S; h11am-11pm; nWvE)
Efendi TURKISH $$ Tashkent’s quintessential theme restaurant
(%233 15 02; Azimov 79A; mains 9000-16,000S;
h9am-midnight; v; mOybek) This sprawling, is tarted up like a made-for-Hollywood Uz-
bek home. The original menu is heavy on
non-alcoholic Turkish place has a menu, but arcane but well-prepared Uzbek dishes. The
don’t bother – just saunter inside and pick
out a kebab and a mouth-watering salad walls are festooned with purchasable paint-
ings by local artists, and the attached store,
from the refrigerated display case, and retire filled with high-quality crafts from all over
to the shaded outdoor seating to enjoy it as
Tashkent’s traffic roars on by. the country, is open late, making Caravan
a great place for a last-minute gift-buying
spree.
Manas Art Cafe KYRGYZ $$
(%712 523 811; Yakubov 12; mains 9000-25,000S;
h11am-11pm; WvE; mOybek) To dine in a Teahouse Shafran ARAB $$$
(www.caravangroup.uz; 69 Abdulla Kahhor Lane
yurt without schlepping over the desert on VI; mains 20,000-35,000S; hnoon-midnight;
a camel, head here. There are a few yurts
decorated in traditional style, with chill-out nWvE) There’s a gorgeous, stylish feel to
this charming teahouse aimed at foreigners
tunes and shisha (hookah) smoke wafting and well-off locals. It’s part of the ubiquitous
through the air. It specialises in Kyrgyz
cuisine such as beshbarmak. Reservations Caravan group, and its menu runs from
shish kebabs and salads to delicious curries
recommended. such as lamb and chicken biriyani.

Yolki Palki RUSSIAN $$ Il Perfetto ITALIAN $$$
(Shakhrisabz 5; mains 5000-15,000S; h11am-
11pm; vE; mAmir Timur Hiyoboni) Sprawling (Shevchenko 30; 15,000-30,000S; h10am-11pm;
W; mMing Oriq/Oybek) Its air-conditioned in-
Russian chain famous for all-you-can-eat terior lives up to the name on a hot Tashkent
hot and cold salad bars with every Ukrain-
ian and Russian speciality imaginable. No day, although you can eat al fresco in the
shade on the street outside as well. This new
service charge. location for a popular Italian place boasts an

oCity Grill INTERNATIONAL $$$ open-plan kitchen, friendly staff and a menu
covering classic Italian dishes from pasta
(www.citygrill.uz; Shakhrisabz 23; mains 15,000- and salad to risotto. Takeaway is available.
50,000S; hnoon-midnight; WE; mAmir Timur
Hiyoboni, mMustaqillik Maydoni) The brand
new and very central flagship for the City The Rooms INTERNATIONAL $$$
(Amir Timur 33; mains 30,000-40,000S; h6pm-
Grill is a great spot for a sophisticated and midnight; vE; mOybek) There are many
good-value business lunch (18,500S) or a
blow-out dinner. Specialising in steak and rooms at this swanky place, and you can
choose your ‘environment’ as much as your
pasta, the menu here is varied and uses cuisine – so you can sit in the boudoir and
delicious fresh produce. There’s also a fan-
tastic selection of salads, soups and other eat Japanese food, or enjoy European dishes
with a shisha in the Moroccan themed room.
meat grills. Service is discreet and efficient,
and the original location (Shayhontohur 1;
E) is also still working and offers similarly Amaretto ITALIAN $$$
(%215 55 57; Shota Rustaveli ko’chasi; mains 15,000-
excellent fare. 40,000S; vE; mOybek) The mouth-watering

152

Italian food, professional English-speaking shady nook right on the Ankhor Canal,
service and subdued, candlelit ambience this microbrewery has some of the best
combine to make this the obvious choice for (and best-priced) homebrew in town. Their
a romantic dinner. We prefer the shady ter- recipe was supposedly invented by German
race to the rather garish dining rooms inside, monks in 1514. Tuck into a large menu of
but wherever you eat, the excellent Italian grilled meats, fresh fish and pizza in one of
food and large wine list are winners. the shaded eaves, or just knock back several
cold beers or cocktails.
Afsona UZBEK $$$
(Shevchenko 30; mains 15,000-30,000S; hnoon-
Brauhaus PUB

11pm; mMing Oriq/Oybek) This smart new res- (Shakhrisabz 5; beer from 5000S; h11am-mid-
taurant aims to deliver Uzbek cuisine with night; W; mToshkent) Sports fans flock here to
a contemporary touch, by revivifying old fa- watch big football matches on one of several
Uzbekistan TDAarsSi nhHkKkieEnnNgtT &( TNOoi gSs Hh kKtleE iNnftTe) vourites such as plov and laghman, cooking screens in the cavernous basement. Upstairs
with a wider range of flavours and – thank features live music, German sausages and
god – by not employing the ethnographic other beer-hall classics, which you can wash
museum approach to décor. A good place down with any of 12 varieties of homebrew,
for imaginative takes on Uzbek food without including a weissbier (wheat beer).
the Silk Road theme park treatment.
K.T. Komba NIGHTCLUB

Affresco ITALIAN $$$ (Catacoomba; Rakatboshi 23; admission from
(www.caravangroup.uz; Bobur 14; 20,000- 15,000S; hFri & Sat; mKosmonavtlar) This is the
50,000S; hnoon-11pm) Pricey and somewhat premier weekend playground for the young,
kitschy, Affresco remains riotously popular smart local set. It gets going after midnight
with locals and travellers. Its full Italian and the party goes on until dawn. Music is
menu is well-realised and there’s a large kept interesting by guest DJs and live acts.
wine list to boot.
3 Entertainment
6 Drinking & Nightlife
Opera, theatre and ballet options are readily
Tashkent has a lively and rapidly changing available, most performing from traditional
nightlife, although it’s aimed largely at the repertoires with the exception of the Ilkhom
Landcruiser classes and you may well feel Theatre, which is arguably Central Asia’s
conspicuous arriving at some clubs’ velvet most progressive theatre. There are lots of
ropes without designer threads, sunglasses cinemas in Tashkent, but they show films
worn at midnight and a bevvie of models by exclusively dubbed into Russian, so they’re
your side. Reservations are a good idea to unlikely to be of interest to most visitors.
ensure entrance. The website www.afisha.uz For listings, check out www.tashkent-events.
(Russian only) is an invaluable and regularly info for expatriate-oriented events news,
updated guide to what’s on. and www.afisha.uz (in Russian) for general
entertainment listings.
Irish Pub PUB
oIlkhom Theatre
(Shevchenko 30; beer from 5000S; h11am-11pm; THEATRE
mOybek) There’s Irish homebrew here, along
with overpriced food and usually at least a (Inspiration Theatre; %241 22 41; www.ilkhom.
com; Pakhtakor 5; tickets 8000-15,000S; hbox
smattering of expats who gather here for office 11am-6.30pm, shows 6.30pm Tue-Sun; mPa-
Happy Hour on Fridays.
khtakor) Tashkent’s main cultural highlight
is this progressive theatre, which stages
VM BAR productions in Russian but often with Eng-

(Shakhrisabz 33a; h7pm-late; mAmir Timur Hiy- lish subtitles. Known for bucking trends,
oboni) For flat-out debauchery, it’s hard to
beat this hipsterish student venue. Osten- its productions often touch on gay themes
and racial subjects, putting off more con-
sibly a warm-up (or warm-down) bar for servative elements of Uzbek society. The
club-goers, its small dance floor often takes
on a life of its own, obviating the need to go Ilkhom’s director, Mark Weil, who founded
the theatre in 1976, was tragically stabbed
elsewhere. to death in 2007, allegedly for blaspheming

Traktir Sam Prishyol PUB the Prophet Mohammed in his Pushkin-
inspired play Imitations of the Koran. But
(Navoi 2; mains 18,000-40,000S; h11am-midnight; the theatre continues to thrive and produce
mMustaqillik Maydoni) Occupying a prime,

153

cutting-edge plays as well as occasional jazz Office (%237 07 38; Lashkarbegi 19; h9am-
concerts and art exhibitions in its lobby. 5pm Mon-Fri; mHamid Olimjon), which is rough-
Imitations of the Koran remains in the ly opposite the Latvian embassy.
repertoire today.
The multiple sister restaurants of Cara-
Pakhtakor Stadium FOOTBALL van double as art galleries and have on-site
handicraft shops. The prices are competitive
(Cotton Picker stadium; mPakhtakor) Soccer with shops across the country, making them
matches are held at the Pakhtakor Stadium, reasonable places to stock up on items you
in the central park between Uzbekistan might have missed while travelling. The ce-
and Navoi. Tickets (local matches 2000S ramics of Rustam Usmanov and other Rish-
to 8000S, international matches 5000S to ton masters are also sold here.
15,000S) can be bought directly from the
stadium box office. Tashkent has at least 16 open-air farmers
markets or bazaars (Uzbek: dekhon bozori, Uzbekistan TSAahsSohHpKkpEei nNngtT ( TOo sS hH kK Ee nNtT )
Alisher Navoi Opera ¨ Russian: kolkhozny rynok or bazar). Chorsu,
Mirobod and Oloy bazaars are the most in-
& Ballet Theatre THEATRE teresting to visit.

(%233 90 81; Ataturk 28; mKosmonavtlar)
Tashkent’s main opera and ballet theatre
was undergoing a total renovation at the oAbulkasim Medressa HANDICRAFTS

time of research. Once it reopens, it will no (Navoi Park; h9am-6pm; mMilliy Bog) Close to
the Oliy Majlis in Navoi Park, this medressa
doubt be well worth visiting, as much to see has been turned into an artisans’ school and
the impressive interiors as to see the reper-
toire of classical opera and ballet normally workshop where local wood carvers, lac-
querware makers, metal workers and mini-
performed here. ature painters ply and teach their craft. It’s a

Circus CIRCUS great place to buy the fruits of their labour,
plus souvenirs such as suzani, rospic (lac-
(%244 37 31; Gafur Gulom 1; tickets 2000-7000S; quer boxes) and ceramics.
h3pm Sat, noon & 3pm Sun, closed Jun-Aug;
mGafur Gulom) This popular kiddie diversion
sells out quickly. Chorsu Antiques ANTIQUES

(Sakichmon; h10am-5pm; mChorsu) It’s not
one but rather several antique shops nestled
Academic Russian ¨ amid a row of hardware and trinket shops

Drama Theatre THEATRE behind Chorsu Bazaar. There are some su-

(%238 81 65; www.ardt.uz; Ataturk 24; tickets zani of exceptional quality here, but you’ll
4000-7000S; hshows 6.30pm Wed-Fri, 5pm Sat &
Sun; mAmir Timur Hiyoboni) Classical Russian want to haggle hard.

and Western drama as well as some more Human House CLOTHING
modern pieces, all performed in Russian.
(%255 44 11; www.humanhuman.net; Usmon Nosir
30/9; h10am-7pm Mon-Sat; mOybek) This shop
Muqimi Musical Theatre THEATRE not only has carpets, skull caps, suzani and

(%245 16 33; M Gafurov 187; tickets from 3000S; textiles from various Uzbek provinces, but
hshows 6pm; mBunyodkor) Best bet for tra-
ditional Uzbek folk singing, dancing and it also doubles as one of Tashkent’s most
fashionable boutiques, featuring modern
operettas. clothing infused with Uzbek styles and de-

Tashkent State ¨ signs. Tours of the factory are available by

Conservatory CONCERT HALL appointment.

(%241 29 91; Abai 1; mOzbekistan) Chamber
concerts, Uzbek and Western vocal and in- Knizhny Mir BOOKS

strumental recitals in an impressive new (Book World; Toytepa 1; h9am-7pm Mon-Sat;
mAmir Timur Hiyoboni) This bookshop has a
edifice. Entrance is around the back. decent map selection along with a smatter-

7 Shopping ing of English-language classics.

Ask around about private sellers who peddle Sharq Ziyokori MAPS
high-quality Turkmen carpets and suzani
from their apartments at reasonable prices. (Bukhara 26; h9am-6pm Mon-Sat; mKosmon-
It’s recommended that you certify antique avtlar) Has maps of Tashkent, Uzbekistan
purchases with the vendor or with the and most provincial centres, plus excellent
Culture Ministry Antiques Certification 1:450,000 maps of most provinces published
by Ozbekiston Viloyatlari.

154

Tezykovka Bazaar FLEA MARKET INTERNET ACCESS
With nearly all hotels and many restaurants
(Tolarik 1; hSun) The local, vast flea market offering wireless, it’s unlikely that you’ll need
of Tezykovka Bazaar is also known as Yan- to use internet cafes. We’ve listed a few central
giobod Market. This sombre sea of junk – options here, but you’ll find them all over the
‘everything from hedgehogs to jackets’ as city. The best wireless hotspot, convenient to
one resident put it – is located in the Kham- the hotels in Mirobodsky District, is in the lobby
za District, and reached by bus 30 from the of the four-star Grand Mir Hotel (%140 20 00;
Mustaqillik Maydoni metro. Keep a close Mirobod 2). Ordering a coffee earns you free wi-fi
watch on your purse or wallet in this or any for the day.
bazaar. Internet (Amir Timur 4; per hr 1800S; h9am-
11pm) No gamers here.
Mirobod Bazaar FARMERS MARKET Net Club Globus (Shakhrisabz; 2000S per
hour; h9am-11pm; mOybek) Underneath the
Uzbekistan ITnAafsSoHhrKkmEeaNnttTi o( TnOo sS hH kK Ee nNtT ) (Gospitalny Bazaar; Mirabod ko’chasi; h8am-6pm; Centre Lavash fast food outlet.
mToshkent) A fiesta of fruit bathing in the Prime Time (Mirobod12; per hr 2000S; h24hr;
teal-green glow of its giant, octagonal flying mOybek) Fast connection, and hot dogs are
saucer of a roof. sold at the kiosk out front.

Oloy Bazaar FARMERS MARKET MEDICAL SERVICES
In the case of a medical emergency contact your
(Alaysky Bazaar; Amir Timur ko’chasi; h7am- embassy, which can assist with evacuation.
7pm; mAbdulla Qodiriy) Lacks the character Local hospitals are a lot less expensive than Safo
of Chorsu, but locals say it has the best, if Tibbiyot Clinic and Tashkent International Medi-
priciest, produce. cal Clinic, but are often less than sanitary.
Safo Tibbiyot Clinic (%255 31 36; www.
Toshkent Univermagi DEPARTMENT STORE safouz.com; Ivliev 21; consultation US$10;
h9am-6pm; mOybek) Has English-speaking
(TsUM; cnr Uzbekistan & Rashidov; h9am-7pm Uzbek doctors. In Mirobodsky District off
Mon-Sat; mKosmonavtlar) It doesn’t have the Usmon Nosir.
atmosphere of the bazaars, but for the best Tashkent International Medical Clinic (TIMC;
prices and a surprisingly good selection of %120 1120, 291 07 26, 291 01 42; www.tash
silk by the metre, try this old Soviet-style clinic.org; Sarikul 38; consultation US$65, after
department store. hr US$150; h8am-5pm Mon-Fri) Has state-
of-the-art medical and dental facilities and is
88 Information run by Western and Western-trained doctors
who speak English. It’s difficult to find; call for
DANGERS & ANNOYANCES directions.
Tashkent is generally a safe place. Unlike in
years gone by, the legions of militsia (police) MONEY
around won’t bother you too much. However, Nearly all travellers exchange money on the
metro station entrances are the one place you’ll black market and pay for everything in som,
continue to meet police officers, most of whom making Tashkent far more affordable than it
will let you continue on your way once they’ve looks on paper. All open-air farmers markets are
looked inside your bag. Have your passport and teeming with black-market money changers able
valid registration slips on you when riding the to change dollars (and usually euro) until early
metro, and don’t even think of taking photos evening.
down there.
The ATMs in town are often cashless, and
Tashkent’s airport is a generally annoying divide into those of Asaka Bank (Abdulla Kahhor
place. Lines at both immigration and customs 73; h 9am-5pm Mon-Fri), which offers US dol-
are long and disorganised and the whole process lars to MasterCard holders at 0% commission,
can last two or three hours. If you are offered and those that operate with Visa cards and give
‘help’ with your forms or luggage when going out either US dollars or Uzbek som. Asaka ATMs
through customs, you should politely decline can be found at the Park Turon and Grand Mir
unless you’re happy to pay a premium for this hotels. More prevalent, but rarely functional, are
service. Ask for two customs forms in English the Visa-card ATMs located in most four-star
and fill them out on your own. hotels, including the Tashkent Palace and the
Park Turon.
EMERGENCY National Bank of Uzbekistan (NBU; Gulomov
Ambulance (%03) 95; h8.30am-4pm Mon-Fri; mAmir Timur
Fire Service (%01) Hiyoboni) Cashes travellers cheques in room
Police (%02)

155

213. For Visa cash advances (3.5%), head to well as more traditional guided tours of Khiva, Uzbekistan TGAaesStHht Kki nEegNntT h( TeOor eSs Hh&kKAeEwNnatTy)
room 212, where English is spoken. Bukhara and Samarkand.
Kapital Bank (Nukus ko’chasi; h9am-5pm Asian Special Tourism (AST; %281 58 60;
Mon-Fri; mToshkent) Charges 2% for cash www.ast.uz; Mironshoh tupik III 18; h9am-
advances against Visa cards. The office is on 6pm Mon-Fri; mToshkent) Few people know
the ground floor to the right as you enter the the local mountains like agency lead guide
building. Boris Karpov, who also leads the twice-per-
month excursions of the Tashkent Hiking
POST Club. This company also runs one- to three-
In addition to the main post office (pochta day easy rafting trips on the Syr-Darya around
bulimi; Shakhrisabz 7; h 9am-8pm; m Abdulla Bekobod, plus the full gamut of standard
Qodiriy), there are smaller post offices scattered tours.
around town, including a branch near Chorsu Stantours (www.stantours.com) Based in
Bazaar. Kazakhstan, David Berghof’s superb Stan-
tours arranges obligation-free Uzbek visas
REGISTRATION and doles out up-to-the-minute advice on
OVIR Central Office (%132 65 70, 231 45 securing Central Asian visas in Tashkent, as
40; Uzbekistan 49A; h9am-5pm Mon-Fri; well as other services such as hotel and flight
m Ozbekistan) booking.

TELEPHONE VISA EXTENSIONS
Central Telephone & Telegraph Office (Navoi One-week visa extensions (US$40) are relatively
28; h9am-6pm; mAlisher Navoi) Great easy to obtain at the airport – bring plenty of
connection and a plethora of other telecom patience, though.
services available.
88 Getting There & Away
TRAVEL & TOUR AGENCIES
Independent travellers will be happy to know AIR
that it’s actually easy to go it alone in Uzbek- The main international gateways to Tashkent
istan. Still, even if you’re organising your trip are Moscow, İstanbul, Paris, Frankfurt, Riga
alone, travel agencies can still be useful for and Dubai. Low cost airline Air Baltic’s flights
planning hassle-free excursions, prearranging from Riga are usually the cheapest route from
domestic air tickets and securing qualified Europe and North America. Sample one-way
guides for outdoor activities such as trekking, fares to/from Tashkent include: Urumqi
rafting and heli-skiing. Also, if you need a letter US$555, Astana US$225, İstanbul US$490,
of invitation to apply for a visa (see p225) then Moscow US$280.
the assistance of a travel agency is usually
essential. Domestic flights leave from the new domestic
Advantour (%150 30 20; www.advantour. terminal (called Terminal 3), about 5km from
com; Mirobod lane I 47A; h9am-6pm Mon- the international terminal, which is 6km south
Fri; mOybek) Advantour draws rave reviews of the centre.
for its service and can customise tours for
both groups and individuals in Uzbekistan From Tashkent, Uzbekistan Airways flies to
and across Central Asia. The personable and Andijon (US$37, two weekly), Bukhara (US$50,
knowledgeable owners speak perfect English, at least daily), Fergana (US$42, daily except
and all the major services, from visa support Sunday), Nukus (US$68, two daily), Termiz
to hotel booking, tours and transportation can (US$67, three daily), Samarkand (US$21, at
be arranged. least daily) and Urgench (US$85, multiple
Arostr Tourism (%+998 901 868 648, 256 daily).
40 67; www.arostr.uz; Afrosiab 13, office 66;
h9am-6pm Mon-Fri; mKosmonavtlar) Arostr Airline Offices
is a solid choice for individual travellers as it AC Kyrgyzstan (%252 16 45; Mirobod 27;
arranges obligation-free visas, can book hotels, h9am-6pm Mon-Fri; mOybek) Flies to
guides and transport and its comprehensive Bishkek.
website is a good source of general travel Aeroflot (%120 05 55; Bobur 73; h9am-6pm
advice. Mon-Sat) Daily flights to Moscow and connec-
Asia Adventures (%252 72 87, 150 62 80; tions on to the rest of the world.
www.centralasia-adventures.com; Kunaev Air Baltic (%120 90 12; Beshyogoch 104A, 2nd
27/10, office 23; h9am-6pm Mon-Fri; mOy- fl; h9am-6pm Mon-Sat) Cheap connections to
bek) This adventure-travel specialist offers a all over Europe via Riga.
range of exciting mountaineering, camel safari Asiana Airlines (%140 09 01, 140 09 00; Afro-
and heli-skiing tours throughout the country, as siab 16, Angel’s Food Bldg, 2nd fl; h9am-6pm
Mon-Sat; mOybek) Flies to Seoul.

