We are moving on later this morning but not before visiting Registan Square during the daylight and a local bazaar. “Registan” means “place of sand” and this square is the most recognizable landmark in Samarkand. It consist of three former emblematic madrasahs (Islamic school) with a large empty space in the middle (from whence came the name). Originally it was a public square and marketplace. The three major structures are: Ulugbek, Tillya-Kari and Sher-Dor (L to R as you view them). They date back to the 15-17th centuries and have been restored. They are no longer schools; they are often small museums or schools for artists. By the way, the spelling I have found for these various buildings seems to vary, depending on the citation given. I believe it is a reflection of the differences in the languages. I really do not know what is the correct spelling.
A cemetery near the Registan Square.
Even though there are no photos or inscriptions on the tombs (per Islamic custom) some are ornate.
Flower gardens near the square.
The layout of Registan Square.
The square in the quiet of early morning.Ulugbek madrasah on the left, Tillya Kari in the middle and Sher Dor on the right.
The Ulugbek madrasah built in 1417-1420. Has been restored.
Tillya Kari madrasah built in 1636-1660. Also restored. It is now used as a mosque.
Sher Dor madrasah, built in 1619-1636. Also restored.
My guess is these are Instagram people taking photos before the crowds arrive.
Note the intricate ceramic designs.
“Artsy” shot with sun behind.
Each building seems unique in its facade’s design.
Entrance to the Tillya Kari which is now a mosque.
Inside the Tillya Kari mosque.
It is pretty elaborate.
Real gold decor.
Having a bit of fun as Maddie took a picture of the dome with us photobombing.
What these buildings looked like (20th century) before their restoration to what we see today.
In the buildings in what used to be rooms for students there were shops that housed artists, small museums and vendors selling things.
Chess seems to be popular as I saw many shops selling unique chess pieces.
One of the former rooms held a music store where this musician makes and sells instruments. He played the different ones for us.
He plays several different types of instruments.
Furkat explains how the ceramic tiles are made-by hand!
The master tile guy.
I did not bother asking how much as I was sure it would be expensive!
From there we went to see the Bibi-Khanym mosque, built (1399-1405) by Timur to be the largest in the Islamic world and dedicated to the memory of his favorite wife.
A model of the area where the Bibi-Khanym mosque is.
Entry to the courtyard where the Bibi-Khanym mosque is located.
Look at the size of those doors!
The Bibi-Khanym mosque itself.
Another entry to the mosque.
The dome of the Bibi-Khanym mosque.
The inside of the Bibi-Khanym mosque.
The unrestored mosque nearby.
An artist hand painting tiles.
Hand embroidered hats. Not sure if they are for men or women.
Then we stopped at the local Slab bazaar for some free time to shop before we had lunch and then began our almost 5 hour drive to Bukhara.
Another toasty day in store!
Entry to the Slab bazaar.
It was more modern than I expected. Not as big as the one we saw earlier.
Something unique for spice collectors.
That is mounds of raw honey behind other sweets.
Pepsi is the big dog in Central Asia. Saw very little of Coca Cola.
Mid day traffic even here. Some things are the same everywhere!
Not a big distance but the roads limit speed.
Not much to see as we go to Bukhara.
Road side “restaurant” where they use these wood fired, concrete vessels to make somas.
Getting hotter as we head toward Bukhara. We cringed at the prediction for the next few days!
It was 5PM before we arrived in Bukhara. Although Bukhara is one of the oldest cities here the buildings were modern in this part of town.
I was impressed with how many multi lane roadways there are.
We had to walk down an alley to get to our small hotel, the Alexia. We were a bit concerned about what it would be like.
But were we impressed once we got inside. The 17 room hotel was previously a private home of a rich person that had been converted to this great little hotel.
My room was huge!
Large bathroom with rain shower, tube and big sink area. Bathrobe and slippers included!
Our Italian restaurant. We were excited to get something different. Note the posh decor and seating again.
Pizza as an appetizer.
Disappointment at the Bolognese main.
We will be exploring this area for the next several days but the high temperatures are a bit of a concern. By the way they are expected to be 20 degrees over the average for this time of the year. Another effect of global warming? We have talked about starting earlier in the day to avoid the heat and resting in the afternoon. That sounded good to all of us.
