….. in a distance land on our small Planet Earth

28  OCTOBER  2018 –  Return to our native land…. following six weeks in Uzbekistan

My work station in our Sitting Room in Tashkent…..

• Watching the deciduous trees outside turn toward Fall colors during our six week life in Uzbekistan;
• Enjoying conversations with visits from Laziz and his international office team;
• Discovering how to live within much less space, fully and efficiently;
• Treasuring the openness + goodwill + civility of a people emerging into the global world of Planet Earth.

Our cozy comfortable guest rooms became home to us quickly.  Routines centered on Ray teaching and Susan exploring, venturing out into the city.  Following a week’s travels along the Silk Road with my brother and his wife – upon our return to Tashkent and to our guest house apartment – we felt completely back home.  We had much less space to keep orderly and much more time for talking, thinking, sharing with each other and with our colleagues.  I am deeply grateful for this unexpected treasured time.  I hope that the lessons of kindness and compassion will become more available to our species and the other life-forms with which we share this small beautiful planet ….. as we navigate this challenging century of change.

”The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious.”   – Albert Einstein

Until some future moment in time & space, this posting ends my maiden experience in blogging.  My thanks to each of you who have joined this unfolding process…..

In friendship to the generous peoples of Uzbekistan – I am ever so grateful;

In a very special thanks to our good friends over many years, Ravshan Azimov and Laziz & Khilola Tuychiev ….. and their wonderful families.    We will meet again!

In hopes that we human beings – all one species linked together from early beginnings on the continent of Africa – may rise to our full generous innovative compassiate potential in this wondrous mysterious Cosmos.

Respectfully, with thanks and with love – Susan Stokes Hill

 

DAILY LIFE….. Unexpected Moments

26  October  2018 –  the truly unexpected moments that hold onto me

I am nearing completion of my blog entries but a few last reflections on the people of Uzbekistan ….. who have left an imprint on me, forever.  Ancient cultural traditions of Uzbekistan- respecting family & their elders, considerate behavior to others -continues to be present in their everyday world.  We were definitely beneficiaries of these cultural norms in daily life, and I was grateful for this sense of safety in an unfamiliar place.

Random Encounters with Uzbek citizens, Names Unknown (no photos) –

Regardless of where we were –  waiting at a bus stop,  sitting on the Metro, walking a neighborhood looking for a specific designation – any place we might be talking softly in English, trying to just blend into the local scene and get to know our city better…… Uzbek citizens would offer assistance, would inquire about where we were from, would share their own stories. Open – Trusting – Helpful.  Below are only a few examples of their kindness:

University Student – As Ray and I waited for a local bus, a student asked Ray a question in Uzbek.  When Ray responded in English, this student lit up with delight.   Turns out that he is a language major at a nearby university and speaks quite good English…. along with Mandarin, Russian, Uzbek.  He radiated enjoyment of discovering we were Americans, asking how we came to Tashkent and wanting to talk with us until that next bus arrived, asking every kind of question!

Middle-aged man whose two sons live in Sacramento, California –   We had been walking around the perimeter of the historic Chorsu Bazaar for what seemed like hours, looking for the National Artisan Center, and puzzling over the inconsistencies of the guidebook map versus Google Maps.  An older Uzbek man came toward us along the sidewalk, in quite a hurry, until he heard our English conversation and stopped immediately and turned.  He was so excited.   Where were we from??  He and his two adult sons also live in America – Sacramento, California.  He was back in Tashkent visting family but looking forward to returning to America soon.  I was relieved to hear of his positive experiences & stories of the USA… such enthusiasm!

University Professor near the large Technical University –  We had just returned from our first venture on the Metro into the city’s urban core, and were walking out of the underground entrance to find the Bus Stop.  As we paused at the top of the entrance, a professorial gentleman asked politely if he could be of any assistance. Then inquired about what brought us to Tashkent.  Do we Americans offer such willing assistance?  I hope.

Elderly Woman sitting next to me on the Metro – She leaned in against me and began talking to me as if it was assumed that I would understand.  When my body language indicated that I could not understand, she asked if I was Italian!  When I said American, she smiled broadly and began to talk again… Russian?  Uzbek?  Once we had established that I was limited to English, we shared a smile and she laughed, happily… never indicating that I made her uncomfortable or that my being there was not okay.  Are we Americans as friendly and open during busy weekday transportation?  I hope.