Uzbekistan TGAaesStHht Kki nEegNntT h( TeOor eSs Hh&kKAeEwNnatTy)156 Navoi Park, near Sobir Rahimov metro; and from
China Southern (%252 16 04; Afrosiab the huge private bus yard behind the Ippodrom
2, Dalston Business Centre, 2nd fl; h9am-6pm Bazaar, 3km beyond Sobir Rahimov metro on pr
Mon-Fri; mOybek) Flies to Ürümqi and Beijing. Bunyodkor. Rides to Termiz, Denau and Karshi
Czech Airlines (%120 89 89; Air Travel Sys- leave exclusively from the latter.
tems, Mirobod 12/19; h9am-6pm Mon-Fri;
mKosmonavtlar) Two flights per week to The public bus station (Tashkent Avtovokzal;
Prague. % 279 3929; pr Bunyodkor), across the street
Iran Air (%233 81 63; Toytepa 1; h9am-6pm from Sobir Rahimov metro, has a smattering of
Sun-Thu; mAmir Timur Hiyoboni) Flies once a scheduled trips to most major cities.
week to Tehran.
Korean Air (%129 20 01; Oybek 28/14; The main departure point for shared taxis and
h9am-6pm Mon-Fri; mOybek) Flies to Seoul. marshrutkas to the Fergana Valley is near Kuyluk
Transaero (%129 75 55; Nukus kochasi; Bazaar, about 20 minutes east of the centre on
h9am-6pm Mon-Fri; mToshkent) Flights to the Fergana Hwy. Take bus 68 eastbound along
Moscow. Navoi from the Turkuaz stop, or tram 9 from
Turkish Airlines (%236 79 89; Navoi 11A; Usmon Nosir ko’chasi or the train station. Alter-
h9am-6pm Mon-Fri; mAbdulla Qodiriy) natively, it’s a 7000S taxi ride from the centre.
Frequent flights to İstanbul and connections
around the world. TRAIN
Uzbekistan Airways (%140 02 00; Amur The most comfortable, if not the most flexible,
Timur 51; h8am-8pm; mToshkent) Flies to way to travel westward from Tashkent is via train
Almaty, Baku, Bangkok, Beijing, Bishkek, Delhi, out of Tashkent’s train station (zheleznodoro-
Dubai, Frankfurt, İstanbul, London, Moscow, zhny vokzal; % 299 72 16, 299 76 40), next to
Paris, Rome, Seoul and Tel-Aviv, as well as the Tashkent metro station.
operating domestic flights around the country.
The brand new, super fast ‘Afrosoiyob’ bullet
Buying Tickets train to Samarkand departs daily at 8am (econo-
International tickets can be bought at any of my/business 51,000/68,000S, 2½ hours), while
the ubiquitous aviakassa (private travel agents) the far cheaper but still very fast ‘Sharq’ train
around town. Domestic tickets can only be departs Tashkent at 8.30am daily to Samarkand
bought at the Uzbekistan Airways office in the (economy/business 27,000/41,000S, 3 hrs 40
centre of town, or either the domestic or inter- mins) and continues to Bukhara (economy/busi-
national terminals of the airport. These must be ness 37,000/57,000S, 6½ hrs).
purchased in cash (US dollars) by foreigners.
Slower Soviet-era passenger trains trundle
BUS & SHARED TAXI to those and other cities. The following prices
Private buses, marshrutkas and shared taxis are for platskartny/kupe (3rd class/2nd class
to Samarkand, Bukhara (Buxoro) and Urgench sleeper) carriages: Bukhara (38,000/55,000S,
leave from two locations: from the Sobir Rahi- 11 hours, nightly), Nukus (65,000/95,000S,
mov private bus station (not to be confused with 22 hours, six weekly), Samarkand
the public bus station) on prospekt Bunyodkor (29,000/42,000S, 6½ hours, frequent), Termiz
(Druzhba Narodov), about 7km southwest of (48,000/72,000S, 14 hours, even dates) and
Urgench (60,000/88,000S, 22 hours, four
weekly).

BUS, SHARED TAXI & MARSHRUTKA

There aren’t any schedules, but there are dozens of vehicles heading to all of the follow-
ing destinations throughout the day. As long as you don’t arrive too late in the afternoon,
you’ll have no problem finding a ride and should be on your way within an hour.

DESTINATION SHARED TAXI (COST/ MARSHRUTKA (COST/ BUS (COST/
DURATION) DURATION) DURATION)
Andijon 40,000S/5hr 25,000S/7hr -
Bukhara 80,000S/6½hr 50,000S/8hr 30,000S/10hr
Fergana 30,000S/4hr 15,000S/5½hr -
Kokand 20,000S/3hr 10,000S/4hr -
Samarkand 25,000S/3½hr 20,000S/4½hr 16,000S/6hr
Termiz 65,000S/9hr 40,000S/12hr 24,000S/13hr
Urgench/Khiva 100,000/12hr 70,000S/13hr 50,000S/20hr

157

Tashkent Metro

Beruni Turkiston
ChorsuTinchlik Yunusobod

Gulom Fayzulla Khojaev

Habib Abdullaev
Ha PmiudshOkliinmjon
Gofur Bodomzor Buyuk Ipak Yoli
MaMyudsotnaiqillik
Alisher Navoi (Blue Line) Minor
Pakhtakor (Red Line) Uzbekistan GTAaesSthHt Kki nEegNntTA r( ToOousSnHhdkK eE NntT )
Bunyodkor Abdulla Qodiriy
Amir Timur Hiyoboni (Red Line)
(Druzhba Narodev) Yunus Rajabiy (Green Line)
Milliy Bog KosmOzobneakvitlstaran
(MMSaatisTanahtiisTnohranka)sieonnztlar
Hamza
Chkalov
Mirzo Ulughbek Ming Orik (Green Line)
Chilonzor Oybek (Blue Line)
Sobir Rakhimov Bobur
Tuqimachi

Usmon Nosir

Ippodrom TuCrhsoosnhztoedpaa Janubi Chilonzor Line (Red Line)
Sergeli Uzbekistan Line (Blue Line)
Yunusobod Line (Green Line)
Tehtirom
Under Construction

Buying Tickets 5000S, but you’ll need to bargain very hard to
The main ticket booth is to the right as you enter get that price at the airport. To elude the airport
the train station; the ticket booth for slow local taxis, simply walk out to the main road to hail
(prigorodny, or ‘suburban’) trains is on the left. a car on the street, or take any bus heading
As there are always long lines, many travellers roughly towards the centre and flag down a
get travel agencies to book tickets for them, cheaper taxi there.
or use the ‘Hall of Luxury for Rail Passengers’,
which can be found in the right-hand side of the If you do end up taking an airport taxi, make
ticket office. For a very reasonable 3000S per sure to agree on a firm price beforehand.
ticket commission, you’ll avoid the long lines.
You’ll need your passport to purchase train CAR
tickets (a photocopy won’t do). Any hotel or travel agency can arrange a com-
fortable private car and driver from about US$10
88 Getting Around per hour. You’ll pay less – US$5 to US$8 per
hour, depending on your negotiating skills – on
TO/FROM THE AIRPORT the street, but you’ll usually need some basic
Buses are the cheapest way to/from the airport. Russian for this.
Coming from the airport, they’re also an alterna-
tive to the taxi drivers who routinely try to rip off METRO
out-of-towners. Unfortunately they stop running Tashkent’s metro (per trip 600S; h 5am-mid-
at 10.30pm despite the fact that many flights night) is the easiest way to get around. During
arrive in the middle of the night. the day you’ll never wait more than five minutes
for a train, and the stations are clean and safe,
Bus 67 travels from the airport to the Intercon though the security is tight. You’ll be required
via Usmon Nosir, Shakhrisabz and Amir Timur, to have your bags inspected twice on the way in
a 35-minute journey. Marshrutka 62 follows to any station, though normally the police are
the same route. Buses 11 and 76 go from the not interested in shake downs, but be sure you
airport to Chorsu Bazaar via Bobur and Furqat always have your passport and registration slips
streets. Bus 11 also connects the international with you. You’ll need to buy a zheton (token) for
terminal (terminal 2) and the domestic terminal each trip. Be aware that photography is strictly
(terminal 3). forbidden inside the stations.

The 7km, 20-minute taxi ride to/from the Despite the use of Uzbek for signs and an-
centre of Tashkent should cost no more than nouncements, the system is easy to use, and
well enough signposted that you hardly need a

Uzbekistan TAacrstohiuvknietdni etTsa(sThoksehnkte nt )158

TAXI TIPS

Every car is a potential taxi in Tashkent, but essentially there are two forms: licensed
cabs and ‘independent’ cabs. The former have little roof-mounted ‘taxi’ signs. The latter
are just average cars driven by average dudes.

Independent taxis generally leave it up to you to pick the price, which is fine. As long
as you don’t insult them with your offer, they will usually accept it. The minimum fare
for a short hop is 3000S, but this can be as little as 1000S if there are other passengers
in the cab already (as will often be the case). Longer trips will cost 5000-10,000S: un-
less you’re supremely confident of offering an acceptable amount, always agree a fare
before you get into the car.

Licensed cabs – especially those waiting outside bars and hotels – are a different
beast, so always agree a fare in advance and expect rates to be a little higher.

If you just want to book a taxi rather than wait and haggle on the street, you’ll pay only
slightly higher rates by getting your hotel to dial Taksi Lider (%244 77 77) or Millen-
nium Taxi (%129 55 55).

Cab drivers tend not to know street names (and when they do, it’s generally the
Soviet-era ones), so use landmarks – big hotels and metro stations work best – to direct
your driver to your destination.

map. If you listen as the train doors are about to As a major sanatoria centre in Soviet
close, you’ll hear the name of the next station at times, Chimgan today boasts a few newer
the end of the announcement: ‘Ekhtiyot buling, resorts and retreats to complement the
eshiklar yopiladi; keyingi bekat…’ (‘Be careful, the usual diet of decrepit yet still-functioning
doors are closing; the next station is…’). concrete Soviet hulks. And the Chorvok
PUBLIC TRANSPORT Reservoir offers more mellow outdoor
Buses, trolleybuses and trams cost 600S, pay- pursuits such as fishing, swimming and
able on board to the conductor or driver. Most of canoeing – ask about these at the Chorvok
them are marked in Latinised Uzbek and given Oromgohi hotel.
a number (though some older buses are still
marked in Cyrillic). This entire area is known locally as Chim-
gan, a reference to both its biggest town and
The destination of public buses, trams, trol- its central peak, Bolshoy Chimgan (3309m).
leybuses and marshrutkas is written clearly in
the window. Useful stops for tourists include: the 2 Activities
Chorsu Bazaar and Turkuaz/GUM stops, on
opposite sides of Navoi near Hotel Chorsu; the Trekking
train station (‘Vokzal’) stop on Shevchenko op- Ugam-Chatkal National Park covers the
posite the train station; the Grand Mir (Rossiya) mountainous area west and southwest of
Hotel on Shuta Rustaveli; and TsUM (Toshkent the Kyrgyzstan border, from the city of
Univermagi). Angren in the south all the way up to the
Pskem Mountains in the fingerlike, glacier-
Around Tashkent infested wedge of land jutting into Kyr-
gyzstan, northeast of Chimgan town. The
Chimgan & Around Pskem top out at 4319m but are off limits
to all but well-heeled heli-skiers because of
Just over an hour northeast of Tashkent their location in a sensitive border zone.
by car lies Ugam-Chatkal National Park, Should the situation change, this will be-
an outdoor haven loaded with hiking and come prime virgin trekking territory.
adventure-sport opportunities as well as
more relaxing pursuits. The mountains here For now, all of the national park’s acces-
are not quite as extreme or scenic as the sible terrain lies in the Chatkal Mountains,
higher peaks around Almaty and Bishkek, which stretch into Kyrgyzstan. Lacking the
but certain activities (heli-skiing, trekking stratospheric height of the big Kyrgyz and
and rafting come to mind) are more acces- Tajik peaks, the appeal of the Chatkals is
sible and at least as challenging. their accessibility. Escaping civilisation in-
volves walking just a short way out of the
Chimgan or Beldersoy ski areas.

159

Hook up with the Tashkent Hiking Club ners, but also has challenging free-riding Uzbekistan TSAalrseoehupkniednngtTa(sThoksehnkte nt )
or talk to Boris at Asian Special Tourism to off-piste. A full-day lift pass at either ‘resort’
get the scoop on day and overnight hiking costs 25,000S, or you can pay by the ride
possibilities around here. (T-bar/chairlift 2000/5000S). Beldersoy has
surprisingly passable equipment available
A guide is highly recommended for all for hire.
hikes as the routes are not marked and top-
ographical maps are about as common as While the resorts are not worth a special
Caspian Tigers (which died out from these trip to Uzbekistan, the helicopter skiing
parts in the 1970s). Guides are mandatory most definitely is, as the Chatkal and Pskem
for multiday hikes to secure the necessary Mountains are reputed to get some of the
border-zone permits and ensure that you driest, fluffiest powder you’ll find anywhere.
don’t inadvertently walk into Kyrgyzstan Figure on paying US$500 per day for heli-
(highly possible given the jigsaw borders). skiing – a bargain by international stand-
Skiing & Heli-skiing ards. Book through Asia Adventures.
In the winter months, downhill skiing is
possible at the Beldersoy and Chimgan ski Rafting
areas. They encompass both the best and In the warmer months, white-water rafting
the worst of Soviet-style ski resorts. The trips are possible on the raging gazpacho of
best: limited grooming, excellent free- the Pskem, Ugam and Chatkal rivers. Talk
riding, some unexpectedly steep terrain, to Asia Raft (%71 267 09 18; www.asiaraft.uz;
rock-bottom prices and plenty of hot wine Mavlono Riezi 77) in Tashkent.
and shashlyk. The worst: crummy lifts,
limited total acreage and no snow-making 4 Sleeping
to speak of.
Hotel Chimgan SANATORIUM $
The best terrain is way up above the tree (%90 105 50 02; Chimgan; r per person incl full
line at Beldersoy, accessible by a lone T-bar. board US$15) Here’s your chance to experi-
From the base, a long, slow double chairlift ence one of those (barely) still-standing
leads up to the T-bar. With just one chairlift Soviet relics. With a mix of threadbare but
and two trails, Chimgan is more for begin- clean doubles and quads, it’s the place to
stay for skiers and hikers on a budget.

Around Tashkent 0 20 km
0 12 miles
Shymkent (55km);
Bishkek (495km) AHroojsatkCrCe-hChniothmHCriovmhgotaiOnegCknlaarhonromrvgooCkhhRCiiSCmehkshogiPeismrarARkBvvneirgvooumeeakirarrncUhNKPmgasoCautkkimhloeslaamun-tBkCaaeNlRMhlsPaRiah(votati3-kevuurA4erakrnr9elrta7alimns)URgivaemr

KAZAKHSTAN Gazalkent Tereklisoy River

M39 Beldersoy KYRGYZSTANReserve
OksokatosoyHotel (3309m)
Chirchik Beldersoy Bolshoy
Ski Area Chimgan
Chernyaevka

ChirchikRiver Ugam-Chatkal (3789m)
Parkent Canal National Park
River

TASHKENT Tashkent Parkent (3303m) Ugam-Chatkal
Lakeside Ugam-Chatkal Biosphere Reserve
M39 Golf Club C(THIAATNKSAHLAMNORUANNTGAEIN) S
Biosphere Reserve
Chinaz (45km); Syr- Karabau River
Darya River (50km); Krasnogorsky (3555m)
Gulistan (95km); Yangiobod
Samarkand (285km) Kokand (100km);
Fergana (200km);
A373 R-2 Angren A373 Andijon (215km)

Tuyabogiz Toytepa

160

Chorvok Oromgohi HOTEL $$ (Tian Shan to the north and the Pamir Alay
(%90 188 05 53; Posyolok Bokachul; s/d from to the south) seem to stand back at enor-
US$35/45) This huge pyramid on the shore mous distances – when you can see them,
of the Chorvok Reservoir will certainly catch that is. More often these spectacular peaks
your eye, for better or for worse. Standard are shrouded in a layer of smog, produced
rooms are pretty basic fare; you’re paying for by what is both Uzbekistan’s most populous
the balconies with mountain or lake views. and its most industrial region. The drive
here from Tashkent is fairly spectacular,
Beldersoy Hotel HOTEL $$$ however, passing a huge reservoir and cross-
(%90 176 38 26; r from US$100; as) This ing a high mountain pass before descending
swanky four-season mountain lodge be- towards Kokand.
longing to Beldersoy ski area is just outside
Chimgan and is the best bet for well-heeled Fergana is also the country’s fruit and
Uzbekistan FGeEerRtgGtaAi nnNgaA TVhaAelLrlLeE yY& Away skiers and hikers. cotton basket. Drained by the upper Syr-
Darya, the Fergana Valley is one big oasis,
88 Getting There & Away with some of the finest soil and climate in
Central Asia. Already by the 2nd century BC
To get to Chimgan from Tashkent, take a the Greeks, Persians and Chinese found a
marshrutka (3000S) or shared taxi (6000S) prosperous kingdom based on farming, with
from Buyuk Ipak Yoli metro to Gazalkent (50 some 70 towns and villages. The Russians
minutes) and transfer to a shared taxi to Chim- were quick to realise the valley’s fecundity,
gan (10,000S, 40 minutes). A private taxi direct and Soviet rulers enslaved it to an obsessive
to Chimgan from Tashkent from the metro costs raw-cotton monoculture that still exists to-
about 80,000S. day. It is also the centre of Central Asian silk
production.
FERGANA VALLEY
The valley’s eight million people are thor-
The first thought many visitors have on ar- oughly Uzbek – 90% overall and higher in
rival in the Fergana Valley is, ‘Where’s the the smaller towns. The province has always
valley?’ From this broad (22,000 sq km), wielded a large share of Uzbekistan’s politi-
flat bowl, the surrounding mountain ranges cal, economic and religious influence. Fer-
gana was at the centre of numerous revolts
against the tsar and later the Bolsheviks. In

Fergana Valley 0 50 km
0 30 miles

KY R G YZ S TA NNSGHEA N Zarkent Toktogul Reservoir
TI A N (60km)
Angren (35km); Tunnel A RA Tashkömür Shamaldy-Say
Tashkent (130km) N Kosonsoy

Bypass Uchkurgon
Kamchik M41 Kochkor-Ata
Pass MANGAN PROVINCE Naryn River
(2267m) Torakorgon
TAJIKISTAN Chust CanalNamangan Jalal-Abad
Pop Fergana
A373 Northern Kara Darya Khanabad
ANDIJON
Syr-Darya –

Shahrihon AndijonP R O VINCE
Kara-Suu
Asaka A373
Özgön
A373 ana Canal Hojaobod M41 (24km)
Kokand F E R G A N A Margilon
Fer gh Kuva Dostyk/
PROVINCE Dustlyk Osh
Besharik A376

Great Khamza R112 Karkidan
Rishton Fergana Dostlik Reservoir

Konibodom Kyzyl-Kiya

Kairakum Isfara (3375m) Kadamjoy P A M I R A L A Y RANGE
Reservoir Limbur
& Khojand Batken
Vorukh Sokh (Fergana
(TAJIKISTAN) Province) Shakhimardon (5051m)
(Fergana Province)

161

the 1990s the valley gave birth to Islamic This was the capital of the Kokand Uzbekistan FKDeoarnkgaganendras(QV&aoAl‘ qlnneoyno)yanc e s
extremism in Central Asia. President Kari- khanate in the 18th and 19th centuries and
mov’s brutal crackdown on alleged extrem- the valley’s true ‘hotbed’ in those days – sec-
ists eventually came to a head in the form of ond only to Bukhara as a religious centre in
the Andijon Massacre in 2005, the memory Central Asia, with at least 35 medressas and
of which still haunts the region today. hundreds of mosques. But if you walk the
streets today, you will find only a polite, sub-
The post-Andijon crackdown has in- dued Uzbek town, its old centre hedged by
creased the police presence in the valley, but colonial avenues, bearing little resemblance
it’s not something that’s likely to affect most to Bukhara.
tourists as long as they keep a low profile.
The valley’s people remain among the most Nationalists fed up with empty revolu-
hospitable and friendly in the country. Other tionary promises met here in January 1918
attractions are exceptional crafts and several and declared a rival administration, the
kaleidoscopic bazaars. ‘Muslim Provincial Government of Autono-
mous Turkestan’ led by Mustafa Chokaev.
88 Dangers & Annoyances The Tashkent Soviet immediately had the
town sacked, most of its holy buildings des-
Standards of dress are a potential source of ecrated or destroyed and 14,000 Kokandis
misunderstanding in the valley. Except perhaps slaughtered.
in the centre of Russified Fergana town, too
much tourist flesh will be frowned upon, so dress Traditionally conservative Kokand is
modestly (ie no shorts or tight-fitting clothes). changing fast. The central squares, streets
Women travellers have reported being harassed and parks have been given massive make-
when walking alone in cities such as Andijon, overs in recent years, giving this ancient
especially at night. town a surprisingly modern feel that you
can escape from in the backstreets.
Security is tight compared with other parts of
the country and all foreigners entering the Fer- 1 Sights
gana Valley must register at a major roadblock
west of the tunnels separating the valley from Khan’s Palace PALACE
Tashkent. The police are friendly enough, just
keep your passport at the ready, be agreeable (%553 60 46; http:museum.dinosoft.uz; Istiklol 2;
when being questioned, and be sure to get a reg- admission 3000S, guided tours 60000S; h9am-
istration slip for each night you’re in the valley. 5pm) The Khan’s Palace, with seven court-
yards and 114 rooms, was built in 1873,
88 Getting There & Around though its dazzling tiled exterior makes it
look so perfect that you’d be forgiven for
There is no public bus service between Tashkent thinking it was as new as the modern park
and the Fergana Valley – buses aren’t allowed that surrounds it. Just three years after
on the scenic, winding road through the moun- its completion, the tsar’s troops arrived,
tains, which is best negotiated by shared taxi blew up its fortifications and abolished the
as opposed to wobbly looking Daewoo Damas khan’s job.
marshrutkas. The Khan in question was Khudayar
Khan, a cruel ruler who had previously
The few slow trains that lumber between been chummy with the Russians. Just two
Tashkent and the Fergana Valley go through years after completing the palace, Khudayar
Tajikistan. Do not board these without a Tajik was forced into exile by his own subjects,
transit visa and a double-entry Uzbek visa. winding up under Russian protection in
Orenburg. As his heirs quarrelled for the
Within the valley, slow local trains link Kokand throne, the Russians moved in and snuffed
and Andijon, but most travel is by shared taxi, out the khanate, in the process breaking a
marshrutka or bus. promise to eventually return Khudayar to
the throne. The homesick khan later fled
Kokand (Qo‘qon) Orenburg and embarked on an epic odyssey
through Central and South Asia before dy-
%73 / POP 200,000 ing of disease near Herat.
Roughly half of the palace used to be
As the valley’s first significant town on taken up by the harem, which the Russians
the road from Tashkent, Kokand is a demolished in 1919. Khudayar’s 43 concu-
gateway to the region and stopping point bines would wait to be chosen as wife for
for many travellers. With a historically
interesting palace and several medressas
and mosques, it makes for a worthwhile
half-day visit.

