When all the conversations suddenly seemed to lead towards Uzbekistan, I felt it was time to take the road – or rather the train – to get there. What I discovered was a country with interesting traditions and a lasting legacy.
My tour with Great Rail Journeys took me through four cities on the ancient Silk Road. I started my trip in Khiva, arriving on a cold, sunny November day. My nose was glued to the window as we drove through the diverse landscapes of dual land access Uzbekistan, en route from Urgench Airport to Khiva. From acre after acre of immense orchards to arid semi-desert landscapes. As we passed through the gate of Ichan Qala, the medieval citadel in the heart of Khiva, I got my first glimpse of its majestic buildings which I couldn’t wait to explore. But first it was breakfast and my first experience of the great room of an old madrasa, the restaurant of my hotel the Orient Star.
Then we had to check in to our hotel. The Orient Star is housed in the 19th-century Mukhamed Aminkhan Madrasah, just inside the walls of Ichan Qala. This building was once the largest madrasah in the city. A madrassah is an educational building and it accommodated up to 250 students. The student rooms have now been transformed into 60 small rooms with private bathrooms. These rooms surround a large courtyard. I could imagine the students gathering there to study. As the original architecture has been preserved, it was an interesting experience. Once my bags were dropped off in my room, I was free to wander around and soon found myself among the city’s majestic buildings, admiring the elaborate facades covered in stunning ceramic tiles.
Ceramic tiles and hats in Khiva, Uzbekistan Tile making is a tradition that dates back thousands of years and the most enduring examples are found in Uzbekistan. Notably Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand in Uzbekistan. In each of these cities, the minarets, domes and facades of their world-famous religious buildings are inlaid with vibrant blue and green ceramics. Innovative designs were created by skilled ceramicists captured in Persia and brought here between the 10th and 12th centuries. Competition thrived and the icing recipes, rarely written down, remained secret until UNESCO-funded experts restoring religious buildings in the early 21st century managed to unravel some of the mysteries. Today, Uzbekistan has seven UNESCO sites and protects many of its cultural heritages.
On my first walk through Khiva, I was quick to find a large display of hats – skullcaps, fur hats, hats with earflaps – a huge selection. And I couldn’t resist the temptation to try one on, a cute furry blue hat that increased my petite waist by about six inches. I thought these hats were for tourists, but as I looked around I realized there must be a tradition of hats, as locals wore different versions than the ones for sale. The national headdress of Uzbekistan is the skullcap known as doppa or tubeteika. It is worn by men, women and children, but not by older women – they seem to prefer the headscarf. When worn for special occasions, they are usually black with white embroidery, but simpler versions are used in everyday life. They can be square or conical and each region has its own version. Nowadays, they are not often seen in big cities but are worn for special occasions. For extra warmth, Uzbeks also prefer Chugurma, usually made of sheepskin or wool, but there are cheeky furry versions, as I discovered and felt compelled to try one.
Embroidery and puppetry in Bukhara, Uzbekistan A visit to an embroidery workshop was on the program during our stay in Bukhara. It was fascinating to watch the girls work, transforming cushion covers and other objects into works of art. Since time immemorial, Kashtachi craftswomen have won hearts with artistic embroidery. An important element of Uzbek culture, it reflects the way of life here and the love of all that lives. Traditionally colored silk threads were used to sew elaborate designs onto cotton to make items for a girl’s dowry or for the interior of the home. More recently, it has become prominent in fashion and design. At the end of the 18th century, schools of artistic embroidery began to appear, and by the beginning of the 19th century they were established in six cities, including Bukhara. Today, this exquisite art remains part of the country’s culture. It was hard to resist the temptation to buy my souvenir from Uzbekistan here – after all, I needed new cushion covers, right? I found some beautiful complementary patterns on gray cotton. After some polite negotiation, the deal was done. The saleswoman, very convincingly, pointed out to me several times that the thread was polyester and not silk, but since I had set my sights on these particular colors, I was not going to change my mind.
A silk embroidery workshop in Bukhara, Uzbekistan
A puppet-making workshop was also on the Bukhara program. It was a fascinating experience to watch him fashion oil-painted papier-mâché heads on a stick. He then dressed them in beautiful hand-sewn traditional costumes. When he gave us a short demonstration, the puppet really came to life. Puppet shows are also a long-standing tradition in Uzbekistan, dating back to the first century AD, when they were very popular. They were banned when Islam conquered the region, but reinstated in the 9th century when Bukhara was designated the region’s capital. During the Soviet period, puppet theaters were subsidized. At the beginning of the 20th century, all the puppeteers of Bukhara lived in the same neighborhood and their know-how and their improvised stories were passed down from father to son. When funding ended, puppet shows almost disappeared, not necessarily because of a lack of support, but perhaps because they could be very subversive. Since then, the art has seen a resurgence in popularity and Uzbekistan has ten public theaters. In Bukhara, there are some performances in English.
Water crafts and bread making in Samarkand, Uzbekistan Just outside the city of Samarkand, on the Silk Road, there is a new tourism project, the Konigil Tourist Village. This recreated village reproduces the life of a typical Uzbek village. Located at the back of the old Siab canal, various installations demonstrate how hydraulic energy was fundamental in the creation of certain traditional products. We started our visit with a ceramics workshop. A water wheel on the canal was used here, powering a rotating drum which worked the clay. I left the group to think about some possible purchases and continued along the canalside path. I stopped at a workshop where four wooden trees were pulping the bark of the mulberry tree. I discovered this by talking to the people who worked there. They followed the process, a medieval method for making traditional Samarkand tissue paper. The process begins by removing the bark from the branches, cleaning it, soaking it and then crushing it to make the paper sheets. This paper is then used to make original gifts and souvenirs. I could have tried it myself, but I decided to leave and explore other parts of the village. Other facilities I visited on a very pleasant walk along the canal included a working flour mill.
Our lunch break that day was with a family living in the countryside outside the city of Samarkand. This was my second opportunity to taste homemade bread fresh from the tandoor it is baked in and I was already relishing the idea. The first was in a yurt while visiting one of the dilapidated forts that once protected caravans as they progressed along the Silk Road. Bread holds a special place in Uzbek culture with dozens of varieties and each province having its own flavors and designs. Some are round, some flower-shaped, and others have designs stamped in the center that may include the baker’s phone number. A staple food in Uzbekistan, it is eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Always torn by hand and shared with other people. The most popular variety is tandoor-baked flatbread. During our lunch with an Uzbek family, we watched our hosts prepare the dough from simple ingredients, flour, yeast, salt and water. Flat circles of dough were then placed on the inside wall of the tandoor and left to cook. It was served with plov, which can be described as a meat stew. This popular dish comes in many varieties but usually includes fresh mutton or beef, yellow or red carrots, onions and vegetable oil and is served with rice. Traditionally, Uzbek plov is prepared in a deep cast iron pot (kazan), which is evenly heated and the dish is not burned. Tandoor bread and plov are protected by UNESCO.
My trip to Uzbekistan exceeded all my expectations. The creativity and artistry of the traditional crafts was fascinating and memorable, especially this wonderful bread. The taste persists.
Valery Collins Valery Collins is a travel writer from the South West of England, United Kingdom. His passion for travel ranges from luxury safaris to stylish ski goggles. Valéry, a passionate photographer, uses her own images to illustrate her writings and her publications on social networks.
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