Winding Streets of Bukhara, along the Silk Road (below) – 

To get to any of the public areas of the UNESCO Old Town, we had winding ancient residential streets to walk through and enjoy.  One day, this young girl said ‘Hello’ with much delight and gave me a high five.   So I looked for her when we were walking this same street another day.   She again said ‘Hello’ with sparkling eyes.  I asked her (and her mother) if I could take her photo, and was given non-verbal permission, a head nod.   You can see how she composed herself into quite the adorable pose.   She lives in a town where increasingly foreign visitors are changing the economic and cultural dynamics in this early 21st century.   To me, she represents the future – and I feel good about that.  My thanks to her!

Dom Bakery staff (below) – 

I have previously shared photos from our numerous visits to this neighborhood bakery.  Numerous staff were helpful with language and selections, and I thank them.  But one young woman connected particuarly with me.  We visited the bakery one day before departure, as I wanted her to know why we would not reappear, to say good-bye.  I shared with her the blog postings specific to the bakery….. she seemed surprised and pleased. I gave her the blog address, to view other postings. She gave me her phone #, and asked that I keep in touch.  Regardless – I will carry her kindness with me.

WEDDING Invitation (below) –

Tradition has it that the bride gives out a boxed gift to esteemed invited guests to her wedding.  Family and close Friends already know about it but a visiting Professor might not.  This box is as lovely as the photos suggest… and it will return to the USA with us as another reminder of an Uzbek tradition of which Dr. Ray was a recipient.

Roads into the mountains of an ancient history (below) – 

We were zipping along at normal brisk Uzbek speed when around a corner, we turned into another century.   The Shepherd worked hard to gather his sheep into a faster moving organized unit but to not much avail.   So we watched as a centuries-old tradition of a noisy rumbunctious large mass of sheep flowed down the hillside – in the middle of the road – proceeding at its own pace, to clear the road and allow vehicles to move freely on to their destinations.  I loved it!

Only when we stand still – intentionally or involuntarily or unexpectedly – do we have time to absorb the present moment and to take it all in.   My thanks to these sheep for giving me such a much-enjoyed, unexpected moment in the mountains of Uzbekistan, east of Tashkent.

 

ONE LAST POSTING –  still to be published.

DAILY LIFE….. Conversations & Inquiry

26  OCTOBER  2018 –  Friends & Colleagues ……newly formed & long-held

Most of the deeply absorbed dynamics of our life in Uzbekistan have been exchanges and conversations with Colleagues in Public Health or at the Medical Academy or in Architecture…. some recent acquaintances,  some long-held friendships.   Below is a sampling of these wonderful groups of people who have so enriched our lives and our thinking.  I am hopeful that we are able to continue these ties across the distances of time & space.

TASHKENT MEDICAL ACADEMY – SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH (below)

The impetus for our journey to Tashkent was an invitation from the current rector, Laziz Tuychiev, to Ray inviting him to continue his Public Health classes & seminars started 15 years ago during his doctoral research.   These faculty shown below are both colleagues and classroom participants in Ray’s teaching over these six weeks.

TASHKENT MEDICAL ACADEMY – ENGLISH CLUB (below)

On Wednesday and Friday mornings at 7:30am for one hour, Ray and I joined any interested students & faculty for conversations in English.  The size of the group varied on each day but a determined core arrived for each session.  The intention was not grammar but a relaxed friendly opportunity to share conversations in English and expand their vocabulary.  Ray and I were both very aware that other commitments – young children & family – made attendance an hour prior to the normal work/school day, a real scheduling challenge for each of them.  Ray and I learned much from them about individual lives and life generally in Uzbekistan. We are deeply grateful for their openness both to share and to question.  Our thanks to each of them – for their determination and for their kindness.  Their future is bright.

TASHKENT MEDICAL ACADEMY – INTERNATIONAL OFFICE (below)

This office seems to have one very committed full-time director and 2-3 part-time staff.  These young people stay BUSY with projects and appointments and visiting lecturers.  On Saturday October 20, Ray and I enjoyed a chauffeured drive into the mountains East of Tashkent.  Our two young medical student guides provided commentary about the region, offered a wonderful regional Uzbek meal in a local restaurant below the large reservoir of water from the mountains and took us to a local bazaar…all of this in one afternoon.  My thanks to them for these experiences!

TASHKENT ARCHITECTURE & CIVIL ENGINEERING INSTITUTE (below)

With an electronic introduction through the US Embassy and the International Office of this Institute, an appointment was set for me to meet with the Dean and discuss how I might share ideas & experiences from recent projects in Lexington KY with students and faculty at his Institute.  The Dean invited me to make several presentations on Monday – to Historic Preservation class and to Architecture & Design class.    Then I would participate in follow-up sessions with each group to review their current semester projects with observations and to answer questions.