162 666B C D

Kokand
A

ñ#
1 6666V#3 Muqimi
Park

Istanbul # Abdulla Istiklol Kokandsay
Imom Ismoil Bukhori mNaabyideovni Gorky Turkiston
Jahon Amir Timur (40 Let Uzbekistan)
Uzbekistan KSF eoi grkhgatansnda(QVaol‘ ql eoyn ) Bazaar 11 #ú 9 ÿ#
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the night – Islam allows only four wives so Dakhma-i-Shokhon MAUSOLEUM
the khan kept a mullah at hand for a quick
marriage ceremony (the marriage set up to (Grave of Kings) Entering the graveyard’s
last just one night). north gate from the street, proceed straight
to the 1830s Dakhma-i-Shokhon (the tomb
Six courtyards remain and their 27 rooms of Umar Khan and other family members)
collectively house the Kokand Regional which has an elegant wooden portal carved
Studies Museum, with displays of varying with the poetry of Umar’s wife, Nodira.
degrees of interest, and rudimentary sig-
nage in English. Modari Khan Mausoleum MAUSOLEUM

To the west of the Dakhma-i-Shokhon tomb,
the unrestored Modari Khan Mausoleum,
Narbutabey Mosque built in 1825 for Umar’s mother, lies under a

& Medressa MOSQUE bright, sky-blue cupola.

(Akbar Islamov) F The Bolsheviks closed
the 1799 Narbutabey Medressa, but it
opened after independence only to have Stone Tablet of Nodira MAUSOLEUM

Karimov shut it down again in 2008. It’s Originally buried behind Modari Khan,
Nodira was adopted by the Soviets as a mod-
now open again and tourists are welcome el Uzbek woman and moved to a prominent
to visit the medressa (now named the Mir
Medressa) and adjacent mosque, which Sta- place beneath a white stone tablet, beyond
Dakhma-i-Shokhon near the graveyard’s
lin reopened to win wartime support from south gate.
Muslim subjects.

163

e# 0 400 m Kokand
0 0.2 miles
E F æ Sights
1 Dakhma-i-Shokhon ............................... F1
6 1 2 Jami Mosque Museum......................... E3
3 Khan's Palace ........................................ C1
Akbar Islamov 41 1 1 1 1 4 Modari Khan Mausoleum......................F1
ß# #æ5 11 1 1 1 1 5 Narbutabey Mosque &
Medressa .............................................E1
11111 6 Sahib Mian Hazrat Medressa ..............D4
7 Stone Tablet of Nodira ..........................F1
#æ #æ 71 1 1 1 1
ÿ Sleeping
11111 8 Hotel Istiqlol...........................................B2
9 Hotel Khudayarkhan ............................B2
11111 10 Hotel Kokand.........................................A2

11111 ú Eating
Capriz ........................................... (see 10)
11111
66 DYaangi 2 11 Rohatbahsh Chaikhana........................A2
14 Navoi Bazaar (2km); Uzbekistan KSF eolrekegapanindnag(QV&aolE‘ qlateoyinn)g
Nigina Hotel (2km); ï Information
Rishton (35km) 12 Asaka Bank ............................................B2
ð# 13 Com.net .................................................A2
6Khamza 14 Internet Club.......................................... E2
ß# 15 National Bank of Uzbekistan ...............D3
2
Furqat 3
Ami r Umarkhon
OLD
TOWN
Zimbardor
ß# Mosque

Hojibek Bus 4 region. The large wall separating the court-
Station yard from the street was being torn down
6ß#Mosque & when we visited, heralding a possible new
Medressa ›# look for the complex.
Dekhon
Bazaar 4 Sleeping & Eating

EF For budget accommodation you are better
off continuing on to Fergana. At the time of
6Sahib Mian Hazrat Medressa MEDRESSA writing a midrange option, Hotel Istiqlol
(%+998 916 999 007, +998 916 876 544; off Istiqlol;
(Murqimi; museum admission 2000S; h9am-6pm) s/d US$30/50), was newly opened, but hadn’t
Walk five minutes down Muqimi ko’chasi yet received a license to accommodate for-
from Khamza ko’chasi to the truncated rem- eigners. This should change in the near fu-
nants of the large 19th-century Sahib Mian ture.

Hazrat Medressa, where the great Uzbek Hotel Kokand HOTEL $
poet and ‘democrat’ Mohammedamin Mu- (%+998 954 004 081, 552 64 03; Imom Ismoil
qimi (1850–1903) lived and studied for the Bukhori 1; s/d/tr US$20/36/54; aW) Follow-
last 33 years of his life. There is a small mu- ing a decent renovation that has seen the
seum in Muqimi’s old room, which contains implementation of daring colour schemes
a few of his personal belongings, plus Arabic yet has failed to do much about the dismal
calligraphy by Muqimi himself. bathrooms, the Kokand is a perfectly decent
choice and is very popular with locals. All
Jami Mosque Museum MOSQUE rooms have sofas and TV. Wi-fi is in the

(Khamza 5; admission US$1; h9am-5pm) lobby only.
Kokand’s most impressive mosque, built
by Umar Khan in 1812, is centred on a 22m
minaret and includes a colourful 100m-long Nigina Hotel HOTEL $
(%552 85 33; Usta Bozor; s/d US$21/36; a) Its
aivan (portico) supported by 98 red-wood location out by Yaangi Bazaar is a minus, but
columns brought from India. The entire it’s clean and less expensive than anything
complex has reverted to its former Soviet in the centre. If you’re travelling solo and
guise as a museum, with one room housing nobody else turns up, you’ll have the shared
a collection of suzani and ceramics from the double to yourself.

Uzbekistan FInefrogramnaat(ViFoaalnrlge’yo na)164

NODIRA

Of the pastiche of colourful characters to have emerged from Fergana Valley lore over
the years, perhaps the most beloved was the beautiful poetess Nodira (1792–1842), wife
of Umar Khan of Kokand. When Umar died in 1822, his son and successor, Mohammed
Ali (Madali Khan), was only 12 years old. The popular Nodira took over as de facto ruler
of the khanate for the better part of a decade, turning Kokand into an artistic hotbed
and oasis of liberalism in a region accustomed to sadistic despots.

Unfortunately, little of this liberal spirit rubbed off on Madali, who developed a reputa-
tion for ruthlessness during a successful campaign to expand the khanate’s borders. His
territorial ambitions drew the ire of the notorious Emir Nasrullah Khan of Bukhara. Nas-
rullah would eventually get the upper hand in this battle, and in 1842 he seized Kokand
and executed Madali, his brother and, when she refused to marry him (or so the story
goes), Nodira. Within three months the Emir’s troops would be forced out of Kokand,
touching off a battle for succession that would ultimately result in the rise to power of
Khudayar Khan, a distant cousin of Madali.

Best known for her poetry (in both Uzbek and Tajik), Nodira remains as popular as
ever today, as evidenced by the preponderance of Uzbek women named Nodira.

Hotel Khudayarkhan HOTEL $$ Com.net (İstanbul 8; per hr 1800S; h9am-
(%553 77 47, 552 22 44; www.khan.uz; Istiklol 31; 11pm) The most centrally located and best
s/d US$33/59; aW) By far the best option in equipped of several internet cafes in town.
town, the family-run Khudayarkhan (some- Internet Club (Navoi 1; per hr 1600S;
times simply called Hotel Khan) exhibits an h 8am-midnight)
unusual amount of panache for Uzbekistan.
Little extras such as felt slippers, free bot- 88 Getting There & Around
tled water and flat-screen TVs make all the
difference. Rooms are modern, stylishly Transport to points within the Fergana Valley
furnished and have good bathrooms with leave from the bus station by Dekhon Bazaar on
high water pressure. Request a quieter room Furqat. Shared taxis head to Fergana (10,000S,
away from the main road. 1¼ hours) and Andijon (15,000S, two hours).
Marshrutkas cover the same routes, while buses
Rohatbahsh Chaikhana TEAHOUSE $ run throughout the day until 6.30pm to Fergana
(Imom Ismoil Bukhori 1; shashlyk 2000S; h8am- (5000S, two hours) and Andijon (10,000S, four
8pm) This popular chaikhana (teahouse), hours). Regular buses to Rishton (2500S, 45
also known as Jahon Chaikhana, tends to minutes), leave from the Yaangi Bazaar, 2km
close earlier than advertised, but during east of the main bus station.
daylight hours it’s the best option in town.
Shared taxis to Tashkent congregate at what’s
Capriz CAFE $$ known to locals as ‘Pitak Tashkent’ about 5km
(Imom Ismoil Bukhori 1; mains 5000-11,000S; north of town (20,000S, four hours). A taxi to
h8am-10pm) Clean premises and a menu here from the centre of Kokand will cost you
of Russian and Uzbek staples makes this 3000S.
Kokand’s best all-around eating option. We
can heartily recommend the prazhskaya From the train station (Amir Timur 40), there
kotleta (Prague cutlet: fried beef with eggs is a 5am train to Andijon via Namangan, and
and cheese). a 2.30pm train to Andijon via Margilon (both
3000S, five hours).
88 Information
Useful public transport options include
Black market money changers hang out at marshrutka 2 or 4 from Dekhon Bazaar to the
Dekhon Bazaar (the main farmers market), near Hotel Kokand area, and marshrutka 15, 28 or 40
the bus station. OVIR’s Kokand office does not north from the bazaar to the Jami Mosque.
handle foreigner registrations; register in Fer-
gana if you’re not staying in a hotel here. Fergana (Farg’ona)
Asaka Bank (Istiklol ko’chasi; h9am-5pm
Mon-Fri) Advances cash on MasterCard. %73 / POP 216,000

Tree-lined avenues and pastel-plastered
tsarist buildings give Fergana the feel of a
mini-Tashkent. Throw in the best services
and accommodation in the region, plus a

165

central location, and you have the most ob- oTaj Mahal Hotel HOTEL $$
vious base from which to explore the rest of (%224 45 25; Marifat ko’chasi 38; s/d/lux
the valley. US$38/49/57-68; aW) This brand new place
has no link to India – the owners told us they
Fergana is the valley’s least ancient and simply liked the name – but it’s nevertheless
least Uzbek city. It began in 1877 as Novy the best choice in town, with a very central
Margelan (New Margilon), a colonial annexe location, sparkling rooms with comfortable
to nearby Margilon. It became Fergana in furnishings and friendly staff.
the 1920s. It’s a nice enough place to hang
out, and somewhat cosmopolitan with its Club Hotel 777 RESORT $$
relatively high proportion of Russian and (%224 37 77; Pushkin 7A; s/d from US$50/70;
Korean inhabitants. aWs) With a few bungalows and a fes-

1 Sights tive poolside bar, this sprawling number just Uzbekistan SF ei grhgtasna (VFaalrlge’yo na)
south of the centre is about as close as you’re
Bazaar MARKET likely to come to Club Med in double-land-

Fergana’s most appealing attraction is the locked Uzbekistan. The tour-group oriented
bazaar, filled with good-natured Uzbek
traders, leavened with Korean and Russian ‘Three Sevens’ excels in all facets save the
location.
vendors selling homemade specialities. It
sprawls over several blocks north of the cen-
tre, and is a pleasant place to explore and to Asia Hotel HOTEL $$$
(%224 52 21; www.asiahotels.uz; Navoi 26; s/d from
soak up local colour. US$55/83; aWs) A comfortable, if pricey

Museum of Regional Studies MUSEUM option used by the Marco Polo travel agency,
but also open to individual travellers.
(%224 31 91; Murabbiylar 26; admission 4000S;
h9am-5pm Wed-Sun, to 1pm Mon) The sparse
Museum of Regional Studies covers the Hotel Ziyorat HOTEL

Fergana region, including Kokand and Mar- (%224 77 42; Dekhon 2A) This hotel was under-
going a total refit when we visited. Expect a
gilon. Visitors can inspect satellite photos of step up in price and quality from its former
a green, lush Fergana Valley nestled amid
snow-capped peaks. cheap, unrenovated, unabashedly Soviet self.

4 Sleeping 5 Eating & Drinking

Asia Hotel and Club Hotel 777 accept som Shashlyk stands occupy Al-Farghoni Park
converted at official rates; the rest convert in the warm months; a cluster of them are
at black-market rates. along pedestrian Mustaqillik near the TsUM
department store.

Valentina’s Guesthouse HOMESTAY $ oBravo INTERNATIONAL $$
(%224 89 05; [email protected]; Al-Farghoni
11, apt 10; r per person US$15; aW) This very (Khojand 12; mains 8000-12,000S; h9am-11pm;
vE) Nowhere is Fergana’s liberal bent
Russian homestay has six big, comfortable more evident than in this bohemian little
rooms with king-sized beds in two neigh-
bouring Soviet apartments. The hulking cafe. The shabby-chic interior is plastered
with the products of local artists and awash
apartment block, topped by a huge an- with the strains of live jazz. In the warmer
tenna, sticks out like a sore thumb; take
the left-hand entrance and walk to the months the action moves outside to the pa-
tio where there are tapchan (teabeds) in the
fourth floor (the lift is unreliable). Valen- sunshine.
tina speaks Russian and is exceptionally
friendly.
Traktir Ostrov Sokrovish INTERNATIONAL $$
Golden Valley Homestay APARTMENTS $ (Treasure Island Tavern; Marifat 45; mains 5000-
(%215 07 33; [email protected]; Shakirovoy 10; r per 25,000S; h10am-midnight; vE) This centrally
person US$15; ai) Golden Valley has three located place hums with locals at all times
well-maintained apartments for you to stay of the day, and when it’s warm outside the
in. Walk east from Hotel Ziyorat for 1km on summer terrace is the place to be. The food
Kurbunjon Dodhoh, go left on Shakirovoy, is nothing special, but there is the luxury
and immediately turn right. Or call for a (rare in Uzbekistan) of choice, with pizza,
pick-up. sushi and salads to supplement the usual
offerings of shashky and soup.

166 e# 0 400 m
0 0.2 miles
Fergana B C D
A

Murabbiylar (Usmo Ahunbabaev ›# 16
Yusupov
Turon1Tashkent & 8 1
Kokand Shared- Khamza ú# Rahimov
Uzbekistan FInefrogramnaat(ViFoaalnrlge’yo na)666Margilon (18km) Maksumov Bazaar
Taxi Stand (1.5km); m Khojaevâ#2)
Yermazar (2km); Al-Farghoni
Square 15 Bazaar
›# #æ 1
Amusement
D Park Anyazova 14 Golden Valley
›# Homestay
# 13 (500m)

Kurbunjon Dodhoh
2
D2 Al-
Fergana Farghoni
66666University
Park TsUM Kuvasoy 17 ˜# ÿ#4
Department
11 ô#
Store ð#
Stadium
9#ú ÿ# 5
Amphitheatre arov
666663
Bobur Mustaqillik Kamb Kuvasoy
Marifat
Al-Farghoni us
12 #ì Kom

ò# 3

Marg'ioniy ÿ# 6 66

ó# City & Provincial 10 ì#
Telephone &
Telegraph Office Administration
4 Khojand Buildings
66#–(5km) 4

7 3
ú# ÿ#
Club Hotel 777 (1.5km); Navoi
D

ABCD

Chimyan CHAIKHANA 88 Getting There & Away

(cnr Rahimov & Khamza; mains 4000S) Near AIR
the bazaar you’ll find several chaikhanas, Uzbekistan Airways has flights to/from Tashkent
including Chimyan. (US$42, daily except Sunday).

88 Information BUS & SHARED TAXI
Shared taxis depart from a lot opposite the Hotel
Black-market money changers can be found at Ziyorat in the centre of town to Kokand (10,000S,
the bazaar. The Asia Hotel has a 24-hour official one hour) and Andijon (10,0000S, 1¼ hours)
currency exchange. throughout the day, as soon as they’re full.
Asaka Bank (cnr Navoi & Kuvasoy; h9am-5pm
Mon-Fri) You can get cash out on your Master- More shared taxis, marshrutkas and buses
Card here. depart to Andijon throughout the day from the
Lion Net (Kambarov 47; per hr 1200S; h24hr) old long-distance bus station, north of the
Internet access. bazaar (marshrutka/taxi per seat 10,000S, 1¼
National Bank of Uzbekistan (Al-Farghoni 35; hours; bus 5000S, two hours). This is also a
h9am-5pm Mon-Fri) A cash-advance office good spot to find rides to Margilon (marshrutka/
for Visa cardholders is on the 3rd floor. taxi per seat 1500/2500S, 20 minutes). Change
OVIR (Office of Visas & Registration; Ahunba- in Margilon for Namangan.
baev 36; h9am-5pm Mon-Fri)
Post Office (Mustaqillik 35; h7am-7pm) Buses to Rishton (4000S, 50 minutes) and
Kokand (6500S, two hours) use the new local
bus station southeast of the bazaar. Marshrut-
kas to Rishton and Margilon depart from a stop

167

Fergana Asia’s commerce and silk trade, were said Uzbekistan AGF ererotgtuainnndgaFAVerarolgluaennyda
to be a law unto themselves; even in the
æ Sights closing decades of Soviet rule, this was the
1 Bazaar .................................................... C1 heart of Uzbekistan’s black-market economy.
2 Museum of Regional Studies .............. B1 Margilon is also one of the country’s most
devoutly Islamic cities.
ÿ Sleeping
3 Asia Hotel.............................................. C4 1 Sights
4 Hotel Ziyorat..........................................D2
5 Taj Mahal Hotel .....................................C2 A good tour guide should be able to get keen
6 Valentina's Guesthouse .......................C3 silk connoisseurs into the private homes of
weavers whose silk is for sale at Kumtepa
ú Eating Bazaar. They should also be able to organise
7 Bravo ..................................................... C4 tours to one of Margilon’s larger commercial
8 Chimyan................................................. C1 silk factories.
9 Traktir Ostrov Sokrovish .....................C2
There’s no need to spend the night here,
ï Information but if you decide to, your choices are the
10 Asaka Bank........................................... D4 modern Hotel Atlas (%279 00 75; hoteladras@
11 Lion Net..................................................C2 gmail.com; B Margiloni 32; s/d US$30/50; a),
12 National Bank of Uzbekistan...............B3 which has an impressive lobby but rather
13 OVIR........................................................A2 ordinary rooms with hard mattresses, or you
can get the Yodgorlik Silk Factory to arrange
ï Transport a homestay.
14 New Local Bus Station .........................C2
15 New Long-Distance Bus Station......... C1 Yodgorlik Silk Factory FACTORY
16 Old Long-Distance Bus Station........... D1
17 Taxis to Kokand ....................................C2 (%233 88 24; [email protected]; Imam Zakhriddin; ad-
mission 10,000S; h8am-5pm Mon-Sat Apr-Oct,
near yet another bus station, the new long- Mon-Fri Nov-Mar) Margilon’s main attraction
distance bus station. is this fascinating factory, which can be ex-
plored on a tour where you’ll witness tra-
Shared taxis to Tashkent (30,000S, five ditional methods of silk production from
hours), as well as more to Kokand, leave from steaming and unravelling the cocoons to the
a stop on the road to Margilon near Yermazar weaving of the dazzling khanatlas (hand-
Bazaar, 2km northwest of the centre. woven silk, patterned on one side) fabrics
for which Margilon is famous. After the tour
88 Getting Around (available in English, French, Russian or
German), you can buy silk by the metre and
The airport is a 25-minute trip on marshrutka 6 offset your purchases against your entry fee.
to/from the new local bus station. Going to the There is also premade clothing, carpets and
airport you can flag it down in front of Asia Hotel, embroidered items for sale.
but check with the driver to make sure he’s going
all the way to the aeroport. Kumtepa Bazaar BAZAAR

Around Fergana (hThu & Sun) A much less sanitised expe-
rience than the Silk Factory is Margilon’s
Margilon (Marg’ilan) fantastic Kumtepa Bazaar, 5km west of the
centre. It’s a time capsule full of weathered
% 73 / POP 197,000 Uzbek men in traditional clothing exchang-
ing solemn greetings and gossiping over
If you’ve been travelling along the Silk Road endless pots of tea, with hardly a Russian
seeking answers to where, in fact, this highly or a tourist in sight. Margilon’s conserva-
touted fabric comes from, Margilon and its tive streak, extreme even by Fergana Valley
Yodgorlik Silk Factory will be your answer. standards, is in full view here, with Uzbek
Uzbekistan is the world’s third-largest silk matrons dressed almost exclusively in the
producer, and Margilon is the traditional locally produced khanatlas dresses and
centre of the industry. head scarves and men in skull caps and
chapan. Rows of handmade khanatlas and
Although there is little to show for it, Mar- adras silk, available for just 4000S to 5000S
gilon has been around for a long time, prob- per metre, are both the shopping highlight
ably since the 1st century BC. For centuries and the visual highlight – have your camera
its merchant clans, key players in Central

168 1 Sights
ready. It’s probably the most interesting
bazaar in the country. The main day for Jahon Bazaar BAZAAR
the bazaar is Sunday, but it also works on
Thursdays. (h9am-6pm) Andijon’s Jahon Bazaar is the
Take a taxi (5000S) or ‘Bozor’ mashrutka biggest bazaar on the Uzbek side of the Fer-
to get here. gana Valley. Sunday and Thursday are its
busiest days, and there are also silk stalls
88 Getting There & Away here, in case you miss Kumtepa Bazaar in
Margilon. From Kolkhoz Bazaar, it’s 4km
Marshrutkas and taxis drop you off near the northeast on marshrutka 6, 10 or anything
town’s main intersection, kitty-corner from the saying Жахон бозор/Jahon Bozor.
central bazaar.
Jome Mosque & Medressa MOSQUE
Rishton
Uzbekistan GAF enerdtgti jai nongna TVhaelrle y& Away (admission 4000S; h9am-4pm Tue-Sun) Across
%73 / POP 22,000 from Eski Bazaar (on Oltinkul) is the hand-
some 19th-century Jome Mosque & Medres-
This town just north of the Kyrgyzstan bor- sa, said to be the only building to survive the
der is famous for the ubiquitous cobalt and 1902 earthquake. It reopened as a working
green pottery fashioned from its fine clay. medressa in the 1990s but was turned into a
About 90% of the ceramics you see in sou- museum of local ethnography after a police
venir stores across Uzbekistan originates crackdown on suspected Islamic militants.
here – most of it handmade. The museum’s highlight is its collection of
folk instruments.
Some one thousand potters make a living
from the legendary local loam, which is so Babur Literary Museum MUSEUM
pure that it requires no additives (besides
water) before being chucked on the wheel. (Bazernaya 21; admission 2500S; h9am-6pm Tue-
Sat) This museum occupies the site of the
Of those thousand potters only a hand- royal apartments where Zahiruddin Babur
ful are considered true masters who still use lived and studied as a boy within Ark-Ichy,
traditional techniques. Among them is Rus- the town’s long-gone citadel. Born in 1483
tam Usmanov, erstwhile art director of the in Andijon to Fergana’s ruler, Umar Sheikh
defunct local collectivised ceramics factory. Mirzo (a descendant of Timur), Babur inher-
He runs the Rishton Ceramic Museum ited his father’s kingdom before he was even
(%271 18 65, 452 15 85; Ar-Roshidony 230; h9am- a teenager. The young king took Samarkand
6pm) out of his home 1km west of the centre at the tender age of 14, but subsequently
on the main road to Kokand. Usmanov gives lost both Samarkand and Fergana and was
free tours of his workshop as well as lunch driven into Afghanistan by the Uzbek Shay-
(20,000S) and vodka shots to travellers who banids before ultimately going on to found
call ahead. the Mughal Empire in India. However, this
museum focuses on Babur’s literary exploits,
Rishton is best visited as a stop between specifically his Baburnama, a vast memoir of
Fergana and Kokand. It’s about a 45-minute Babur’s fascinating and tumultuous life.
shared taxi ride from either (4000S), or take
a slower bus (2500S). 4 Sleeping & Eating

Andijon There are several modern hotels in town,
and a large choice of chaikhanas around the
% 74 / POP 580,000 bazaars and just about everywhere else.

