uzbekistan, part II
element’s Nicholas Waller travels to Bukhara, holiest city of Central Asia and chess piece of “The Great Game,” in the second installment of his account of Uzbekistan.
TEXT NICHOLAS WALLER feedback
Traveling further southwest from Samarkand, towards the borders of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan brings one to the beautiful historical and religious architecture of Bukhara, one of the finest preserved medieval city’s in Central Asia. Once the capital of a powerful independent city-state, Bukhara’s decadent Khans and Emirs became central players in the 19th century power struggle between the expanding Russian and British Empires known as “The Great Game.” Holding sway over one of the most prized regions between the two warring empires, the Bukharan emirs held a key role Central Asia’s fortune. Central Asia’s holiest city, Bukhara is famed for its impressive collection of mosques, minarets, hammams and madrassas, each named for a different day of prayer. Known for beautiful blue-tiled mosaics, they are a barrage of turquoise geometrical designs and kufic calligraphy. Interspersed by deep, pond-like cisterns, they are now gathering points for white bearded old men known as aksakals. The city is dominated by the massive walls of the Emir’s imposing citadel. From this vantage point, one can look down at a city which has been so sought after by everyone from the Mongols to the British Empire. The city is characterized by small, roadside canals and deep cisterns known as hauz. For centuries, each muhalla (region) of Bukhara maintained its own water source. Set amidst the warren of mosques and market arcades, these small pools of water act as shelter from the intense Uzbek sun. The city’s finest example of the lot is the Lyab-i-Hauz. It is the centerpiece of a vast architectural ensemble which includes two madrassas and a caravansarai. Adorned by a statue to Khodja Nasreddin, whose comedic anecdotal stories are beloved by the Muslim world, the complex is a peaceful destination for neighborhood residents. Resting on one of the numerous takhtas drinking tea, one can while hours watching children jump from rooftops into the water or the push cart salesmen who sell everything from freshly baked samsa to intricately designed silver kettles. Visible throughout the city is its unofficial symbol, the Kalyan minaret. Part of the stunning Po-i-Kalyan mosque complex, it is the second tallest of its kind in Central Asia. Due to its astonishing design, Genghis Khan refused to have it destroyed. One cannot travel in Central Asia without devoting a significant amount of time to its thriving markets. Despite the artistic beauty of its many historical cities, Uzbekistan’s bazaars are one of the jewels of its collection. They are a veritable kaleidoscope of sounds, smells and colors. Starring a Technicolor mass of thousands, where everyone is called your brother, the teaming markets are the nation’s heart and soul. Here you can see the millennia-old bounties of the Silk Road and cross-cultural pollination. Fruit, vegetables, spices and carpets greet the needy shopper. Women in brilliantly colored dresses and headscarves rub shoulders with men in intricately woven robes. Central to Uzbek identity is their reverence for the treasures of their well-endowed land. A veritable cornucopia of national cuisine is eagerly shared with the visitor. Amounting to no-less-than a “Garden of Eden” of fruits and vegetables, Uzbeks are immensely proud of the traditions that they have cultivated around the sharing of green tea. Tantalizingly sweet aromas of Uzbkeistan’s famed melons fill the air from the mountains of varieties on display. Stories abound of eager Uzbek princes offering the newly arrived Alexander of Macedonia the nation’s legendary national dish, plov. Traditionally only prepared by men, only the finest vegetables, rice and meat are to be used. To this day, plov reserves a revered place in the canon of Uzbek cooking. Far more than a national dish, it has taken on the mantle of Uzbekistan’s cultural ambassador, as well as the center piece of any wedding or family gathering. It is with as much seriousness that Uzbeks approach its preparation. Throughout Uzbekistan’s countless chaihanas, one can find chefs slaving over a huge kazan, filled with the glistening yellow sight of rice, carrots and lamb. Not to be relegated to a one-dimensional kitchen, Uzbeks are blessed with a wide variety of highly spiced dishes, whose freshness is paramount. Dishes such as palm-sized manty, or the richly flavored lamb and vegetable stew dumlama, or the refreshingly spiced soups lagman and shurpa comprise a national cuisine that offers something for all palettes. Street foods such as shashlyk and samsa, share the same table space with exquisitely fresh baked lepyoshka. Few things are more enjoyable than sitting on the platform-like takhta, under the shady leaves of the ubiquitous poplar trees, and enjoying any one of the aforementioned dishes with a cup of green tea. Having visited Uzbekistan, one will be inspired by the journeys and people they will meet along the way. Nestled into the fabric of this intensely beautiful land is a vivid and warm population who are eager to share their traditions and hospitality with a traveling visitor. |