For the Historic Preservation class – I shared The Lyric Theatre & Performing Arts project which has received design awards plus LEED Gold certification (Energy & Environment Design).    For the Architecture & Design class – I shared two public school projects that integrated Academic Program + Environment.  The students and the faculty of both groups were engaging, inquiring with very specific questions.  Strong interest was expressed with continuing a collaboration with the University of Kentucky College of Design, and specific areas of possible focus were discussed.  I will take these ideas to the Dean of UK’s College of Design for potential next steps.  My thanks to the students & faculty at the Architecture Institute for their positive interactions with the challenge of translation always present in these conversations.

 

 

ARCHITECTURE… in Tashkent

26  OCTOBER  2018 – Major 20th Century Buildings in Tashkent’s Urban Downtown Districts

Our time in Uzbekistan is getting much too short…… and I have images yet to share. And I know that life will flow forward when we arrive in Lexington, KY this weekend.  Thus my strategy is to provide a few remaining glimpses into aspects of our life & experiences in Tashkent that hold some observations I want to share.  Any repetition is due to new insights, not necessarily verbalized in these postings but perhaps observed by others following this unfolding process.

Soviet-era Building previously proposed to become Hotel (below) – Currently stands empty for which I do not know why.  And I do not know what its original use was.  The street-level forms (not visible in these images unfortuantely) provide a potentially engaging pedestrian scale entrance.

Hotel Uzbekistan (left) & Palace of International Forums (right below) – 

Defining Edge of Reflecting Pools along Independence Square (below) – 

Alisher Navoi Opera& Ballet Building (below) – The national opera theatre of Tashkent, this building was built 1942-47, opening in 1947 to celebrate the 500th anniversary of Alisher Navoi.  During the years 1945-47, Japanese preisoners of war completed the construction under forced labor.

Alisher Navoi Park & Memorial looking toward the Palace of Arts Concert Hall (below) – Another stunning Soviet-era 20th Century Modern building opened around 1980 and recently renovated.  Lattice-like facade regulates light into the building.  Made of concrete, these forms follow a rigid geometric pattern of isosceles triangles.

Layers of Texture on the facades of Soviet-era Buildings (below) – These lattice patterns created sun-shading for the building occupants though it is difficult to determine if the depth of the Right Building facade is adequate to accomplish this.

Parks & Public Space (below) – In the Left image are the book stalls, filled with old and new books of every description imaginable located in a public park that is experiencing major renovations & upgrades now.   In the Right image is a very large metal sculpture in the walking zine between the Amir Timur Park and Independence Square.

Museum of History (below) – Constructed in 1970 by the Soviets following the earthquake of 1966, this museum building is one of the leading monuments of Tashkent architecture of the 2nd half of the 20th Cengtury.  Its basic form is a cube which is the symbol of eternity of Eastern architecture.  The building’s facade is an array of geometric sun-shading screens faced with whitish pink marble.

My Apologies –  Entirely too few buildings shown above for such a vibrant architecturallyrich city…. but time runs out while I try to at least introduce a few examples.    I do find some of the Mid-20th Century Soviet Buildings to be fascinating and worthy architecture.

DAILY LIFE….. Rapid Change in Uzbekistan

26 OCTOBER  2018 – Everywhere, in neighborhoods and the urban downtown and the near Business districts,  the change is visible confirmation that the fabric of Tashkent is undergoing upheaval and dynamic growth.  Economic investment both by the Uzbek government and foreign investors is creating rapid development.  The word ‘gentrification’ resonated with the architecture institute faculty & students when I asked about it…. though we had no time to pursue a conversation about these issues  – which many cities around our planet Earth are facing, either with intentional conversation & policy,  or without.

Mud-Wall buildings in the Old Town (below) –  Efforts are underway to protect these older historic buildings and neighborhoods, not just as museums but as communities with local families occupying them.  These land pressures will increase as the city fills in and needs more space to develop, creating a challenging dynamic.

Construction continuing from early to late, daily (below) – I understand that construction workers make a good living.  These are currently not an immigrant workforce but local Uzbek workers.  Will the pace of development outpace the capacity of the local+regional workforce?

Chorsu Bazaar (below) – A reminder that ancient bazaars and modern supermarkets can and do exist together in this expanding complex city.

Layers of Old and New (below) – Will these small scale old residential neighborhoods continue to exist when I next return to Tashkent?