Andijon – the Fergana Valley’s largest city Hotel Andijon HOTEL $
and its spiritual mecca – will forever be (%226 23 88; Fitrat 241; r without/with bathroom
linked with the bloodshed of 13 May 2005 US$12/18, half-lux US$28) This no-frills Soviet-
(see p219). The very word ‘Andijon’ is a hot style hotel across from Navoi Sq sports a
potato in Uzbekistan; just mentioning it typical mix of tatty unrenovated rooms and
is enough to stop any conversation in its somewhat renovated half-lux rooms. The
tracks. That’s a shame because both cul- shared bathroom is appalling – opt for a
turally and linguistically Andijon is prob- private one.
ably the country’s purest Uzbek city, and
the best place to observe Uzbeks in their
element.

169

Hamkor Hotel HOTEL $$ of the Silk Road as Samarkand. For most
(%150 30 20; Babur 53; s/d US$50/70; aW) people it has the mythical resonance of
Well located in the centre of the city, this Atlantis, fixed in the Western popular imagi-
modern hotel boasts spacious rooms, nation by poets and playwrights of bygone
English-speaking staff and an abnormal eras, few of whom saw the city in the flesh.
understanding of the needs of travellers.
On the ground the sublime, larger-than-
Bosco RUSSIAN $$ life monuments of Timur, the technicolour
(Istiklol 8; mains 8000-15,000S; h9am-9pm) For bazaar and the city’s long, rich history in-
something fancier than plov, try Bosco, deed work some kind of magic. Surrounding
which serves up good soups and a standard these islands of majesty, modern Samarkand
menu of Russian classics. sprawls across acres of Soviet-built build-
ings, parks and broad avenues used by buzz-
88 Information ing Daewoo taxis. Uzbekistan ISCnaefnmotarrrmakalatnUi odzbn(eSkaimsatranqand)

Black market money changers can be found You can visit most of Samarkand’s high-
outside Eski Bazaar. Head to Asaka Bank (Fur- profile attractions in two or three days.
kat 2A) for MasterCard cash advances, while the If you’re short on time, at least see the
National Bank of Uzbekistan (Navoi 42) takes Registan, Gur-e-Amir, Bibi-Khanym Mosque
care of Visa cash advances. and Shah-i-Zinda.

88 Getting There & Around Away from the main attractions Samar-
kand is a modern, well-groomed city, which
Uzbekistan Airways (wwww.uzairways.com; has smartened itself up enormously in the
airport) has four weekly flights to/from Tashkent past decade. This process has involved
(US$37, twice weekly). The airport is 3km south- building walls around some of the less
west of the train station. sightly parts of the old town, which many
consider to have made the old city rather
All public transport and shared taxis leave sterile, blocking off streets that have been
from in and around the bus station. There are linking quarters for centuries. While this
plenty of rides to Fergana (marshrutka/taxi per ‘disneyfication’ of this once chaotic place is
seat 10,000S, 1¼ hours; bus 5000S, two hours) undeniable, it’s also true to say that Samar-
and Tashkent (shared taxi 30,000S, five hours). kand remains a breathtaking place to visit.

Marshrutka 33 travels from Eski Bazaar in History
the old town past Navoi Sq, Villa Elegant Hotel
and Hotel Oltyn Vody before passing near the Samarkand (Marakanda to the Greeks), one
airport. Any marshrutka signboarded ‘Ескй of Central Asia’s oldest settlements, was
Шахар’ (‘Eski Shahar’ or Old Town) goes to Eski probably founded in the 5th century BC. It
Bazaar. was already the cosmopolitan, walled capi-
tal of the Sogdian empire when it was taken
CENTRAL UZBEKISTAN in 329 BC by Alexander the Great, who said,
‘Everything I have heard about Marakanda
Samarkand (Samarqand) is true, except that it’s more beautiful than I
ever imagined.’
% 66 / POP 596,300 / ELEV 710M
We travel not for trafficking alone, A key Silk Road city, it sat on the cross-
By hotter winds our fiery hearts are roads leading to China, India and Persia,
fanned. bringing in trade and artisans. From the 6th
For lust of knowing what should not be to the 13th century it grew into a city more
known populous than it is today, changing hands
We take the Golden Road to Samarkand. every couple of centuries – Western Turks,
Arabs, Persian Samanids, Karakhanids,
These final lines of James Elroy Flecker’s Seljuq Turks, Mongolian Karakitay and Kho-
1913 poem The Golden Journey to Samar- rezmshah have all ruled here – before being
kand evoke the romance of Uzbekistan’s obliterated by Chinggis Khan in 1220.
most glorious city. No name is so evocative
This might have been the end of the
story, but in 1370 Timur decided to make
Samarkand his capital, and over the next 35
years forged a new, almost-mythical city –

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ter a series of earthquakes, it was essentially the main sights outside working hours for
uninhabited. The emir of Bukhara forcibly free or by ‘tipping’ the guard on duty; the
repopulated the town towards the end of the Registan and Bibi-Khanym are spectacular
century, but it was only truly resuscitated in the early morning light; Gur-e-Amir is
by the Russians, who forced its surrender sublime by night.

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1 Old Town The three grand edifices here are among
the world’s oldest preserved medressas, any-
The Registan PLAZA thing older having been destroyed by Ching-
gis Khan. They have taken their knocks over
(cnr Registan & Toshkent; admission 14,400S; the years courtesy of the frequent earth-
h9am-8pm Apr-Oct, 9am-5pm Nov-Mar) This quakes that buffet the region; that they are
ensemble of majestic, tilting medressas – a still standing is a testament to the incredible
near-overload of majolica, azure mosaics craftsmanship of their builders. The Soviets,
and vast, well-proportioned spaces – is the to their credit, worked feverishly to restore
centrepiece of the city, and arguably the these beleaguered treasures, but they also
most awesome single sight in Central Asia. took some questionable liberties, such as the
The Registan, which translates to ‘Sandy capricious addition of a blue outer dome to
Place’ in Tajik, was medieval Samarkand’s the Tilla-Kari Medressa. For an idea of just
commercial centre and the plaza was prob- how ruined the medressas were at the start
ably a wall-to-wall bazaar.

172

Uzbekistan SCiaegnmhtatrrsaklanUdzb(eSkaimsatranqand) Samarkand ú Eating
37 Alt Stadt Laghman Centre ..................... B4
æ Sights 38 Art Cafe Norgis ........................................ F2
1 Ak-Saray Mausoleum............................. D5 39 Besh Chinor..............................................C2
2 Bibi-Khanym Mausoleum ...................... G2 40 Cafe Labig'or ............................................ E3
3 Bibi-Khanym Mosque.............................. F2 41 Cafe Magistr.............................................C4
4 Gumbaz Synagogue ............................... G2 42 Kyzyl Chaixona ........................................ G1
5 Gur-E-Amir Mausoleum & Around ....... D5 No Name Café.................................(see 41)
6 Hazrat-Hizr Mosque ................................ G1 43 Old City ..................................................... B5
7 Hoja-Nisbatdor Mosque..........................E5 44 Platan ........................................................ B2
8 Hovrenko Wine Factory ..........................A3 45 Supermarket Aziz.................................... B3
9 Imon Mosque............................................ F4
û Drinking & Nightlife
10 Koroboy Oksokol Mosque ..................... G2 46 Blues Cafe ................................................ A4
11 Makhdumi Khorezm Mosque................. F3
12 Mausoleum of Imam-al-Matrudiy......... G3 þ Shopping
13 Mubarak Mosque .................................... G2 Samarkand Ceramics Workshop .(see 16)
14 Regional Studies Museum......................B3 Samarkand-Bukhara Silk Carpets
15 Registan: Sher Dor Medressa ................ F3 Showroom ....................................(see 15)
16 Registan: Tilla-Kari Medressa ................E3
17 Registan: Ulugbek Medressa .................E3 47 Siob Bazaar ............................................... F1
18 Rukhobod Mausoleum ........................... D4
19 Shah-i-Zinda.............................................H1

ÿ Sleeping ï Information
20 Antica ....................................................... D4 48 Abask Travel ............................................ F2
21 B&B Davr ..................................................E5 49 Asaka Bank...............................................D2
22 B&B Najiba .............................................. G3 50 Foreign Language Institute ....................C4
23 Bahodir B&B............................................. F3 51 Internet Tim ............................................. A4
24 Dilshoda ................................................... D4 52 Main Post & Telegraph Office ................C3
25 Diyor Hotel ................................................ F3 53 National Bank of Uzbekistan .................C3
26 Emir B&B ................................................. D4 54 OVIR .......................................................... A2
27 Furkat ....................................................... G3 Paynet Internet...............................(see 41)
28 Hotel Abdurahmon ................................. G3 55 Post Office ................................................ F2
29 Hotel Arba.................................................B5 56 Sogda Tour............................................... E3
30 Hotel Ark Samarkand.............................. F3 57 Tourist Information Centre .................... F2
31 Hotel Légende ......................................... G2
32 Jahongir B&B ........................................... F4 ï Transport
33 Malika Prime ............................................ D4 58 Bulvar Marshrutka Stop I .......................C4
34 Registan Plaza Hotel .............................. C4 59 Bulvar Marshrutka Stop II ......................C4
35 Registon Hotel..........................................B3 60 Registon Ko'chasi Marshrutka
36 Timur the Great....................................... G3 Stop ....................................................... E4
61 Shahizinda Bus Station .......................... H1
62 Shakhrisabz Taxi Stand.......................... E3

of the 20th century, check out the excellent ons, flouting Islamic prohibitions against
photo exhibit inside the Tilla-Kari Medressa. the depiction of live animals. It took 17 years
Ulugbek Medressa, on the west side, to build but hasn’t held up as well as the
is the original medressa, finished in 1420 Ulugbek Medressa, built in just three years.
under Ulugbek (who is said to have taught In between them is the Tilla-Kari (Gold-
mathematics here; other subjects taught Covered) Medressa, completed in 1660,
here included theology, astronomy and phi- with a pleasant, gardenlike courtyard. The
losophy). Beneath the little corner domes highlight here is the mosque, which is on
were lecture halls, and at the rear a large the left-hand side of the courtyard and is
mosque with a beautiful interior and an aus- intricately decorated with gold to symbol-
tere teaching room to one side. ise Samarkand’s wealth at the time it was
The other buildings are rough imita- built. The mosque’s delicate ceiling, ooz-
tions by the Shaybanid Emir Yalangtush. ing gold leaf, is flat but its tapered design
The entrance portal of the Sher Dor (Lion)¨ makes it look domed from the inside. Inside
Medressa, opposite Ulugbek’s and finished the mosque is a magnificent picture gallery
in 1636, is decorated with roaring felines featuring blown-up black-and-white photos
that look like tigers but are meant to be li- of old Samarkand.

173

Another interesting picture gallery is the contains two smaller mosques. The one on
Ulugbek Medressa’s mosque. Many of the the left as you enter through the enormous
medressas’ former dormitory rooms are main gate has an impressive unrestored
now art and souvenir shops. In the high interior festooned with Arabic calligraphy.
season mock weddings are put on for tour-
ists in the Sher Dor courtyard, while tacky Bibi-Khanym Mausoleum MAUSOLEUM
sound-and-light shows take place in the
square. (Toshkent yo’li; admission 7000S; h8am-6pm)
Across Toshkent yo’li is Bibi-Khanym’s own
From dawn until opening time police compact 14th-century mausoleum, brightly
guards offer to clandestinely escort visitors restored in 2007. It’s rather overpriced for
to the top of a minaret for 10,000S or more, what it is, given the impressive mosque
but this is negotiable. If you come during across the road only costs slightly more.
the day, note that your ticket is valid all day,
allowing you to come back and photograph Shah-i-Zinda CEMETERY Uzbekistan SCiaegnmhtatrrsaklanUdzb(eSkaimsatranqand)
the complex at the various times of day
needed for the sunlight to be coming from (Avenue of Mausoleums; Shahizinda; admission
the right direction. However, tell the com- 6000S; h7am-8pm Apr-Oct, 9am-5pm Nov-Mar)
plex security guards if you’d like to do this, Samarkand’s most moving and beloved site
otherwise they will tear your ticket and you is this stunning avenue of mausoleums,
won’t be able to reuse it. which contains some of the richest tilework
in the Muslim world. The name, which
means ‘Tomb of the Living King’, refers to
its original, innermost and holiest shrine –
Bibi-Khanym Mosque MOSQUE a complex of cool, quiet rooms around

(Toshkent yo’li; admission 9000S; h8am-7pm Apr- what is probably the grave of Qusam ibn-
Oct, 9am-5pm Nov-Mar) The enormous congre-
gational Bibi-Khanym Mosque, northeast Abbas, a cousin of the Prophet Mohammed
who is said to have brought Islam to this
of the Registan, was finished shortly be- area in the 7th century.
fore Timur’s death and must have been the
jewel of his empire. Once one of the Islamic A shrine to Qusam existed here on the
edge of Afrosiab long before the Mongols
world’s biggest mosques (the cupola of the ransacked it in the 13th century. Shah-i-
main mosque is 41m high and the pishtak
38m), it pushed contemporary construction Zinda began to assume its current form in
the 14th century as Timur and later Ulugbek
techniques to the limit. buried their family and favourites near the
Slowly crumbling over the years, the
mosque partially collapsed in an earthquake Living King.
After remarkably surviving more than
in 1897 before being rebuilt in the 1970s. seven centuries with only minor touch-up
Today it’s badly in need of further restora-
tion work, especially on its façade, while the work, many of the tombs were aggressively
and controversially restored in 2005. As
mosque itself looks as though it may fall in a result, much of the brilliant mosaic, ma-
on itself at any moment, although the souve-
nir sellers inside continue to ply their trade jolica and terracotta work you see today is
not original.
without an apparent worry in the world. The most beautiful tomb is the Shodi
Legend says that Bibi-Khanym, Timur’s
Chinese wife, ordered the mosque built as Mulk Oko Mausoleum (1372), resting place
of a sister and niece of Timur, second on
a surprise while he was away. The architect the left after the entry stairs. The exquisite
fell madly in love with her and refused to
finish the job unless he could give her a kiss. majolica and terracotta work here – notice
the minuscule amount of space between
The smooch left a mark and Timur, on see- the tiles – was of such exceptional quality
ing it, executed the architect and decreed
that women should henceforth wear veils so that it merited almost no restoration.
Shah-i-Zinda is an important place of
as not to tempt other men. pilgrimage, so enter with respect and dress
The interior courtyard contains an enor-
mous marble Quran stand that lends some conservatively. At the end of the pathway
between the mausoleums, the complex
scale to the place. Local lore has it that any opens up into Samarkand’s main cemetery,
woman who crawls under the stand will
have lots of children. The courtyard also which is a fascinating place to walk.

174

1 Russian Town Ak-Saray Mausoleum MAUSOLEUM

(Shohruh Mirzo ko’chasi; admission 3000S; h9am-
6pm) Behind the ugly new wall surrounding
Gur-E-Amir Mausoleum Gur-e-Amir is the little Ak-Saray Mausole-

& Around MAUSOLEUM um, with some bright frescoes and majolica

(Bo’stonsaroy ko’chasi; admission 9000S; h8am- tilework inside. The frescoes were barely
7pm Apr-Oct, 9am-5pm Nov-Mar) Timur, along
with two sons and two grandsons (includ- visible before being restored in 2008.

ing Ulugbek), lies beneath the surprisingly Rukhobod Mausoleum MAUSOLEUM
modest Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum and its
trademark fluted azure dome. (Registan; h9am-6pm) Rukhobod Mausole-
um, dated 1380 and possibly the city’s old-
Timur had built a simple crypt for him- est surviving monument, now serves as a
self at Shakhrisabz, and had this one built
Uzbekistan SCiaegnmhtatrrsaklanUdzb(eSkaimsatranqand) in 1404 for his grandson and proposed heir, souvenir and craft shop.

Mohammed Sultan, who had died the pre- 1 Ancient Samarkand (Afrosiab)
vious year. But the story goes that when
Timur died unexpectedly of pneumonia in At a 2.2-sq-km site called Afrosiab, northeast
Kazakhstan (in the course of planning an of Siob Bazaar, excavations of Marakanda
expedition against the Chinese) in the win- (early Samarkand) lie more or less aban-
ter of 1405, the passes back to Shakhrisabz doned to the elements.
were snowed in and he was interred here
instead. If it’s not too hot, the best way to reach
As with other Muslim mausoleums, the Afrosiab is on foot. Cross the intersection
stones are just markers; the actual crypts north of Bibi-Khanym and follow Toshkent
are in a chamber beneath. In the centre is yo’li for about 1km to the Afrosiab Museum.
Timur’s stone, once a single block of dark- Ulugbek’s Observatory is 1.5km beyond that.
green jade. In 1740 the warlord Nadir Shah Alternatively, take bus 70 to the Ulugbek
carried it off to Persia, where it was acci- marshrutka stop from Usto Umar ko’chasi
dentally broken in two – from which time opposite Shah-i-Zinda, or any bus sign-
Nadir Shah is said to have had a run of very posted Bulungur or Jambay from the new
bad luck, including the near death of his Shahizinda bus station, 200m east of Shah-
son. At the urging of his religious advisers i-Zinda.

he returned the stone to Samarkand and, of Afrosiab Museum MUSEUM

course, his son recovered. (Toshkent yo’li; admission 9000S; h9am-5pm)
The Afrosiab Museum was built around one
The plain marble marker to the left of of Samarkand’s more important archaeo-
Timur’s is that of Ulugbek; to the right is that
of Mersaid Baraka, one of Timur’s teachers. logical finds, a chipped 7th-century fresco
of the Sogdian King Varkhouman receiving
In front lies Mohammed Sultan. The stones ranks of foreign dignitaries astride ranks of
behind Timur’s mark the graves of his sons
Shah Rukh (the father of Ulugbek) and Mi- elephants, camels and horses. You’ll see re-
productions of this iconic fresco throughout
ran Shah. Behind these lies Sheikh Seyid the country. It was only discovered in 1965
Umar, the most revered of Timur’s teachers,
said to be a descendent of the Prophet Mo- during the construction of Toshkent yo’li.
The 2nd floor of the museum leads the visi-
hammed. Timur ordered Gur-e-Amir built tor on a chronological tour of the 11 layers of
around Umar’s tomb.
Soviet anthropologist Mikhail Gerasimov civilisation that is Afrosiab. There’s passable
signage in English upstairs, but the fresco
opened the crypts in 1941 and among other itself is only signed in French, so a guided
things confirmed that Timur was tall for the
era (1.7m) and lame in his right leg and arm tour can be useful.

(from injuries suffered when he was 25) – Tomb of the Old Testament ¨
and that Ulugbek died from being beheaded.
According to every tour guide’s favourite an- Prophet Daniel MAUSOLEUM

ecdote, he found on Timur’s grave an inscrip- (admission 5000S; h9am-8.30pm Apr-Oct, to 5pm
Nov-Mar) The restored Tomb of the Old Testa-
tion to the effect that ‘whoever opens this will ment Prophet Daniel lies on the banks of the
be defeated by an enemy more fearsome than
I’. The next day, 22 June, Hitler attacked the Siob River (turn left off Toshkent yo’li 400m
northeast of the Afrosiab Museum). The
Soviet Union. building is a long, low structure topped with

175

five domes, containing an 18m sarcophagus – Regional Studies Museum MUSEUM
legend has it that Daniel’s body grows by
half an inch a year and thus the sarcophagus (Abdurahmon Jomi 51; admission 9000S; h9am-
has to be enlarged. His remains, which date 5pm) The Regional Studies Museum occu-
to at least the 5th century BC, were brought pies an old Jewish merchant’s house, and
here for good luck by Timur from Susa, Iran has a lavish wing devoted to Jewish his-
(suspiciously, an alleged tomb of Daniel can tory, with old photos of Samarkand’s once-
also be found in Susa). prominent population of both European
and Bukhara Jews. The rest of the museum
contains the standard line-up of old ceram-
Ulugbek’s Observatory OBSERVATORY ics, stuffed animals and historical displays.

(Toshkent yo’li; admission 9000S; h8am-7pm
Apr-Oct, 9am-5pm Nov-Mar) The remains of
Hazrat-Hizr Mosque MOSQUE

Ulugbek’s Observatory is one of the great (Toshkent yo’li; admission 7000S; h8am-6pm) Uzbekistan SCiaegnmhtatrrsaklanUdzb(eSkaimsatranqand)
Across the intersection from the Siob Ba-
archaeological finds of the 20th century. zaar, the Hazrat-Hizr Mosque occupies a hill
Ulugbek was probably more famous as an
astronomer than as a ruler. His 30m astro- on the fringes of Afrosiab. The 8th-century
lab, designed to observe star positions, was mosque that once stood here was burnt to
part of a three-storey observatory he built in the ground by Chinggis Khan in the 13th
the 1420s. All that remains now is the instru- century and was not rebuilt until 1854. In the
ment’s curved track, unearthed in 1908. The 1990s it was lovingly restored by a wealthy
small on-site museum has some miniatures Bukharan and today it’s Samarkand’s most
depicting Ulugbek and a few old ceramics beautiful mosque, with a fine domed interi-
and other artefacts unearthed in Afrosiab. or and views of Bibi-Khanym, Shah-i-Zinda
and Afrosiab from the minaret. The ribbed
aivan ceiling drips colour.
1 Navoi Ko’chasi & Park
Ishratkhana Mausoleum MAUSOLEUM
Samarkand’s Russified downtown area
tends to escape tourists’ radars, which is (Sadriddin Ayni) If you prefer your ruins really
unfortunate because it’s quite un-Sovietised ruined, it’s worth the slog out to the Tomb
and charming. Raider–style, 15th-century Ishratkhana
Mausoleum, newly topped by a tin roof.

WHERE’S THE OLD TOWN?