Concrete Pumps and Construction Cranes visible in numerous districts of Tashkent (below) – As dense car traffic rushes along, the pace of new construction with related demolition flows with its own swift pace.

 

DAILY LIFE….. Local Food

25  OCTOBER  2018 –  A Sampling of Local Foods during our Uzbek Life

Our large meal tended to be midday or early afternoon, often with a friend & colleague – Ravshan Azimov, whom Ray has known since his research work in Public Health during his doctoral studies in 2003-2005.  Ravshan is an MD & PhD who teaches these days.

SAYYOR (photos below) is the cafeteria-type restaurant that we often frequented. Their food appeared fresh and local with enough variety to meet our varying food preferences. Nearby university students and various workers would fill up the food lines if we were after 1300pm, which occurred primarily due to some errand that Ray or myself needed assistance with prior to mealtime.  Ravshan offered a range of restaurant styles in the initial several weeks, though we quickly had a preference for Uzbek or Turkish cooking styles.   Our evening meals have tended toward quiet evenings in our guesthouse, discussing our day’s experiences and activities, then organizing for the next several days ahead.  An evening of reading + BBC news + Blog postings put us right to sleep.

URBAN CENTER (photos below) – Given that I do not eat beef or lamb, I am finding the delicious world of fresh salads and chicken.  Tomatoes + Cucumbers + Fresh Greens and Herbs + thinly-sliced Onions…. all together with a light vinaigrette are just yummy.   The chicken of choice tends toward a feshlhy grilled Kebab / Kabob / Kibob with a tomato sauce, mild or spicy.  Ray favors beef & potatoes with side salad.

Views of our in-house offerings (photos below) – Fruits are plenty these days including watermelons and honeydew-type melon.  Local breads are generally Non, a white white, yeasty circle with sesame seeds on top which we pair with local cheeses and nuts. The Pomegranate was delicious!

Mountain Market along side of road in small town just below the Reservior (photos below) – We came to this market following a very filling meal, so we did not buy much but this fresh onion bread did tempt me.  The fruits are Hawthorn berries (small, round, dark red) + Persimmons (small, round, bright orange) + Rosehip berries (small, oblong, bright red) + local almonds still in shells.  I sample tasted everything and the flavors were clear and “fragrant”…. though the seed relatively large compared to the fruit itself.   These fruits are all repudited, ancient & modern, to have various natural health benefits – I have seen persimmons in KY but not hawthorn or rosehip berries.  Perhaps someone can update me.

ORGANIC vs NON-ORGANIC – Based on conversations with Mac Stone, Elmwood Stock Farm in Central Kentucky prior to leaving in September, I have inquired about food policies in Uzbekistan’s specifically related to organic farming.  Initially I was told that chemicals were too expensive for farmers to use routinely so all food is organic but this practice of chemical use is increasing due to insect control and lower pesticide prices, maybe from Russia.  Anyway, we did observe during our drive into the mountains east of Tashkent where a farmer was driving his tractor while spraying his apple orchards. The student accompanying us on this trip did not connect insect control with chemicals to be in conflict with organic farming.  Thus the term ‘Organic’ appears to be needing some clear definition as farming practices begin to change in Uzbekistan.

DAILY LIFE….. Tashkent Metro Stations

25  OCTOBER  2018 – TASHKENT  UNDERGROUND  METRO SYSTEM

As described in my previous, just-published blog – I have some images to share which show only a small sampling of the appropriately twenty-eight current unique stations.  Please refer to my additional notes and history of these amazing Metro Stations in previous blog.   Enjoy these photographs –

BERUNIY  STATION below …………………. Last Station on Blue Line – then the Bus

 

CHORSU  STATION below ……………………. Chorsu Bazaar

 

G’AFUR G’ULOM  STATION below ……………………….

 

KOSMONAVTLAR  STATION …………………… 

 

MING O’RIK  STATION below …………………. Transfer Station

 

OYBEK  STATION below  …………… Transfer Station with the above Station

DAILY LIFE….. Tashkent Transportation & Buses

25  OCTOBER  2018 – Public Transportation 

When my husband made numerous visits to Tashkent during the years 2003-2004, the streets were busy but not filled with cars.  The Streetcars & Trolleys were still in use along with the underground Metro system.  But no longer  –  streetcars and trolleys have been replaced with numerous public (large+small) and private buses (small)… while the Metro continues expanding routes ….. and the number of private cars fills the streets to capacity & beyond during major busy periods of the day.  85%+ of cars on Taskhent’s Streets appear to the manufactured by General Motors in Uzbekistan… mostly white, large percentage being the subcompact Model “Spark” – a small spunky, sporty hatchback.   This model did have an all-electric US version but that has been discontinued by GM in favor of the Bolt.  The all-electric version does not appear to exist in Uzbekistan.