In recent years, city planners have completely redesigned Samarkand to seal off older
sections of town from tourists’ view. Roads have been rerouted, and statues of Navoi,
Gorky, Gagarin and others have disappeared or been relocated. Hideous walls have
been erected around Gur-e-Amir and behind the Registan, and virtually all access points
between the old town and touristy Tashkent and Registan streets have been closed off.

Plucky travellers who do manage to find their way into the old town will be rewarded
with an authentic slice of mahalla (neighbourhood) life. The most interesting neighbour-
hood is the old Jewish Quarter, accessible by a gate off Toshkent yo’li, next to the Tourist
Information Centre. From the gate, walk east along the main lane, Abu Laiz Samarkandi,
and find the gloriously faded Koroboy Oksokol Mosque down an alley on your right.
Continuing along Abu Laiz Samarkandi, pass the diminutive Mubarak Mosque on your
left and proceed to the neighbourhood hammomi (public baths), which are sadly no
longer working. Take a left on unmarked Denau ko’chasi, opposite the hammomi, and
look for the working 19th-century Gumbaz Synagogue (%+998 91 552 72 68) a few
houses down on the left. You’re welcome to visit the synagogue, which was built for the
Bukharan Jews of Samarkand in 1891, but call ahead to be sure that there will be some-
one there. There are approximately 50 Jews remaining in Samarkand, with numbers
decreasing all the time, according to Rabbi Yusuf Fakar.

Wander through the lanes south of the hammomi until you locate the tidy new
Mausoleum of Imam-al-Matrudiy (Buxoro). Just west of here is the more interesting
Makhdumi Khorezm Mosque (Buxoro), with a colourful ceiling under its aivan and
some fine interior tilework. Other neighbourhoods worth wandering are west-southwest
of Bibi-Khanym and behind Gur-e-Amir.

176

With a preponderance of pigeons and an Daulet Negmadjanov GUIDE
eerie crypt in the basement, this is the place
to film your horror movie. It’s an easy walk (%+998 90 276 1791, 237 34 76; daulat63@mail.
from the Old Town – follow Suzangaran ru) A charming and knowledgeable English-
ko’chasi from the Registan and then at the speaking driver and guide to Samarkand
very end turn left onto Andijon ko’chasi. and the surrounding area. He has his own
Hodja Abdi Darun Mausoleum MAUSOLEUM car, and provides reliable and affordable
(Sadriddin Ayni) Across the street from services.
Ishratkhana Mausoleum is the Hodja Abdi
Darun Mausoleum, which shares a tranquil, Denis Vikulov GUIDE
shady courtyard with a mosque and a hauz
(artificial stone pool). (%+998 915 502 772; [email protected]) Of-
fers tours in English and Russian, and offers
transfers and tours to other cities with his
car.
Uzbekistan STCoae numtrarsraklanUdzb(eSkaimsatranqand)
Imon Mosque MOSQUE z Festivals & Events

(hdawn-dusk) This small, 19th-century Imon During Samarkand’s Navrus Festival
Mosque has an open porch, tall carved col- you’ll find dancing, live music and other
umns and a brightly restored ceiling. The performances, and fireworks in Navoi Park.
mosque is located between two streets, Ask travel agencies or tour guides about the
Air Kushchi and Suzangaran. Respectfully annual Navrus kupkari (Tajik: buzkashi;
dressed visitors are always welcome. traditional polo-like game played with a
headless goat carcass) match in Urgut or
Hoja-Nisbatdor Mosque MOSQUE Koshrabot.

The lovely Hoja-Nisbatdor Mosque, on Su- The city is also home to the Sharq
zangaran near Andijon ko’chasi, has a large Taronalari (en.sharqtaronalari.uz) classical
aivan embraced by walls inlaid with beauti- Oriental music festival, held every other
fully restored ghanch (carved alabaster). year (next in August 2015 and 2017) on the
Registan.
Hovrenko Wine Factory MUSEM

(%+998 915 347 745; Mahmud Kashgari; tast- 4 Sleeping
ing 16,000S per person, museum admission free;
h9am-6pm Apr-Oct) Wine tasting tours that Samarkand’s B&Bs aren’t quite up to
take in a range of 10 locally produced wines, Bukhara’s lofty standards but are preferable
balzams and cognacs are possible at the to the tour group–laden hotels.
Hovrenko Wine Factory, in a converted 19th-
century Jewish industrialist’s house. The oJahongir B&B
small attached museum has no signage in B&B $
(%+998 915 550 808, 235 78 99; www.
English, but you’re welcome to look around jahongirbandb.com; Chirokchi 4; s/d/tr/q
even if you’re not doing a tasting. Call ahead US$35/45/65/75 s/d with shared bathroom
to ensure there’s availability. US$28/38; W) This charming place in an
old town neighbourhood unaltered by Sa-
T Tours markand’s relentless modernisation has
two courtyards sprinkled with vines and
The going rate for trained guides is US$35 flowers and a selection of comfortable
per day, or US$5 per hour. Your hotel will and inviting rooms. Each is equipped with
almost certainly be able to hook you up with a fridge and some have a TV, while bath-
someone trusted and experienced, but the rooms are modern. Highly recommended.
following are recommended:

Farruh Bahronov GUIDE B&B Davr B&B $
(%+998 91 521 67 48, 235 47 48; davrhotel@
(%+998 93 348 0102, 235 00 98; faruhb@yahoo. mail.ru; Ali Kushchi 43; s/d/tr US$20/40/60;
com) Farruh offers tours in English and
French, as well as running his own travel W) Tucked away in an unchanged old
town neighbourhood, the Davr gets great
agency, Abask Travel, that can organise eve- feedback and it’s easy to see why. Staff
rything from accommodation and visas to
transport services, and cultural and eco tours. are helpful, the rooms are clean and have
surprisingly elaborate ceilings, and din-
ners in the 19th-century house next door
Valentina Belova GUIDE are highly recommended. Rooms are fan-

(%241 88 07) The grand dame of Samar- cooled.
kand’s guides. Speaks English.

177

Hotel Abdurahmon B&B $ brickwork, scattered antiques, flat screen
(%235 43 05, 235 47 59; Buxoro 1/7; s/d US$15/25; TVs and big, comfortable beds. It’s a way
a) A well-signposted Old Town guesthouse, from the Registan in the Russian part of
this good-value place is just off Buxoro. The town, but it’s well worth the walk for prices
two-floor courtyard property has simple, this reasonable. Staff are also remarkably
clean rooms with basic bathrooms that have friendly – book ahead.
hot water. Some English is spoken.
Furkat B&B $$
(%235 32 61, 235 62 99; [email protected]; Mu-
Timur the Great B&B $
(%235 03 38, 235 19 80; [email protected];
Buhoro 84; s/d/tr US$15/30/40; aW) Follow- lokandov 105; s/d/tr US$35/50/60, s with shared
bathroom US$15; a) Peacocks roam the yard
ing a renovation, the four simple but pleas- at Samarkand’s original B&B. There’s a diz-
ant rooms here surround an awning-covered zying variety of rooms in a sprawling three-
courtyard. It’s good value and well located storey, old-town edifice. Top-floor rooms Uzbekistan SClaeenmetaprriaknlagnUdzb(eSkaimsatranqand)
on the edge of the old town. have splendid views of the Registan and
the snowcapped mountains surrounding
B&B Najiba B&B $ Samarkand, while the four single rooms
(%+998 91 534 2242, 235 36 26; Mubarak 83; s/d
US$25/35) This small family-run guesthouse with a shared bathroom are great bargains.
Breakfast and evening drinks are served on
has been operating for 12 years, and it’s a the fantastic rooftop terrace, while there are
good place to get the flavour and atmos-
phere of life in Samarkand’s old town. All a few extra rooms in the annexe across the
street should the main hotel be full.
four rooms boast private bathrooms with
hot running water, ceiling fans and access to
the pleasant courtyard. Emir B&B B&B $$
(%235 07 35, 235 74 61; muhandis2005@mail.
ru; Oksaroy 142; s/d/tr US$30/40/60; aW)
Bahodir B&B B&B $ The eight rooms here are clean and cosy,
(%235 43 05, 235 47 59; Mulokandov 132; dm from
US$10, s/d US$15/25; aW) Just moments and have heated floors in their bathrooms,
which is great in winter. There’s a large and
from the Registan, this rather dank guest- very pleasant communal area that’s tradi-
house is cheap but passable, and the note-
book filled with backpacker advice is useful, tionally furnished with some lovely carpets.
English is spoken by the owner’s son.
even if the steamy common bathroom and
the dilapidated en suite rooms leave a lot
to be desired. Ask to see several rooms, as Diyor Hotel HOTEL $$
(%+998 902 120 743, 235 75 71; Toshkent 43;
standards vary. r/ste US$50/60; a) Right on the main tour-
ist thoroughfare and moments from the
oAntica GUESTHOUSE $$ Registan, the Diyor is a tiny place with just
(%+998 93 336 17 92, 235 20 92; anticasamar
[email protected]; Iskandarov 58; s/d without five big and bright rooms. The largest of
which, the ‘lux’ has a large balcony and even
bathroom US$30/40, s/d/tr with bathroom from more space than the others. Wi-fi was about
US$35/50/65; aW) A gorgeous garden
courtyard shaded by pomegranate, persim- to be installed in mid 2013.

mon and fig trees make this busy family Hotel Légende HISTORIC HOTEL $$
(%233 74 81; www.legendm7.com; Tolmosov 60; s/d
home a joy to stay at. Breakfast is a feast, US$35/45; a) For atmosphere alone, this
though some rooms are rather cramped and
bathrooms can be tiny – the newer rooms 175-year-old house deep in the Jewish Quar-
have more space and better decor. Fittings in ter can’t be beaten: rooms surround a lush
the older ones include hand-carved walnut- courtyard, have gorgeous ceilings and are
wood doors and ribbed, brightly painted awash in old carpets and textiles. However,
ceilings. A great cultural experience. in other ways the Légende is rather down at
heel and in need of a management rethink,
oHotel Arba BOUTIQUE HOTEL $$ with poorly maintained rooms, very basic
(%233 6067; www.hotel-arba.com; Mahmud Ko-
shgari 92; s/d/tr US$25/47/65; aW) This new bathrooms and no internet. Even if you’re
not staying here, it’s worth considering
addition to the hotel scene is the closest arranging a plov dinner here for the
thing Samarkand has to a boutique ho-
tel. It’s stylishly decked out, with exposed impressive setting.

178

Dilshoda GUESTHOUSE $$ ards and prices further down the road if the
(%231 03 18, 235 03 87; [email protected]; Oksa- main hotel is full.
roy 150; s/d/tr US$26/49/56; a) Set in the
shadow of Gur-e-Amir, this B&B serves up 5 Eating & Drinking
warm, if basic, rooms with narrow beds and
tiny bathrooms. However, there’s a tantalis- Most restaurants are in the newer Russian
ing view from the first floor balcony and part of town, far removed from the tour-
the chipper host family serves up mouth- isty Registan area, where there’s a dearth
watering three-course dinners (US$8.50) on of choice. Samarkand is distinctly quiet at
request. There’s a second, far more modern night, but there are a few places that stay
property around the corner should this one busy after sundown.
be full.
Supermarket Aziz (Pochta 6; h8am-8pm)
Uzbekistan CSEaaetnmitanrrgakl&anUDdzrbi(neSkkaimnsatgranqand) is Samarkand’s best-stocked supermarket.

Malika Prime HOTEL $$$ Cafe Labig’or UZBEK $
(%233 01 97, 233 43 49; www.malika-samarkand.
com; Bo’stonsaroy; s/d US$60/80; aiW) The (Registan; mains 3000-6000S; h8am-11pm) The
best of the numerous choices across from
best of the Malika chain’s two Samarkand the Registan, this two-floor restaurant has
hotels is well situated between the old and
new towns. The highlight is the roof-deck a pleasant and breezy upstairs terrace that’s
often as busy with locals and the squawks of
terrace overlooking the Gur-e-Amir next peacocks as it is with travellers. The menu is
door. While the 22 rooms themselves are
nothing special, being somewhat dark and oral only (the young staff speak some Eng-
lish), but focuses on the usual Uzbek stand-
anonymous compared to the property’s ards. The lulya kebab (minced lamb and
promising exterior, they do have impressive
ceilings and are comfortable and spacious. herb kebab) was excellent when we visited.

The hotel is very popular with tour groups. Kyzyl Chaixona CHAIKHANA $
(Siob Bazaar; 2500-5000S; h7am-7pm) The
Registon Hotel HOTEL $$$ clean ‘red teahouse’ within the confines of
(%233 5590; Ulugbek 16; s/d US$65/85; aWs)
The Registon looks good with spacious Samarkand’s main market has a pleasant
outdoor area and low, low prices. Expect
rooms that have fridges and decent bath- somsa (samosa), shashlyk and soups amid
rooms, although they can hardly be said
to be bursting with character. There’s wi-fi the chaotic atmosphere of the market
traders.
downstairs in the lobby, and you’re in the
Russian town, a fair walk from the sights, oPlatan
but better located for shopping and dining INTERNATIONAL $$
(Pushkin 2; mains 7000-11,000S; h10am-11pm;
options. WvE) Possibly the best restaurant in
Samarkand, Platan has a gorgeous sum-
Registan Plaza Hotel HOTEL $$$ mer terrace for shady al fresco dining in
(%233 40 86, 233 24 75; www.uzhotelpresident.
com; Shohruh 53; s/d US$100/150/190; aWs) the summer months, while inside there’s
a choice of two dining rooms, one of
The rebranded former Hotel President is which is on the noisy side and favoured
currently the smartest property in town,
although several total refurbishments of by tour groups while the other has white
tablecloths and a rather classier feel. The
other hotels will probably change this soon menu, which includes Arabian-, Thai- and
enough. The vast lobby here is impressive,
if somewhat sterile, and the 165 rooms are Egyptian-style meat dishes, is no less char-
ismatic, and the salad menu is extraordi-
large, comfortable but characterless, though nary in its variety: try the excellent lobio,
they have good bathrooms, minibars and ca-
ble TV and the location is excellent. a Georgian bean, walnut, garlic, lemon and
parsley salad, or the equally tasty coleslaw
and apple-based ‘Diet Salad’.
Hotel Ark Samarkand HOTEL $$$
(%235 69 41; www.ark-samarkand.uz; Penjikent
9; d/tr/q US$45/85/90; a) With its fantastic Old City INTERNATIONAL $$
(Abdurahmon Jomi 100/1; mains 8,000-20,000;
location near the Registan and renovated, h10am-11pm) This charming place in the
comfy rooms, this place is a good choice,
though it’s on the pricey side for what it centre of the Russian part of town is highly
recommended for its long and interesting
offers, and bathrooms can be rather small. menu that takes in everything from lo-
There’s a second location with similar stand-
cal dishes to Russian and Italian cuisine.

179

Service is friendly and assured, and while Alt Stadt Laghman Centre UYGHUR $$
it caters largely to tourists, it’s certainly (Navoi 49; laghman 10,000-30,000S; h11am-
no trap. 11pm) Wash down traditional laghman
and other Uyghur specialities with afford-
Karimbek UZBEK $$ able unfiltered homebrew on a pleasant
(Gagarin 194; mains 8000-20,000S; h8am-11pm;
E) This Uzbek theme restaurant remains people-watching terrace behind Cinema Sa-
markand. Avoid the rather dark and dank
one of the most popular places for groups interior.
and independent travellers alike. The na-
tional- and Russian-influenced cuisine can
Blues Cafe BAR

be enjoyed in a variety of settings, from (Amir Timur 66; mains 10,000-20,000; h1-11pm)
A surprisingly tasteful and low-lit bar
private country hut to airy streetside patio. deep in the Russian old town, Blue Cafe no
A nightly belly-dancing show jiggles to life
around 8pm. It’s a 3000S cab ride from the longer has live music, but that may change Uzbekistan SChae nmotaprpraiknlagnUdzb(eSkaimsatranqand)
centre of town. (a forlorn piano stands in memory of a hap-
pier time). Instead there’s an ’80s sound-
Cafe Magistr CAFE $$ track, real coffee, a full menu and cocktails
(Bo’stonsaroy 30/45; mains 4000-8000S;
h7.30am-11pm; WE) Right in the heart of to be had.

the city, this bright, two-room cafe aimed 7 Shopping
at students does the job just fine: you can
have everything from real coffee to a full There are souvenir shops and craft work-
breakfast menu (3500-6000S) as well as shops of varying quality at all the big sights,
enjoy salads, burgers and pizza. There’s in particular at the Rukhobod Mausoleum
paid wi-fi. and the Registan. There are also several
noteworthy antique shops in Tilla-Kari Me-
Art Cafe Norgis UZBEK $$ dressa and one in Sher Dor Medressa, but
(Toshkent yo’li; mains 5000-8000S; h 9am- textile and suzani buffs are better off going
10pm; WE) A handy place for lunch be- to Urgut. Multilingual Bobir has a tradi-
tween the Registan and the Bibi Khanym tional musical instrument shop in Sher Dor
Mosque (and with stellar views of the Medressa, and gives spontaneous concerts,
latter from the popular terrace), this ‘art while accomplished miniaturist Mansur
cafe’ is purely the haunt of tour groups, Nurillaev, who makes miniatures of build-
but as the food is decent and there’s noth- ings of Samarkand, is worth a visit at the
ing else around, we’ve included it here. Rukhobod Mausoleum.
The menu is made up of unexciting Uz-
bek standards, but a pleasant yoghurt and Samarkand Ceramics ¨

spice side dish and piping hot fresh bread Workshop CERAMICS

are highlights. (Tilla-Kari Medressa; h9am-6pm) At the
Registan look out for the Samarkand
Ceramics Workshop, one of the few places
Besh Chinor UZBEK $$ still practising the Samarkand school of
(Temerchilar; mains 7000-25,000S; h9am-10pm)
Following a recent refit, this low-key and ceramic-making.
traditional place is a great spot for plov,
manty (steamed dumplings) or kebabs. It’s Samarkand-Bukhara ¨

clean and friendly, though Russian is barely Silk Carpets Showroom CARPETS

spoken, let alone English. (Sher Dor Medressa; h8am-7pm) Samarkand-
Bukhara Silk Carpets has a Registan-based
showroom with its trademark high-quality
No Name Café INTERNATIONAL $$ woven silk tapestries and suzani carpets on
(Cnr Mustakillik & Bo’stonsaroy ko’chasi; mains
6000-10,000S; h9am-11pm; WE) This new display.
place may have a lurid green interior and
a TV blaring out Uzbek pop music, but Siob Bazaar MARKET

its menu makes for a pleasant change (h7am-7pm) Around and behind Bibi-
Khanym, the frenetic, colourful main market
from the normal fare on offer, and even Siob Bazaar is a great place for vegetarians
includes sushi (10,000-20,000S per set).
There’s also a full breakfast menu and wi- and photographers, and may reward silk
and souvenir hunters as well. You can also
fi available through access cards you can change money here, on the far side of the
purchase.
market near Rudaiky, the main road.

Uzbekistan ISCnaefnmotarrrmakalatnUi odzbn(eSkaimsatranqand)180 Tour guides Denis Vikulov and Farruh
Bahronov are also good fixers. Denis has a car
88 Information and will travel, and is fixing up a 19th-century
Jewish Quarter building to serve meals to tour-
INTERNET ACCESS ists. Farruh runs Abask Travel (%+998 93 348
Wi-fi can be found at most hotels and for free at 0102; Toshkent 41; h 9am-6pm Mon-Fri) out
Platan restaurant, while it’s available for a fee at of his souvenir store – look for the store with
Cafe Magistr and No Name Cafe. the woodworking workshop inside. Sogda Tour
Foreign Language Institute (Bo’stonsaroy 23; (% 235 29 85, 235 36 09; www.sogda-tour.com;
per hr 1200S; h8am-8pm Mon-Sat) Inside the Registan 38; h 9am-6pm Mon-Fri), located
institute itself, go through the security gate on behind Mojiza restaurant, has refreshing ideas
Buston Saroy. for touring the region, including excursions
Paynet Internet (Bo’stonsaroy 30/45; per hour to the caves and mountains around Darbent
1500S; h8am-10pm) Wedged between Cafe and Boysun. Daulet Negmadjanov (p176) is an
Magistr and No Name Cafe, Paynet’s access English-speaking driver and guide to Samarkand
is fast. and the surrounding area. He has his own car,
International Telephone Office (Pochta 9; per and provides reliable and affordable services.
hr 1200S; h8am-10pm) The best internet place
in town, housed in cool, bright and spacious 88 Getting There & Away
premises with booths for privacy and no gamers.
Internet Tim (Amir Timur 31; per hour 1200S; AIR
h8am-11pm) Another decent option. Uzbekistan Airways (% 812 13 17; www.uzair
ways.com; Airport) flies between Samarkand
MONEY and Tashkent once or twice daily except on Mon-
Black-market moneychangers hang out around days and Fridays for US$21. You can only buy
Siob Bazaar, although you’ll find it easier to get domestic tickets at the airport office in US dol-
a better rate at the Kryty Rynok in the new town, lars. A taxi from the centre of town will cost you
where you’ll be less mobbed as well. Hotel Regis- 5000S. There are also direct flights to Moscow.
ton Plaza has an exchange office that changes
money at the official rate, and an ATM, which is LAND
rarely in use. The main departure point to Tashkent for
Asaka Bank (Mustaqillik maydoni; h9am-5pm private buses and shared taxis is the Ulug-
Mon-Fri) Advances cash on MasterCard. bek marshrutka stop, about 200m east of
National Bank of Uzbekistan (cnr the observatory (bus/shared taxi per seat
Bo’stonsaroy & Ulugbek; h 9am-5pm Mon-Fri) 16,000/25,000S, six/3½ hours), although
Cashes travellers cheques and handles Visa there are approximately nine buses per day
card cash advances. from the Shahizinda bus station, leaving on
the hour from 6am.
POST & COMMUNICATIONS
International Telephone Office (Pochta 9; Shared taxis to Termiz (40,000S, five hours)
h24hr) International calls, and also access to gather at ‘Grebnoy Kanal’ on the city’s outskirts
skype via the internet cafe. about 6km east of the Ulugbek stop.
Main Post & Telegraph Office (Pochta 5;
h 8am-5pm) Buses to Bukhara originate in Tashkent and
pass by the highway opposite the Ulugbek stop
REGISTRATION (20,000S, 4½ hours). Buses pass at least every
OVIR (%233 69 34; cnr Mahmud Kashgari & hour, and traffic is heaviest in the late afternoon.
Ulugbek; h9am-6pm Mon-Fri) Look for large Departures peter out around 5pm because of
metal gate. the nationally imposed 10pm curfew on bus traf-
fic. There is one daily bus to Urgench (40,000S,
TRAVEL & TOUR AGENCIES 12 hours) every day at 8.50am, which continues
Most B&Bs double as travel agencies and/or can to Nukus (45,000S, 13½ hours).
organise cars, guides, camel trekking and yurt-
stays around Lake Aidarkul, and homestays in Shared taxis to Bukhara involve a transfer
the Nuratau-Kyzylkum Biosphere Reserve. Anti- in Navoi. The main departure point to Navoi
ca and Hotel Légende are particularly resource- (20,000S, two hours) is the Povorot marshrutka
ful. A new, privately run Tourist Information stop about 2.5km west of the Crying Mother
Centre (%+998 993 722 6656; Cnr Toshkent & monument on Ulugbek ko’chasi. Take any
Abu Laiz Samarkandi; h 8am-7pm), between the marshrutkas signposted ‘Поворот’. Shared
Registan and the Bibi-Khanym Mosque, offers a taxis from Navoi to Bukhara take an hour and
full range of services, including arranging train cost a further 20,000S.
tickets, tours and booking hotels. Staff speak
English and there are good maps of the city on For Shakhrisabz, shared taxis (25,000S, 1½
sale as well. hours) congregate at the end of Suzangaran,
just off Registan.

181

TRAIN even further. Arrive at the crack of dawn for
The brand new, super fast ‘Afrosoiyob’ bullet the best selection.
train to Tashkent departs daily during the week
at 5pm (economy/business 51,000/68,000S, While the bazaar is open every day, the
2½ hours) and at 6pm on Saturday and Sunday. textile and jewellery section, located at the
Meanwhile the far cheaper ‘Sharq’ train leaves back of the main bazaar, only happens on
Samarkand at 11.20am daily (economy/ Sunday and Wednesday, and to a lesser
business 27,000/41,000S, 3hrs 40 mins). extent on Saturday too. To get here from
Samarkand, take a shared taxi (5000S) or
If you’re heading to Bukhara (economy/ marshrutka (3000S) from the Registan stop
business 25,000/40,000S, 3hrs), the ‘Sharq’ (45 minutes).
train originating in Tashkent rolls through Sa-
markand’s station daily and departs at 11:55am. Shakhrisabz (Shahrisabz) Uzbekistan GCA re notturinnadglSAUarzmobauernkkdi satnadn
There’s also a cheaper but far slower and less
convenient overnight train to Bukhara (plat- %75 / POP 75,000
skartny/kupeyny 12,000/20,000S) leaving at
2.11am each day, and arriving in Bukhara Shakhrisabz is a small, un-Russified town
at 7.15am. south of Samarkand, across the hills in the
Kashkadarya province, and is a lovely drive
The trains from Tashkent to Urgench, Termiz from Samarkand with some spectacular
and Kungrad via Nukus go via Samarkand. views. The town is a pleasant Uzbek back-
water and seems to be nothing special – un-
The train station (% 229 15 32; Rudaki) is til you start bumping into the ruins dotted
5km northwest of Navoi Park. Take any bus or around its backstreets, and the megaloma-
marshrutka that says ‘Вокзал’, such as bus niac ghosts of a wholly different place mate-
22 or marshrutkas 3, 27, 35 or 72, from the rialise. This is Timur’s hometown, and once
Registan or Bulvar stops. You can buy train upon a time it probably put Samarkand it-
tickets for a small commission at the Tourist self in the shade. It’s an interesting day trip
Information Centre (p180) on Toshkent. from Samarkand, and a good base for hiking
in the mountains.
88 Getting Around
Timur was born on 9 April 1336 into the
TO/FROM THE AIRPORT Barlas clan of local aristocrats, at the village
Marshrutka 56 goes from the airport to the of Hoja Ilghar, 13km to the south. Ancient
Registan marshrutka stop, while marshrutkas 10 even then, Shakhrisabz (called Kesh at the
and 60 and bus 45 go to the Bulvar (Бульвар) time) was a kind of family seat. As he rose
stop near Hotel Samarkand. A taxi from the to power, Timur gave it its present name
airport to the Registan will cost about 5000S, or (Tajik for ‘Green Town’) and turned it into
walk 500m out to the main road and pay 3000S. an extended family monument. Most of its
current attractions were built here by Timur
PUBLIC TRANSPORT (including a tomb intended for himself) or
Marshrutkas (600S) and buses (400S) run from his grandson Ulugbek.
about 6am until 8pm or 9pm. To get between
the Registan stop and Navoi in the heart of the 1 Sights
downtown area take any vehicle marked ГУМ
(GUM), such as bus 3, 22 or 32, or marshrutka 6 Ak-Saray Palace RUIN
or 35. A taxi between the old town and new town
should cost 3000S, the minimum charge for (White Palace; admission free, access to staircase
cabs in Samarkand. 3000S; h9am-6pm) Just north of the centre,
Timur’s summer palace has as much gran-
Around Samarkand deur per square centimetre as anything in
Samarkand. There’s actually nothing left of
Urgut it except bits of the gigantic, 38m-high pis-
htak, covered with gorgeous, unrestored
This town’s bazaar is one of the best places filigree-like mosaics. This crumbling relic,
in the country to buy jewellery, suzani and blending seamlessly with everyday life,
antique clothing. Prices are lower and the will thrill critics of Samarkand’s zealous
quality is on par with anything sold in Sa- restoration efforts: indeed, coming here
markand and Bukhara, but you’ll have to will give you some idea of how Samarkand
negotiate hard. It overflows with tourists would have looked a century ago.
in the high season – go in the low season Ak-Saray was probably Timur’s most am-
when tourists are scarce and prices drop bitious project – work began in 1380 and

182 66Shakhrisabz

e# 0 200 m Shakhrisabz
0 0.1 miles
AB
æ Sights
Post Office 1 Ak-Saray Palace.................................... B1
ä# 1 (500m); 2 Amir Timur Museum ............................B2
3 Crypt of Timur .......................................B4
66D1 Shahrisabz Hotel 4 Dorut Tilyovat........................................A4
(700m) 1
Kitab (12km) Gumbazi Seyidan.......................... (see 4)
Ga garin 5 Kok-Gumbaz Mosque ..........................A4

6 Mausoleum of Sheikh

Shamseddin Kulyal............................A4

66 7 Tomb of Jehangir..................................B4
D 2 9 ÿ Sleeping
ú# â# 2 8 Fayzullah Ravnakhi B&B ......................A2
Uzbekistan SCihegnahtktrhsarli sUazbbze(kSihstaahnr i sabz )
2

PushkinAbay ú Eating
Ipak Yoli 9 Aquarium ...............................................B2
66Hammomÿ#8 Ravnakhi
Dorut Tilyovat MAUSOLEUM

(House of Meditation) Behind Kok-Gumbaz is
Dorut Tilyovat, the original burial complex
663 Namatmon of Timur’s forebears. Under the dome on the
Bazaar 3

left is the Mausoleum of Sheikh Sham-
seddin Kulyal, spiritual tutor to Timur and
his father, Amir Taragay (who might also be
Hovuzi Mardon buried here). The mausoleum was complet-
ed by Timur in 1374.
On the right is the ornate Gumbazi Seyi-
4 dan (Dome of the Seyyids), which Ulugbek
Long-

66Distance
›#(3.5km)
Shams iddin Kulol 4 finished in 1438 as a mausoleum for his own
Khazrati-
5 6 Imam æ# æ# descendants (although it’s not clear whether
ß# æ# 7 any are buried in it).
æ# Complex
43

AB Khazrati-Imam Complex MAUSOLEUM

(Hovuzi Mardon) A walkway leads east from
Kok-Gumbaz to a few melancholy remnants
took some 24 years to complete. Its creation of a 3500-sq-metre mausoleum complex
followed a successful campaign in Khorezm called Dorussiadat or Dorussaodat (Seat of
and the ‘import’ of many of its finest arti- Power and Might), which Timur finished
sans. It’s well worth climbing to the top of in 1392 and which may have overshadowed
the pishtak to truly appreciate its height and even the Ak-Saray Palace. The main survi-
imagine what the rest of the palace was like, vor is the tall, crumbling Tomb of Jehangir,
in size and glory. The arch was a staggering Timur’s eldest and favourite son, who died
22.5m wide, and collapsed 200 years ago. at 22. It’s also the resting place for another
son, Umar Sheikh (Timur’s other sons are
A new statue of Amir Timur stands in with him at Gur-e-Amir in Samarkand).
what was the palace centre. It’s not uncom- In an alley behind the mausoleum (and
mon to see 10 weddings at a time posing within the perimeter of the long-gone
here for photos at weekends, creating quite Dorussiadat) is a bunker with a wooden
a mob scene. Ak-Saray has been a Unesco door leading to an underground room, the
World Heritage Site since 2000.

Kok-Gumbaz Mosque MOSQUE Crypt of Timur. The room, plain except
for Quranic quotations on the arches, is
(Ipak Yoli; h8.30am-6pm) F This large Fri- nearly filled by a single stone casket. On
day mosque was completed by Ulugbek in
1437 in honour of his father Shah Rukh (who the casket are biographical inscriptions
about Timur, from which it was inferred
was Timur’s son). The name, appropriately, (when the room was discovered in 1963)
means ‘blue dome’. The palm trees painted
on the interior walls are calling cards of its that this crypt was intended for him.
Inside are two unidentified corpses.
original Indian and Iranian designers.

183

Amir Timur Museum MUSEUM 88 Getting There & Around

(Ipak Yoli; admission 4000S; h9am-4.30pm Mon- Shakhrisabz is about 90km from Samarkand,
Fri, until 2pm Sat & Sun) Housed inside the over the 1788m Takhtakaracha (Amankutan)
renovated Chubin Medressa is this simple Pass, a glorious drive that is one of the high-
museum. Its highlight is a model depict- lights of a trip here. The pass is occasionally
ing Timur’s entire kingdom, from Egypt closed by snow from January to March, forcing a
to Kashgar. Beyond the boundaries of the three-hour detour around the mountains.
kingdom, a yellow line illustrates his ‘pro-
tectorates’, including Kiev and Moscow. If Buses and shared taxis to a handful of other
that doesn’t interest you, the museum is destinations leave from the long-distance bus
probably not worth the price of admission, station, south of town. To Tashkent’s Ippodrom
although there are some old Buddhist and station there are about six daily buses (20,000S,
Zoroastrian artefacts here that predate eight hours) and regular shared taxis (30,000S,
Timur by many centuries. five hours). To get to Bukhara take a shared taxi Uzbekistan CST el renemtpri zianlg U&zbEaetki nstgan
to Karshi (6000S, 1½ hours) and change there.
4 Sleeping & Eating
Termiz
The main hotel in town, the Orient Star, was
being totally renovated when we visited. %76 / POP 140,000 / ELEV 380M
If it’s still closed when you visit, there are
a couple of other accommodation options The last stop in Uzbekistan on the way to
if you want to stay the night. Food is not Afghanistan, Termiz is a colourful border-
a highlight here: along Ipak Yoli there is a town with an edgy, Wild West feel. While the
strip of chaikhanas whose fortunes ebb and present day city bears few traces of its col-
flow like the surrounding desert sands. ourful cosmopolitan history, the surround-
ing area is full of archaeological finds, many
Fayzullah Ravnakhi B&B B&B $ of which come together in Termiz’s excellent
(%+998 91 320 7318, 521 02 77; Ravnakhi 55; r per museum.
person incl half board US$20) This homey spot
has two unique quads and one cosy double. 1 Sights
The quads are basically open spaces with
patchwork carpeting, two basic beds and The highlight of any trip to Termiz is its ex-
not much else. Staff will throw a couple cellent archaeological museum. There are
of kurpacha on the floor to accommodate also several other sights around Termiz that
bigger groups. The friendly owner, Lutful- can be visited in a half-day. Figure on paying
lokhon Asamov, who speaks English and a driver US$5 per hour, or about US$15 for
also works as a guide to the nearby Hissar a half-day tour.
Mountains, can arrange hiking trips with
notice. The main sights lurk northwest of the city
on the road to Karshi. Driving out here you’ll
Shahrisabz Hotel HOTEL $$ notice various piles of rubble in the cotton
(Ipak Yoli 2; s/d/ste US$50/70/100; aWs) This fields of what used to be Termiz (and is now
new hotel is the only midrange accommo- known as Old Termiz). These are Buddhist
dation in town and it has clean and comfy ruins, levelled by Chinggis Khan along with
rooms with fridges, safes and cable TV. the rest of Old Termiz in 1220.
There’s an on-site restaurant and a sauna
(30,000S per hour). Termiz’s other main sights are clustered
northeast of town off the airport road.
Aquarium UZBEK $
(Ipak Yoli 22; mains 2500-5000S; h8am-9pm) Termiz Archaeological Museum MUSEUM
This bustling cafe is in view of Ak-Saray and (Al-Termizi 29; admission 10,000S; h9am-
serves up the usual shashlyk, shulpa, lagh- 5.30pm) The Termiz Archaeological Mu-
man and vodka shots. seum is reason enough to visit Termiz.
Unveiled in 2001, the museum is a treas-
88 Information ure trove of artefacts collected from the
many ravaged civilisations that pepper the
Most Samarkand guides can arrange day trips to Surkhandarya province of which Termiz
Shakhrisabz, including a driver and a tour of all is the main city. The highlight would have
the main sights. Change money for blackmarket to be the collection of 3rd- to 4th-century
rates at the bazaar. Buddhist artefacts. The museum also has
an excellent model of Surkhandarya that
depicts the area’s most important archaeo-
logical sights. Serious archaeological buffs

184 6666B C D e# 0 500 m
0 0.25 miles
Termiz
A £# (600m);

Al-Termizi–# (15km)

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6661 Jurabaev 3 1
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Bus Dostlyk
Station Park
›#
Kara-Tepe 666DMoney ÿ# Jasmin
(9km); 6 (750m)
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can use this map to plot their course to Mausoleum of
a wealth of caves, petroglyphs and
excavations in the north of Surkhandarya Al-Hakim al-Termizi MAUSOLEUM
province.
Closer to town is a slightly younger but still
quite sacred edifice, the Mausoleum of Al-
Hakim al-Termizi. Its namesake was a 9th-
Fayoz-Tepe RUIN century Sufi philosopher, known locally

Today archaeologists are busy trying to re- as Al-Hakim, the city’s patron saint. In a
verse some of the damage at Fayoz-Tepe,
a 3rd-century-AD Buddhist monastery triumph for preservationists, the interior’s
cheap plaster ghanch-work, spuriously in-
complex 9km west of the bus station. Dis- stalled as part of the government’s general
covered only in 1968, in recent years it
has been restored and a teapot dome put monument beautification drive, has been
removed to expose the original 15th-century
over the monastery’s original stupa, visible brick.
through a glass window.
The mausoleum gets packed to the gills
on Wednesday, when the faithful are served
Kara-Tepe RUIN lunch. The Amu-Darya and Afghanistan are

Looking southwest from Fayoz-Tepe, the once again in sight here; photographing the
remains of Kara-Tepe, a Buddhist cave
monastery, are visible on the banks of the border is forbidden. To get out here catch
marshrutka 15 heading north on Al-Termizi
Amu-Darya, opposite the Afghan border. from Yubileyny Bazaar (600S, 20 minutes),
You need special permission to visit Kara- just north of the clock tower.
Tepe – ask at the Archaeological Museum.

185

Termiz perfectly located for the archaeological
museum and well situated in the thick of
æ Sights things. Rooms are clean and bright, though
1 Clock Tower ...........................................B2 bathrooms are still rather aged.
2 Navoi Statue..........................................C2
3 Termiz Archaeological Museum ......... C1 Hotel Meridian HOTEL $$
4 Yubileyny Bazaar ..................................B2 (%227 48 51; Alpomysh 23; s/d incl breakfast
US$55/75; a) This modern high-rise place
ÿ Sleeping has nothing to do with the Meridien group,
5 Asson Hotel ........................................... C1 but it does boast large, smart and clean
6 Hotel Meridian .......................................D2 rooms in pastel colours and a decent restau-
7 Surhan Atlantic .....................................B2 rant (that’s open well into the evening), as
well as a sauna.
ú Eating Uzbekistan CToe rnumtrrsi zal U zb e k i stan
8 Azizbek...................................................D2 5 Eating & Drinking
9 Restoran Farhod ...................................C2

Azizbek UZBEK $$
(Navoi ko’chasi; mains 5000-30,000S; h9am-
Sultan Saodat Ensemble MAUSOLEUM 11pm) This friendly place is worth the de-

The restored Timurid-style Sultan Saodat tour from the centre of town; its staff are
Ensemble of mausoleums probably won’t
impress you if you’ve been to Samarkand. charmingly friendly, the bread is some of
the best in the country and the menu of
Buried here are members of the Sayyid dy- grilled meat, salads and beer makes for
nasty, which ruled Termiz from the 11th to
15th centuries. a perfect meal when served on the shady
outdoor patio. Upstairs a smokey disco gets
busy with locals in the evenings.
Kyr Kyz RUIN

Murky legend has it that 40 young wom- Restoran Farhod UZBEK $$
en lived here in the mud-walled Kyr Kyz
(‘Forty Girls’) fortress in the 11th century, (Navoi ko’chasi; mains 8000-28,000S; h8am-
11pm) Opposite the Navoi statue some way
successfully fighting off sex-crazed nomads from the bustle of Al-Termizi is this unas-
after their nobleman-husband was slain,
although the story changes depending on suming looking place. Go inside though,
and you’ll find a permanently bustling lo-
whom you hear it from. cal favourite where Uzbek national dishes

T Tours and a range of delicious kebabs are served
up. There are also private booths available,
Rayhon GUIDE should you fancy some peace and quiet.

(%+998 915 808 189) Rayhon speaks English
and can arrange tours of the city and further 88 Information
afield in Surkhandarya province.
Asaka Bank (Navoi 45; h9am-5pm Mon-Fri)
4 Sleeping Currency exchange and cash advances on
MasterCards.
Termiz has some great-value accommoda-
tion. Breakfast is not included at the major- 88 Getting There & Around
ity of places.
Uzbekistan Airways (% 222 85 77; Al-Termizi
Surhan Atlantic HOTEL $ 11) has three flights a day to/from Tashkent
(%222 75 99; cnr Al-Termizi & Navoi; s/d from (US$67). You can buy tickets in town, or at the
US$15/16; a) The smartly renovated Soviet airport, which is 15km north of town. To get to
rooms here are an incredible deal, with big, the airport take marshrutka 264, which runs up
clean bathrooms, balconies and white cot- Al-Termizi (1000S). A taxi costs 8000S.
ton bedspreads. The manager doesn’t speak
English, but he’s very friendly. Add US$3.50 On arrival in Termiz, you’ll need to register
per room for a TV. There’s a pleasant garden your arrival with the police, as you’re entering
too, as well as a small cafe. a sensitive border zone. On seeing your foreign
passport, you’ll be directed to the relevant office
Asson Hotel HOTEL $$ at the airport terminal, and the process is very
(%227 58 76; cnr Al-Termizi & Jurabaev; s/d straightforward.
US$45/70 ste US$80-120; a) Refurbished
in pleasant pale green tones, the Asson is Shared taxi is the way to go to Samarkand
(40,000S, five hours) and Karshi (20,000S, 3½
hours). Transfer in Karshi for Bukhara. There’s

Uzbekistan CNAceutnrtiavrtiatli eUs zb e k i stan186 Alexander the Great. Behind the fortress,
also a 6am bus to Samarkand (18,000S, 8½ a path leads 4km to the Zukarnay Petro-
hours). There are a couple of morning buses to glyphs, which date to the Bronze Age. Ask
Tashkent (24,000S, 13 hours), or take a shared the curator at the museum how to find the
taxi (65,000S, nine hours). trail. If it’s too hot to walk, there are some-
All of the above leave from the bus station, a times guys with motorcycles hanging out
straight shot west on either Jurabaev (marshrut- near the museum who will whisk you out
kas 18 and 20) or Navoi (marshrutkas 6, 7 and 8). there for a couple of thousand som.
Trains to Termiz from Tashkent/Samarkand
no longer go through Turkmenistan thanks to Beneath Alexander’s fortress you’ll en-
a brand-new track opened in 2009 that links counter the anomaly of several hundred
Guzor and Termiz via Boysun and Jarkurgan. trout occupying a pool and well next to a
There’s a train to Tashkent on all odd dates of the 16th-century mosque and a 9th-century
month (platskartny/kupeyny 48,000/72,000S, mausoleum. This is the Chashma Spring
14 hours) with stops in Boysun, Karshi and Sa- (admission US$1), formed, it is said, where the
markand. The return trip departs Tashkent on Prophet Mohammed’s son-in-law Hazrat Ali
even days at 9.20pm. drove his staff into the ground. The ‘holy’
Local trains depart several times daily to De- fish live off the mineral-laden waters of the
nau (2700S; three hours), and continue another spring and canals that feed it.
hour to Sariosiyo at the Tajik border.
Accommodation in Nurata itself is pret-
Nurata ty grim. Your best bet is the dilapidated
Hotel Nur (%323 00 16; s/d without bathroom
% 436 / POP 30,000 US$7/12), 500m from Chashma Spring on the
road to the centre, which is the only hotel
To the north of the featureless Samarkand– in town and has a ground-floor restaurant.
Bukhara ‘Royal Road’, the Pamir-Alay Close to the centre, Mr Nemat runs a pleas-
Mountains produce one final blip on the ant homestay (%523 18 74) with a hammoni
map before fading unceremoniously into (bath), and can prepare meals and organise
desertified insignificance. The Nura- excursions.
tau Mountains, which top out at 2169m,
have in recent years become the centre of 2 Activities
Uzbekistan’s growing ecotourism move-
ment. Modest Nurata town makes a logical After briefly taking in Nurata’s sights, you’ll
base for jumping off to the mountains or to want to hightail it to the yurt camps to
one of several nearby yurt camps. the north of Nurata. There are four within
shooting distance. Two are about 60km due
Nurata itself is most famous for its old, north of Nurata in Yangikazgan; two others
circle-patterned suzani, which can sell for are further east in Dungalok near the shores
thousands of dollars at international auc- of manmade Lake Aidarkul, formed from
tions, but it also has a few quirky tourist at- the diverted waters of the Syr-Darya in 1969.
tractions, most notably an old fortress of

GOING LOCAL IN THE NURATAU MOUNTAINS

South of Lake Aidarkul, there is great hiking and bird watching in the mountains of the
Nuratau-Kyzylkum Biosphere Reserve, which is also the site of a wonderful
community-based tourism project (www.nuratau.com). Families in several villages have
converted their homes into rustic guesthouses where they welcome guests with over-
whelming hospitality. The area is ideal for hiking and horse-riding. You can also enjoy
the fresh mountain air and sleep on a tapchan (tea bed) under the stars. In winter you
can even observe authentic kupkari matches (a traditional polo-like game played with
a headless goat carcass). This is a great opportunity to experience the traditional life of
a Tajik-speaking mountain farmer family in their element – and a great way to ward off
architecture burnout if you’ve seen one too many medressas.

For further information, check the website or contact the office (%72 452 1200, +998
902 650 680; [email protected]) in Yangiqishloq, a small town 70km west of
Jizzakh. Registration can be done in the guesthouses or in the office. Alternatively, you
can arrange a trip to the mountains with a homestay through most tour companies or
through the Antica B&B in Samarkand.

187

All yurt camps include short camel Bukhara (Buxoro) Uzbekistan CBGue nktthrianarglaTU(hBzeburxeekoi&rsotA)awnay
trekking rides in their rates; the ones in
Dungalok offer fishing. Longer treks, in- % 65 / POP 263,000
cluding multiple-day excursions, are also
possible for an extra charge. Central Asia’s holiest city, Bukhara has
buildings spanning a thousand years of his-
The comfortable camel-hair yurts, most tory, and a thoroughly lived-in old centre
of them tastefully decorated with carpets that hasn’t changed too much in two centu-
and suzani, sleep six to eight people. Pric- ries. It is one of the best places in Central
es vary from camp to camp according to Asia for a glimpse of pre-Russian Turkestan.
the level of comfort. Rates include three
meals a day, as there’s no option but to Most of the centre is an architectural
eat in camp. Camps close from November preserve, full of medressas, minarets, a
to mid-March, and sometimes during July massive royal fortress and the remnants of
and August. Showing up unannounced isn’t a once-vast market complex. Government
a good idea; you’re far better off calling restoration efforts have been more subtle
ahead and arranging a deal via the office and less indiscriminate than in flashier
of a travel agency, that way your transfers Samarkand, and the city’s accommodation
will be taken care of, and you can tailor your options are by far the best and most atmos-
package to your needs where possible. pheric in the country.

Sputnik Camel Camp YURTSTAY Until a century ago Bukhara was watered
by a network of canals and some 200 stone
(%223 8081; [email protected]; Yangika- pools where people gathered and gossiped,
zgan; per person US$50) The first and probably drank and washed. As the water wasn’t
the fanciest of the lot, run by the mischie- changed often, Bukhara was famous for
vous, tough-as-nails Radik. Has attractive plagues; the average 19th-century Bukha-
dining yurt and lots of creature comforts. ran is said to have died by the age of 32.
The Bolsheviks modernised the system and
Yangikazgan Yurt Camp YURTSTAY drained the pools, although it’s most fa-
mous, Lyabi-Hauz, remains a cool, mulber-
(%225 1419; Yangikazgan; per person US$45) ry-tree shaded oasis at the heart of the city.
There’s welcome electricity and creature
comforts here, but the dining room is in a You’ll need at least two days to look
cement building that rather detracts from around. Try to allow time to lose yourself
the otherwise traditional vibe. It’s quite in the old town; it’s easy to overdose on the
close to Sputnik, in the middle of the desert, 140-odd protected buildings and miss the
6km north of Yangikazgan. whole for its many parts.

Aidar Yurt Camp YURTCAMP History

(%222 5618, 223 9546; Dungalok; per person It was as capital of the Samanid state in
US$45) The closest camp to the lake, just the 9th and 10th centuries that Bukhara –
10km away, Aidar has 11 charmingly decorat- Bukhoro-i-sharif (Noble Bukhara), the
ed yurts, as well as electricity and hot water. ‘Pillar of Islam’ – blossomed as Central
Asia’s religious and cultural heart. Among
Safari Camp YURTCAMP those nurtured here were the philosopher-
scientist Ibn Sina and the poets Firdausi
(%+998 79 225 5417, +998 79 2238081; sputnik- and Rudaki – figures of a similar stature in
[email protected]; Dungalok; per person US$40) the Persian Islamic world as, for example,
With ten colourfully decorated, Kazakh-style Newton or Shakespeare in the West.
yurts, this place is popular with groups and
has electricity, hot showers and plenty of After two centuries under the smaller
creature comforts. Karakhanid and Karakitay dynasties,
Bukhara succumbed in 1220 to Chinggis
88 Getting There & Away Khan, and in 1370 fell under the shadow of
Timur’s Samarkand.
To get to Nurata, make your way from Bukhara
or Samarkand to Navoi, then take a shared taxi A second lease of life came in the 16th
(10,000S, one hour) or marshrutka (6000S). In century when the Uzbek Shaybanids made it
Nurata sporadic marshrutkas run to Dungalok the capital of what came to be known as the
and Yangikazgan, but you’ll likely have to hire a Bukhara khanate. The centre of Shaybanid
private car, or arrange a transfer with your yurt Bukhara was a vast marketplace with doz-
camp. Negotiations start at 50,000S one-way to ens of specialist bazaars and caravanserais,
the yurt camps.

188

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more than 100 medressas (with 10,000 stu- In 1868, Russian troops under General
dents) and more than 300 mosques. Kaufman occupied Samarkand (which at
the time was within Emir Muzaffar Khan’s
In 1753 Mohammed Rahim, the local domains). Soon afterward Bukhara sur-
deputy of a Persian ruler, proclaimed him- rendered, and was made a protectorate of
self emir, founding the Mangit dynasty that the tsar, with the emirs still nominally in
was to rule until the Bolsheviks came. Sev- charge.
eral depraved rulers filled Rahim’s shoes;
the worst was probably Nasrullah Khan In 1918 a party of emissaries arrived from
(also called ‘the Butcher’ behind his back), Tashkent (by then under Bolshevik control)
who ascended the throne in 1826 by killing to persuade Emir Alim Khan to surrender
off his brothers and 28 other relatives. He peacefully. The wily despot stalled long
made himself a household name in Victo- enough to allow his agents to stir up an anti-
rian England after he executed two British Russian mob that slaughtered nearly the
officers. whole delegation, and the emir’s own army

189

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University Agents (700m);

OVIR 800m)

sent a larger Russian detachment packing, Pan-Turkism it was absorbed in 1924 into
back towards Tashkent. the newly created Uzbek SSR.

But the humiliated Bolsheviks had their 1 Sights
revenge. Following an orchestrated ‘upris-
ing’ in Charjou (now Turkmenabat in Turk- 1 Lyabi-Hauz & Around
menistan) by local revolutionaries calling
themselves the Young Bukharans, and an Lyabi-Hauz PLAZA
equally premeditated request for help, Red
Army troops from Khiva and Tashkent un- Lyabi-Hauz, a plaza built around a pool
der General Mikhail Frunze stormed the Ark in 1620 (the name is Tajik for ‘around the
(citadel) and captured Bukhara. pool’), is the most peaceful and interesting
spot in town – shaded by mulberry trees as
Bukhara won a short ‘independence’ old as the pool. The old tea-sipping, chess-
as the Bukhara People’s Republic, but af- board-clutching Uzbek men who once
ter showing rather too much interest in

190

Uzbekistan BCS iuegnkhthtrasarla U( Bzbuxe koirsot)an Bukhara 45 Mehtar Ambar..........................................G2
46 Minzifa ...................................................... A5
æ Top Sights 47 Mubinjon's Bukhara House .................... B5
1 Ark..............................................................D1 48 Nasriddin Navruz..................................... A5
2 Char Minar............................................... G2 49 Rustam & Zuxro ...................................... B4
3 Kalon Mosque.......................................... D2
4 Maghoki-Attar & Museum of Salom Inn........................................ (see 44)
Carpets ..................................................E2 50 Sarrafon B&B........................................... A4
51 Sasha & Son B&B .................................... B4
æ Sights
5 Abdul Aziz Khan Medressa.....................E2 ú Eating
6 Bolo-Hauz Mosque .................................. C1 52 Bella Italia .................................................G2
7 Chashma Ayub Mausoleum ................... B1 53 Bolo Hauz Chaikhana.............................. C1
8 Fayzulla Khojaev House ......................... D4 54 Chashmai Mirob ......................................D2
9 Gaukushan Medressa ............................ D3 55 Chinar........................................................ F3
56 Lyabi-Hauz ............................................... A4
10 Hoja Nasruddin ........................................B4 57 Minzifa ...................................................... A4
11 Hoja Zayniddin Mosque ......................... D2 Saroy............................................... (see 59)
12 Ismail Samani Mausoleum .....................B2
13 Jewish Cemetery .....................................E5 û Drinking & Nightlife
14 Jewish Community Centre & Cafe Gallery.................................... (see 42)
Cafe Wishbone............................... (see 58)
Synagogue.............................................A4
15 Kalon Minaret .......................................... D2 58 Silk Road Spices ...................................... E2
16 Kukeldash Medressa ...............................E2
17 Lyabi-Hauz................................................A4 þ Shopping
18 Mir-i-Arab Medressa .............................. D2 59 Bukhara Artisan Development
19 Museum of Art .........................................E3 Centre.................................................... A4
20 Nadir Divanbegi Khanaka .......................A4 60 Shahriston Market ..................................D2
21 Nadir Divanbegi Medressa .....................B4 61 Tim Abdulla Khan .................................... E2
22 Namozgokh Mosque .............................. D5 62 Unesco Carpet Weaving Shop............... A5
23 Old Town Walls......................................... A1
24 Photo Gallery............................................E3 ï Information
25 Synagogue............................................... D4 63 Amazingly Fast Internet ......................... A4
26 Taki-Sarrafon Bazaar ..............................A4 64 Asaka Bank...............................................H3
27 Taki-Telpak Furushon Bazaar ................E2 65 Asia Hotel ................................................. A4
28 Taki-Zargaron Bazaar .............................E2 66 Hotel Bukhara Palace ............................. F5
29 Turki Jandi Mausoleum...........................E3 67 National Bank of Uzbekistan .................G5
30 Ulugbek Medressa ...................................E2 68 Telephone & Telegraph Office............... F4
31 Zindon .......................................................D1 69 Ucell .......................................................... A4

Ø Activities, Courses & Tours ï Transport
32 Bozori Kord...............................................E2 70 Air & Rail Ticketing Agents.....................G4
33 East Line Tour ..........................................B4 71 Ark Marshrutka Stop ..............................D2
34 Hammom Kunjak.................................... D2 72 Gorgaz Bus Stop .....................................G5
73 Kryty Rynok Bus Stop.............................G3
ÿ Sleeping 74 Primary Lyabi-Hauz Marshrutka
35 Amelia Boutique Hotel ............................ F3 Stop........................................................ F2
36 Amulet....................................................... F2 75 Secondary Lyabi-Hauz
37 Emir B&B ..................................................A4 Marshrutka Stop .................................. E2
38 Grand Bukhara Hotel............................... F4 76 Shared taxis to Karakol & Olot
39 Hotel Sultan ..............................................A4 (Turkmen border) .................................A1
40 Hovli Poyon B&B..................................... D3 77 Vokzal Bus Stop ......................................H2
41 Komil Hotel ...............................................A5
42 Lyabi House Hotel....................................A4
43 Madina & Ilyos ......................................... D2
44 Malikjon B&B House ................................A4

inhabited this corner of town have been Samarkand’s Registan has succumbed,
moved on by local entrepreneurs bent on although loud music of an evening is to be
cashing in on the tourist trade. Still, the expected. It’s still a gorgeous place to sit
plaza maintains its old-world style and throughout the day.
has managed to fend off the glitz to which

191

Hoja Nasruddin MONUMENT oMaghoki-Attar

On the east side of Lyabi-Hauz is a statue of & Museum of Carpets MUSEUM
Hoja Nasruddin, a semi-mythical ‘wise fool’
who appears in Sufi teaching-tales around (Pit of the herbalists; Arabon; admission 2300S;
hmuseum 9am-5pm) Between the two cov-
the world. ered bazaars, in what was the old herb-

Nadir Divanbegi Medressa MEDRESSA and-spice bazaar, is Central Asia’s oldest
surviving mosque, the Maghoki-Attar, a
(Lyabi-Hauz; admission 1000S, valid 3 days; lovely mishmash of 9th-century facade and
h8am-6pm; p) The Nadir Divanbegi Me-
dressa was built as a caravanserai, but the 16th-century reconstruction.
This is probably also the town’s holiest
khan thought it was a medressa and it duti- spot: under it in the 1930s archaeologists
fully became one in 1622. It’s notable for its
stunning exterior tilework, which depicts found bits of a 5th-century Zoroastrian
temple ruined by the Arabs and an earlier Uzbekistan BCS iuegnkhthtrasarla U( Bzbuxe koirsot)an
a pair of peacocks holding lambs either Buddhist temple. According to legend, the
side of a sun with a human face, in direct
contravention of the Islamic prohibition mosque survived the Mongols by being bur-
ied by locals in sand. Indeed, only the top
against depicting living creatures. Inside of the mosque was visible when the digging
you’ll find a few craft and carpet stalls.
began in the 1930s; the present plaza sur-
rounding it is the 12th-century level of the
Nadir Divanbegi Khanaka HISTORIC BUILDING town.
(Lyabi-Hauz; h9am-6pm) F On the west A section of the excavations has been left
side of the square, and built at the same deliberately exposed inside. The building
time, is the Nadir Divanbegi Khanaka, today ostensibly functions as a museum ex-
a sufi cloister used for religious ceremo- hibiting Bukhara carpets and prayer mats.
nies, debates and instruction. Both this Climb the stairs inside the mosque for a
and the medressa opposite are named for view of the Zoroastrian remains.
Abdul Aziz Khan’s treasury minister, who The charming staff will tell you that until
financed them in the 17th century. It’s the 16th century, Bukhara’s Jews are said to
the poor relation to the Nadir Divanbegi have used the mosque in the evenings as a
Medressa it faces across Lyabi-Hauz, but synagogue – a wonderful image of the cos-
inside there’s a worthwhile display of old mopolitan tolerance that was once such a
photos, paintings and a model of Bukhara. part of Bukhara’s identity.

Kukeldash Medressa MEDRESSA

(Bakhowuddin Nakshabandi ko’chasi) The Kukel- 1 Taki-Zargaron Area
dash Medressa, built in 1569 by Abdullah II,
was at the time the biggest Islamic school
Ulugbek Medressa MEDRESSA

in Central Asia. It now hosts an evening (Hoja Nurabad ko’chasi; medressa admission (for
puppet, wrestling and, disappointingly, a both Ulugbek & Abdul Aziz Khan) 2000S, valid
cock fight show, that’s aimed at tourists. three days; museum admission 1000S; hmu-
seum 9am-4.30pm) Built in 1417, this is Cen-
tral Asia’s oldest medressa, and may well
1 Taki-Sarrafon & Taki-Telpak be familiar to you as it became a model
for many others. The blue-tiled medressa,
Furushon Area

Covered Bazaars MARKET one of three built by Ulugbek (the others

(Hakikat; h7am-8pm) From Shaybanid times, are at Gijduvan, 45km away on the road to
the area west and north from Lyabi-Hauz Samarkand, and in Samarkand’s Registan
was a vast warren of market lanes, arcades complex), is unrestored and much in need
and crossroad minibazaars whose multi- of conservation work – the central alcove in
domed roofs were designed to draw in cool the courtyard recently collapsed and work
air. Three remaining domed bazaars, heavily is needed almost everywhere.
renovated in Soviet times, were among doz- There are no stalls here, just some empty
ens of specialised bazaars in the town – Taki- cells and a small museum with some great
Sarrafon (moneychangers), Taki-Telpak old photos, including one of the Kalon Min-
Furushon (cap makers) and Taki-Zargaron aret looking the worse for wear after the
(jewellers). They remain only loosely faithful Soviets bombed it in the 1920s.
to those designations today.

192

Abdul Aziz Khan Medressa MEDRESSA Its 14 ornamental bands, all different,
include the first use of the glazed blue tiles
(museum of wood carvings admission 1000S; h that were to saturate Central Asia under
9am-5pm) F The student rooms at the Timur. Up and down the south and east
16th-century Abdul Aziz Khan Medressa are sides are faintly lighter patches, mark-
occupied, rather typically, by souvenir shops. ing the restoration of damage caused by
This is an unrestored gem, built by its name- Frunze’s artillery in 1920. Its 105 inner
sake to outdo the Ulugbek Medressa, across stairs, accessible from the Kalon Mosque,
the street. The highlight is the prayer room, have been closed off to tourists for several
now a museum of wood carvings, with years but may reopen.
jaw-dropping ghanch stalactites dripping
from the ceiling. It is said that Abdul Aziz A legend says that Arslan Khan killed an
had the image of his face covertly embedded imam after a quarrel. That night in a dream
in the prayer room’s mihrab (Mecca-facing the imam told him, ‘You have killed me; now
Uzbekistan BCS iuegnkhthtrasarla U( Bzbuxe koirsot)an niche) to get around the Sunni Muslim pro- oblige me by laying my head on a spot where
hibition against depicting living beings (Ab- nobody can tread’, and the tower was built
dul Aziz Khan was a Shiite). The only other over his grave.
medressa in town that depicts living beings
is the Nadir Divanbegi Medressa. oKalon Mosque MOSQUE

(Hoja Nurabad; admission 2000S; h8am-8pm)
At the foot of the minaret, on the site of an
1 Kalon Minaret & Around earlier mosque destroyed by Chinggis Khan,
is the 16th-century congregational Kalon
Kalon Minaret MINARET Mosque, big enough for 10,000 people. Its
courtyard has some spectacular tile work.
When it was built by the Karakhanid ruler Used in Soviet times as a warehouse, it was
Arslan Khan in 1127, the Kalon Minaret reopened as a place of worship in 1991.
was probably the tallest building in Central
Asia – kalon means ‘great’ in Tajik. It’s an
incredible piece of work, 47m tall with 10m-
deep foundations (including reeds stacked Mir-i-Arab Medressa MEDRESSA

underneath in an early form of earthquake- Opposite the Kalon mosque, its luminous
blue domes in sharp contrast to the sur-
proofing), and has stood for almost nine rounding brown, is the working Mir-i-Arab
centuries. Chinggis Khan was so dumb-
founded by it that he ordered it spared. Medressa. Especially at sunset, it’s among

STODDART & CONOLLY

On 24 June 1842 Colonel Charles Stoddart and Captain Arthur Conolly were marched
out from a dungeon cell before a huge crowd in front of the Ark, the emir’s fortified cita-
del, made to dig their own graves and, to the sound of drums and reed pipes from atop
the fortress walls, were beheaded.

Colonel Stoddart had arrived three years earlier on a mission to reassure Emir Nas-
rullah Khan about Britain’s invasion of Afghanistan. But his superiors, underestimating
the emir’s vanity and megalomania, had sent him with no gifts, and with a letter not
from Queen Victoria (whom Nasrullah regarded as an equal sovereign), but from the
governor-general of India. To compound matters Stoddart violated local protocol by
riding, rather than walking, up to the Ark. The piqued Nasrullah had him thrown into jail,
where he was to spend much of his time at the bottom of the so-called ‘bug pit’, in the
company of assorted rodents and scaly creatures.

Captain Conolly arrived in 1841 to try to secure Stoddart’s release. But the emir,
believing him to be part of a British plot with the khans of Khiva and Kokand, tossed
Conolly in jail too. After the disastrous British retreat from Kabul, the emir, convinced
that Britain was a second-rate power and having received no reply to an earlier letter to
Queen Victoria, had both men executed.

Despite public outrage back in England, the British government chose to let the mat-
ter drop. Furious friends and relatives raised enough money to send their own emissary,
an oddball clergyman named Joseph Wolff, to Bukhara to verify the news. According to
Peter Hopkirk in The Great Game, Wolff himself only escaped death because the emir
thought him hilarious, dressed up in his full clerical regalia.

193

Uzbekistan’s most striking medressas. Mir-i- tains the emir’s throne as well as portraits
Arab was a 16th-century Naqshbandi sheikh of the ill-fated British officers Stoddart and
from Yemen who had a strong influence on Conolly, who were eventually executed in
the Shaybanid ruler Ubaidullah Khan. Tour- front of the fortress on medieval Bukhara’s
ists can technically only go as far as the foy- main square, the Registan.
er. However, if you ask permission you may
be allowed to view the tombs of Mir-i-Arab Behind the Ark is the Zindon (admission
and Ubaidullah Khan in a room under the 2300S; h9am-5pm Wed-Mon), the jail, now
northern dome. From there you get a decent euphemistically called the Museum of Law
view of the courtyard, where you might see & Legislation. Cheerful attractions include
students playing ping-pong. a torture chamber complete with shackles
used on prisoners and several dungeons, in-
1 The Ark & Around cluding the gruesome fourth cell, the 6.5m Uzbekistan BCS iuegnkhthtrasarla U( Bzbuxe koirsot)an
deep kanakhona (bug pit), where Stoddart
oArk FORTRESS and Conolly languished in a dark chamber
filled with lice, scorpions and vermin. There
(%224 38 53; Registan Sq; admission 4500S, are also some fascinating early 20th century
admission with guide 7500S; h9am-5pm) The photographs of pre-Soviet Bukhara taken
spectacular-looking Ark, a royal town-with- by Russian photographer Sergey Prokudin-
in-a-town, is Bukhara’s oldest structure, oc- Gorsky.
cupied from the 5th century right up until
1920, when it was bombed by the Red Army. Beside a pool opposite the Ark’s gate is
It’s about 80% ruins inside now, except for the Bolo-Hauz Mosque, the emirs’ official
some remaining royal quarters, now hous- place of worship, built in 1718. Beside it is a
ing several museums. now-disused 33m water tower, built by the
At the top of the entrance ramp is the Russians in 1927.

17th-century Juma (Friday) Mosque. Turn 1 Ismail Samani Mausoleum
right into a corridor with courtyards off both
sides. First on the left are the former living & Around

quarters of the emir’s kushbegi (prime min- Ismail Samani Mausoleum MAUSOLEUM
ister), now housing an archaeological muse-
um and a nature museum where you can see (Samani Park) This mausoleum in Samani
Park, completed in 905, is the town’s oldest
what healthy cotton looks like (in contrast to Muslim monument and probably its sturdi-
the forlorn, stunted variety you’ll see grow- est architecturally. Built for Ismail Samani
ing in central Uzbekistan). (the Samanid dynasty’s founder), his father
Second on the left is the oldest surviving and grandson, its intricate baked terracotta
part of the Ark, the vast Reception & Coro- brickwork – which gradually changes ‘per-
nation Court, whose roof fell in during the sonality’ through the day as the shadows
1920 bombardment. The last coronation to shift – disguises walls almost 2m thick,
take place here was Alim Khan’s in 1910. The helping it survive without restoration (ex-
submerged chamber on the right wall was cept of the spiked dome) for 11 centuries.
the treasury, and behind this room was the Behind the park is one of the few remain-
harem. ing, eroded sections (a total of 2km out of
To the right of the corridor were the open- an original 12km) of the Shaybanid town
air royal stables and the noghorahona (a walls; another big section is about 500m
room for drums and musical instruments west of the Namozgokh Mosque.
used during public spectacles in the square
below). Chashma Ayub Mausoleum MAUSOLEUM

Around the Salamhona (Protocol Court) (Samani Park; admission 2000S; h9am-5pm
Tue-Sun) The peculiar Chashma Ayub mauso-
at the end of the corridor are what remain of leum was built from the 12th to 16th centu-
the royal apartments. These apparently fell
into such disrepair that the last two emirs ries over a spring. The name means ‘Spring
of Job’; legend has it the spring appeared
preferred full-time residence at the sum- after Job struck his staff on the ground here.
mer palace. Now there are several museums
here, the most interesting of which covers Inside is a small water museum where you
can drink from the spring. Next door is a
Bukhara’s history from the Shaybanids to glistening glass-walled memorial to Imam
the tsars. Displays include items imported to
Bukhara, including an enormous samovar Ismail al-Bukhari.

made in Tula, Russia. Another room con-

194

1 Fayzulla Khojaev House A well inside the mosque contains holy
water that locals drink from a cooler near
& Around the complex entrance. Have the chatty
mullah show you the sections of original
Fayzulla Khojaev House MUSEUM 10th-century Arabic script on the mosque’s
doors, allegedly inscribed by Turki Jandi
(%224 41 88; Tukaev; admission 3500S, camera himself.
2300S; h9am-5pm) The Fayzulla Khojaev
House was once home to one of Bukhara’s
many infamous personalities, the man who
plotted with the Bolsheviks to dump Emir oChar Minar HISTORIC BUILDING

Alim Khan. Fayzulla Khojaev was rewarded Photogenic little Char Minar, in a maze of
alleys between Pushkin and Hoja Nura-
with the presidency of the Bukhara People’s bad, bears more relation to Indian styles
Republic, chairmanship of the Council of
Uzbekistan BCS iuegnkhthtrasarla U( Bzbuxe koirsot)an People’s Commissars of the Uzbek SSR, and than to anything Bukharan. This was the
gatehouse of a long-gone medressa built in
finally liquidation by Stalin. 1807. The name means ‘Four Minarets’ in
The house was built in 1891 by his father,
Ubaidullah, a wealthy merchant. Fayzulla Tajik, although they aren’t strictly speaking
minarets but rather decorative towers.
lived here until 1925, when the Soviets con-
verted it into a school. Meticulous restora-
tion of the elegant frescoes, ghanch, lat- Gaukushan Medressa MEDRESSA

ticework and Bukhara-style ceiling beams At the intersection of Jubar and Ba-
khowuddin Nakshabandi ko’chasi is the
(carved, unpainted elm) has returned it interesting 16th-century Gaukushan
to its former glory. If there’s a tour group
present you may be treated to a fashion Medressa, with chipped majolica on its
unrestored facade.
show, but it’s well worth visiting for the
gorgeous interiors. Museum of Art MUSEUM

(Bakhowuddin Nakshabandi ko’chasi; admission
1200S; h9am-5pm Wed-Mon) The Museum of
Turki Jandi Mausoleum MAUSOLEUM

(Namozgokh ko’chasi; h7am-7pm) Deep in the Art has a worthy collection of mostly 20th-
old town is the tiny, decrepit Turki Jandi
mausoleum, favoured for getting one’s century paintings by Bukharan artists. It’s
in the former headquarters of the Russian
prayers answered. Its importance is sig- Central Asian Bank (1912). Look out for
nalled by the hundreds of other graves
around it – allegedly in stacks 30m deep! works by Zelim Saidjuddin, the Bukharan
artist featured in Colin Thubron’s Lost
Turki Jandi’s tomb is accessed through the Heart of Asia and Shadow of the Silk Road.
mosque under the taller, second cupola.

BUKHARA’S JEWS

South of Lyabi-Hauz is what’s left of the old town’s unique Jewish Quarter. There have
been Jews in Bukhara (Buxoro) since perhaps the 12th or 13th century. They developed
their own unique culture with its own language – Bukhori, which is related to Persian but
uses the Hebrew alphabet. Bukhara’s Jews still speak it, as do about 10,000 Bukhara
Jews who now live elsewhere, mainly in Israel.

The Bukhara Jews managed to become major players in Bukharan commerce, in
spite of deep-rooted, institutionalised discrimination. Bukhara Jews made up 7% of
Bukhara’s population at the time of the Soviet Union’s collapse, but today only a few
hundred remain.

The Jewish community centre & synagogue (%510 18 33, 224 23 80; Sarrafon
20), roughly across from Salom Inn, holds regular services and also sponsors a func-
tioning Jewish school just around the corner. A century ago there were at least seven
synagogues here, reduced after 1920 to two. The second synagogue is located south
of Kukluk Bazaar – from the ruined mosque on Namozgokh, take a left onto Gulzor
ko’chasi, then turn right at the red garage door (number 3) and you’ll find the syna-
gogue on the right a little further down the street.

The Jewish Cemetery (Muminov; h8am-6pm), just south of the Old Town, is per-
haps the most impressive evidence of the previous size of the local Jewish community.
It’s a very well maintained and huge space, with centuries of tombs on display.

4 Sleeping 195

Photo Gallery GALLERY Bukhara’s wonderful, largely traditional-
style B&Bs set the standard for accom-
(admission free; h9am-7.30pm) The Museum of modation in Central Asia. They tend to be
Art is a Photo Gallery containing mesmeris- surprisingly large courtyard houses tucked
ing photos of Bukhara Jews, gypsies and city away in the backstreets of the old town
life shot by Bukhara Iranian photographer with rooms awash with traditional ghanch
Shavkat Boltaev. and pieces of antique furniture. Several of
their traditional dining rooms in Bukhara
Hoja Zayniddin Mosque MOSQUE are even considered to be part of the city’s
Unesco World Heritage status. It’s essential
(h7am-7pm) In Bukhara’s backstreets be- to book ahead during busy times of the year,
tween Hoja Nurabad and Islamov, across as the very best hotels can be booked for
from the Ark on Hoja Nurabad, the interior weeks ahead of time.
of the 16th-century Hoja Zayniddin Mosque
has a tremendous aivan and some of the
best original mosaic and ghanch-work Uzbekistan ACBcuetnktihvraiatrliaeUs( Bzbuxe koirsot)an
you’re going to see anywhere.

2 Activities Mubinjon’s Bukhara House B&B $
(%224 20 05; Eshoni Pir; dm US$8) Bukhara’s
oBozori Kord pioneer B&B is housed in a home dating
BATHHOUSE from 1766. Traditional kurpacha are spread

(Hakikat ko’chasi; admission 60,000S; h6am-mid- on the floor of the four rooms here and the
night Wed-Mon, noon-midnight Tue) Bozori Kord
is an age-old Bukharan bathhouse where lit- bathrooms are basic (with no hot water) but
sanitary. The legendary Mubinjon – a true
tle has changed for centuries. It’s now solidly Bukharan eccentric – doesn’t speak much
oriented to tourists (hence the hefty entry
fee), but otherwise totally authentic and a English but makes himself understood.
Check out the wonderful light blue antique
fantastic experience. You’ll be put through Volga while you’re here – cultural experi-
an hour-long process that involves working
up a sweat in the hammam, being washed ences don’t come much better than this!
Breakfast is not included.
down, massaged and stretched and then
rubbed all over with ginger and left to sweat
it out again. The baths are open to men only Sarrafon B&B B&B $
(%+998 91 402 0641, 223 64 63; www.sarrafon-
until noon; afterwards it’s open to all. travel.uz; Sarrafon 4; dm US$15, s/d US$20/30;

Hammom Kunjak BATHHOUSE aW) Expanding from four to seven rooms
in 2013, Sarrafon has forged a reputation for
(Ibodov 4; admission 70,000S; h9am-4pm) This being great value due to its ideal location,
ancient Bukharan bathhouse, in the shadow
of the Kalon Minaret, is for women only. It’s friendly host family and quality breakfasts.
It may be rather low on traditional charms,
traditionally where women bring their new- but it has some nice touches such as local
born babies at 40 days of age for a first ritual
wash, and is also available for private group carpets on the floors and walls, and you
won’t get a much better deal than this just
rental after-hours. off Lyabi-Hauz.

T Tours Rustam & Zuxro B&B $
(%+998 90 511 0550, +998 65 224 3080; hotelr@
Most hotels and B&Bs can arrange guides. mail.ru; Bakhowuddin Nakshabandi 116; dm/s/d
We also recommend the following, all of US$10/25/35; aW) A good budget option
whom speak English. just a stone’s throw from Lyabi-Hauz, the
Gulya Khamidova (%+998 907 185 889) large carpeted rooms have flat screen TVs,
fridges and decent bathrooms. A recent ex-
Noila Kazidzanova (%+998 907 182 012, pansion has brought eight new rooms and
228 20 12; [email protected]) there are more on the way.

Zinnat Ashurova (%190 71 27)

z Festivals Madina & Ilyos B&B $
(%+998 905 125 820, 224 61 62; madina-ilyos.
The four-day Silk & Spices Festival in May blogspot.de; Mehtar Ambar 18; r without bathroom
or June is a celebration of local folk art as US$8-10, d with bathroom per person US$15-20)
well as silk and spices, with lots of music This perennial backpacker fave is famous
and dancing in the streets. Contact East for being great value and for being hard to
Line Tour (p199) or one of the B&Bs to es- find. Walk past No 18, hang a left and look
tablish when the festival is on.

196 character and history. It was a gift for Emir
for a blue wooden door, also marked No 18. Ahad Khan, and both the grand aivan and
Madina now has an annexe with 10 rooms at huge vine-strewn and ethnography-filled
Mehtar Ambar 15. Call for free pick up from courtyard festooned with fruit trees are
the airport, bus or train station. emir-worthy. The rooms, of various sizes,
have all been recently renovated and feel a
oAmulet HISTORIC HOTEL $$ bit too modern to be truly traditional – the
(%224 53 42; www.amulet-hotel.com; Bakhowud- rooms at the front of the house are the most
din Nakshabandi 73; s/d/tr US$50/70/90; aW) authentic.
Housed inside the converted 1861 Said
Kamol Medressa, this charming 8-room
place has all the comforts you need with- oLyabi House Hotel
out sacrificing an inch of its traditional B&B $$
(%224 24 84; www.lyabihouse.com; Husainov 7;
flavour. Out back is a fabulous, decaying 18th- s/d/tr US$50/70/90; aW) No place in town
Uzbekistan SBClueenkethpraiarnlag U( Bzbuxe koirsot)an century mosque that the hotel plans to con- better combines authentic old-Bukhara de-
vert into a restaurant, while the traditional sign with modern amenities. Highlights are
sandal (sitting area), complete with heated the eclectic range of rooms and the digni-
floor, makes for a cosy place to relax in the fied and vast aivan with carved wooden
winter months. Book way ahead if you plan columns, where breakfast is served – worth
to stay here. stopping by to see even if you’re not staying
here. Request a room away from the noisy
oAmelia Boutique Hotel BOUTIQUE HOTEL $$ reception area.

(%224 12 63; www.hotelamelia.com; Bozor Hoja Salom Inn B&B $$
1; s/d from US$50/65; aW) It’s the proactive (%224 37 33; www.salomtravel.com; Sarrafon 3;
and passionate management here that really s/d/tr US$50/75/90; aW) Housed in the
puts this boutique hotel on the map. Unlike courtyard of an old mansion in the Jewish
so many hotels, the owners seem to have re- Quarter, this charming place has lively and
ally thought long and hard about how best enthusiastic management who have created
to make people enjoy their stay. Housed in smart rooms stuffed full of handicrafts that
the former house of a Jewish merchant, the boast traditionally carved wooden ceilings
hotel’s ten individually named rooms are all and handmade local sheets. The vine-clad
very different, including a mud-walled suite courtyard is also a great place to relax. High-
and a recreation of the famous Sogdian ly recommended.
fresco from the Afrosiab Museum in Samar-
kand. Bathrooms are modern and in great Mehtar Ambar HISTORIC HOTEL $$
condition, with free goodies, while the stun- (%+998 65 750 77 99, 224 41 68; mekhtarambar@
ning 18th-century breakfast room is reason inbox.ru; Bakhowuddin Nakshabandi 91; s/d/tr
enough to stay here alone. US$43/53/65; aW) Mehtar Ambar is more

oKomil Hotel BOUTIQUE HOTEL $$ austere in all senses than the next door
Amulet; it’s a more authentic medressa ex-
(%223 87 80; www.komiltravel.com; Barakyon 40; perience, but it’s also rather less friendly.
s/d/tr/ste from US$45/60/75/80; aiW) This
friendly 18-room hotel has stunning ghanch- The 2nd-floor rooms are brighter than the
ground-floor rooms, while the breakfast
work and a young, laid-back proprietor who room is a ghanch-laden gem.
speaks fluent English. The rooms are gor-
geous, and the 19th-century dining room is
a pure pleasure to breakfast in. Even some Emir B&B BOUTIQUE HOTEL $$
(%224 49 65; www.emirtravel.com; Husainov 17;
of the recently built rooms are decorated in s/d/tr US$35/50/65; ai) This place consists
a very traditional style, while the interiors
of the older ones are all original. This is also of two old Jewish Quarter houses set around
twin courtyards and run by the friendly and
a great place to eat (real coffee is even on knowledgeable Milla. One has traditional-
offer!) and a popular choice for vegetarians,
for whom Komil is a lifeline. style rooms filled with antiques, ghanch and
trinket-laden niches, the other is all new
and shiny – both have comfy beds and good
oHovli Poyon B&B B&B $$ bathrooms.
(%224 18 65; [email protected]; Hoja Gulrez
13; s/d US$45/60; aW) Few Bukhara B&Bs
are more memorable than this one, set in Sasha & Son B&B B&B $$
(%224 49 66; www.sashasonhotels.com; Eshoni Pir
a 19th-century house dripping with both 3; s/d US$60/68; aW) Behind a beautifully

5 Eating 197

carved wooden front door is a maze connect- You don’t go to Bukhara for the food, that’s
ing several small buildings with new rooms for sure, though things have improved in
elaborately done up in old style. All rooms recent years. Many courtyard hotels offer
have satellite TV and snazzy bathrooms with meals, and most offer these to non-guests,
fine tilework. The location is excellent, just so it’s worth enquiring if you’d like to avoid
moments from Lyabi-Hauz. the tourist-heavy fare around Lyabi-Hauz.

Malikjon B&B House B&B $$ For self-caterers there are farmers mar-
(%224 50 50; [email protected]; Sarrafon 9; kets, including Kolkhoz Bazaar and the
s/d/tr US$30/40/50; aW) This pleasant 11 morning-only Kukluk Bazaar, buried deep in
room courtyard hotel may not be the most the Jewish Quarter.
atmospheric of the lot, but it has simple,
clean rooms with attractively painted
ceilings and a terrace under traditional oMinzifa INTERNATIONAL $$ Uzbekistan BCEauetnkithnragarla U( Bzbuxe koirsot)an
(%224 61 75; Bakhowuddin Nakshabandi; mains
beams. 9000-20,000S; h11am-11pm; vE) Still

Nasriddin Navruz B&B $$ Bukhara’s most charming restaurant is this
perennially popular place with a fantastic
(%224 34 57; www.nasriddinhotel.com; Babahanov roof terrace on which to dine al fresco in
37; s/d US$25/40; a) This friendly, family-run
place is not a particularly traditional option the summer months. There’s also a cosy
and traditional dining room where live
despite being found in the middle of the old piano music can often be heard. The menu
town. The rooms surround a small yard, and
it’s a comfortable option for those on a tight takes in Uzbek classics and also a range of
European dishes and is good for vegetar-
budget. ians. The service is friendly and profes-

Minzifa BOUTIQUE HOTEL $$$ sional; reserve at least a day or two ahead
(%224 56 28; www.minzifa.com; Eshoni Pir 63; s/d during high season.
US$70/85; aW) The ubiquitous local style is
faithfully on display at this superb courtyard oSaroy INTERNATIONAL $$
(Sarrafon; mains 8000-15,000S; h 12.30-
hotel, although the decor is toned down 11.30pm; vE) A very welcome new addi-
by softer than usual colour schemes. It has
some of the friendliest service in town, ultra- tion to the eating scene, this restaurant
fronting Lyabi-Hauz is housed in a beauti-
comfy oversized twin beds and 12 uniquely fully appointed two-storey building with
decorated rooms with bamboo roofs and
dripping with ghanch. Bathrooms are large both traditional and modern touches.
The large menu has plenty of vegetarian
(with tubs) and other comforts include TVs choices among its tasty mains and the
and fridges.
well-trained, English-speaking staff are
helpful and friendly. We can heartily rec-
Hotel Sultan HOTEL $$$
(%224 2435; www.bukhara-sultanhotel.com; Ba-
khowuddin Nakshabandi 100; s/d US$80/108; ommend the unfortunately named Beef
Jiz (fried beef with vegetables).
aW) You’re paying for the prime location
here, directly in front of Lyabi-Hauz, and Lyabi-Hauz UZBEK $$
(Lyabi-Hauz; mains from 7000-20,000S; h9am-
this is definitely the best place in town to get 11pm) Dining al fresco around the vener-
old town location combined with modern
comforts. Rooms are modern and not par- able pool with grey-beards, local families
and (increasingly) plenty of other tourists
ticularly large, but each has a small balcony, is the quintessential Bukhara experience.
and many of them open onto a traditional
Bukharan courtyard. There are two chaikhanas here, both serv-
ing shashlyk, plov, kovurma laghman
(with meat and tomato sauce) and cold
Grand Bukhara Hotel HOTEL $$$
(%223 13 26; [email protected]; Muminov
8; s/d from US$59/106; paW) If you’ve had beer. There’s also live music most evenings,
making this a pleasant spot for an evening
enough of the local flavour and are looking drink.
for Western-style luxury, this high-rise in
the new part of town has been transformed Chashmai Mirob UZBEK $$
(Hoja Nurabad ko’chasi; mains 6000-7000S;
from dusty monstrosity into a pillar of posh- h10am-10pm, closed Nov-Mar; E) It’s known
ness, with slick white duvet covers and a
bevy of amenities. more for its fabulous view of Mir-i-Arab

198 Cafe Wishbone CAFE
than for its food, but you can still eat pass-
ably here, though you may be swamped by (Hakikat 1A; h9am-8pm) A new German-
tour groups if you’re unlucky. The menu is Uzbek coffee shop where you can get real
heavy on Russian classics and you can pre- coffee and choose from a selection of cakes,
order plov. but given its German management, the in-
terior design leaves quite a lot to be desired
Chinar UZBEK $$ and where’s the wi-fi? Still, a cappuccino on
(Bakhowuddin Nakshabandi; mains 5000-10,000S;
h8am-11pm; E) Occupying a large, newly the terrace is very welcome.

built property just a short stroll from Lyabi- 7 Shopping
Hauz, this self-styled chaikhana is actually a
full restaurant rather than just a teahouse. With many tourist sights overflowing with
Choose between the upstairs roof terrace vendors, it’s not hard to find a souvenir in
Uzbekistan DBC uernki nthkraiarnlagU(&BzbuNxei gkohirstotl)ai fne (and check out those majestic heron stat- Bukhara. They are, of course, of varying
ues) or sit downstairs in the main dining quality.

room. The food focuses on Uzbek classics, Tim Abdulla Khan CARPETS
with a few Russian and Caucasian dishes.
(Hakikat ko’chasi; h9am-6pm) For carpets, you
couldn’t ask for a better shopping atmos-
Bella Italia ITALIAN $$ phere than at the silk-weaving centre in
(Bakhowuddin Nakshabandi; mains 8000-18,000S;
h11am-11pm; vE) There is surprisingly this late-16th-century building, located near
Taki-Telpak Furushon Bazaar (a tim was a
decent Italian food at this pleasant space general market). Vendors are not pushy and
inside a shopping centre. As you’d expect,
there’s pizza and pasta and it’s a godsend for will openly inform you on what’s handmade
and what’s machine-made. You can watch
vegetarians. silk-clothing makers in action here.

Bolo Hauz Chaikhana UZBEK $$ Unesco Carpet Weaving Shop CARPETS
(Afrosiab; mains 5000-8000S; h9am-8pm) This
large chaikhana in the park opposite the Ark (Eshoni Pir 57; h9am-5pm Mon-Sat) This no
longer has anything to do with Unesco
is an ideal place for a cheap and simple meal (which helped them launch in 2001), but you
of Uzbek salads, soups, plov or beef noodles.
can still observe weavers here hand making
6 Drinking & Nightlife pricey silk carpets and suzani with unique
Bukhara designs.
For anything rowdier than puppets and cof-
fee you must head southeast of the centre Bukhara Artisan ¨
into the newer part of town, but the night-
clubs here are decidedly provincial (read: Development Centre HANDICRAFTS
mostly male). The exception is the busy
nightclub in the basement of the Hotel Asia, (Bakhowuddin Nakshabandi ko’chasi; h9am-6pm
a short walk from Lyabi-Hauz. Mon-Sat) Here you can watch artisans at
work on a variety of handicrafts including
suzani, miniature paintings, jewellery boxes
and chess sets.
oSilk Road Spices CHAIKHANA

(Halim Ibodov 5; set tea & sweets 12,000S per Shahriston Market MARKET

person; h9am-7pm) This boutique teahouse (Hoja Nurabad; h7am-6pm) The virtually
tourist-free Shahriston Market is in a large
offers a delightful diversion from all that courtyard, where locals trade jewellery, car-
sightseeing. It has six spicy varieties of tea
and coffee, served with rich local sweets pets, clothing and other handicrafts among
themselves and relative bargains can be had
such as halva and nabat (crystal sugar) in a compared to things on sale down the street
cosy, traditional atmosphere.
in the traveller-oriented covered markets.
Cafe Gallery CAFE

(Bakhowuddin Nakshabandi; h9am-11pm) This 88 Information
pioneering, family-run cafe has good coffee
available and well-intended, if rather slow INTERNET ACCESS
service. There’s a selection of sweet items Wi-fi can now be found in almost all but the
available too, and its central location makes most basic hotels, though it’s often not working
it the best place for a caffeine injection in (always check with your own phone or laptop
town. before you check in if it’s important to you), and