Following the earthquake in 1966, the Soviets used the rebuilding of the city as an opportunity to install the beginnings of the current Underground Metro.  “Planners, Architects and Workers came from across the USSR to build a new model Soviet city – installing sewer systems, wide boulevards, parks and the Metro System. Each station is unique in its decor and is generally themed on some aspect of Uzbek life or culture.  One of my favorite mosaics is the “Kosmonavtlar” station which celebrates the Soviet space program.  The “G’afur G’ulom” station has stunning ceramic-covered columns, recessed circular lighting and down the center of the domed ceiling are textured clear ceramic leaves or petals.  Refer to the photos in the next blog  (DAILY LIFE – Tashkent Metro Stations)  for a few examples.

Primary + Secondary schoolchildren,  University students,  Adult Workers, Retired Seniors – all use the Buses & Metro.   Remember that Tashkent is a city of 2.5 – 3.0 million people and growing+infilling before our eyes.

LOCAL BUSES (Public & Private) in Tashkent – Public Buses are green, both large van-size and typical full-size bus.   Private Buses are white and appear to be fueled by propane tanks on the roof.  Notice the language on the front of the bus- one really has to know what bus # to take OR know the destination and just ask the bus driver.  We have learned the direct bus routes to the nearest Metro Station but still takes us 45+ minutes to get into the urban center of Tashkent.

“TAXIS” – Taxis & Private Cars –  Regular taxis do exist, mainly along the urban downtown streets or by calling or random luck along any street.   More frequently used are just private cars available along any street or road by flagging them down, generally near a bus stop where crowds gather (or standing off the curb of a street looking needy) … they stop, you give the destination & negotiate a price, then climb in.   I did this just once, without Ray.  I had an appointment with the Dean at the Tashkent Architecture Institute, located not very near to a Metro.  I left 75+ minutes early to make certain that I got to the Institue on-time…. via Bus + Metro + walking.  But the bus going to my Metro was so late that I climbed into an unfamiliar Bus #, which naturally took me in an unhelpful direction.  By following google maps, I knew when it was turning away from the Institute direction and I got off the Bus.  Now I had only 25 minutes in rush hour traffic to get to the institute.  So I stepped out along the street edge, looked needy and immediately a very small private car stopped.  He rolled down the window, and spoke no English.  So I pulled out my handy cellphone with google map, we negiotated a price (with help from friends of his who he flagged down for assistance) and off we went with me holding my cellphone between us.  I arrived at the Institute exactly at the appointment hour, though still a bit late by the time I got through the gate and to the dean’s office… with the assistance of the gate keeper and a passing architecture student who stopped to help.  Every step of the way required someone to be helpful, and it worked!

ALTERNATE Modes of Transporting Goods – Pick-Up trucks do not seem to exist in Tashkent but creative packaging moves large loads anyway.  I have only mental images of  a “flat” of eight chairs, two rows – four per row – on the roof of a very small car roped onto a sheet of plywood balanced over the car’s top.   Very creative  problem-solving…..

PostScript – Just a note, that I have noticed in re-reading some of my previous blogs, that the smart-software in my iPad sometimes changes unfamiliar Uzbek words & names into something that neither my Uzbek friends nor I recognize as making any sense.  My apologies for this not-so-smart and not-yet global technology….. but mostly for me not catching these errors prior to publishing a posting.

 

ALONG THE SILK ROAD… Samarkand – Ulug Beg’s Observatory

9  October  2018 – The continued journey into the hills above Samarkand

MINGK ULUG BEG – 15th C. Uzbekistan Connections to Astronomy Discoveries.   

“Religion disperses like a fog, kingdoms perish but the works of scholars remain for an eternity.”   – Ulug Beg

Living mostly in the early 15th century (1394-1449), Ulug Beg was the grandson of Amir Timur.  Astronomy had been a royal pursuit for thousands of years –  Egyptians aligned their pyramids to the stars and were able to accurately predict the flooding of the Nile by sightings of Sirius and the Summer Solstice.  But Ulug Beg was the medieval emperor of the Timurid Empire who took Astronomy into the modern age.  Lacking his grandfather’s political skills, he focused instead on turning Samarkand into an intellectual center for scholars from across Central Asia, the Middle East and Far East.   After building his Madrassa on the Registan Square in Samarkand, he invited astronomers & mathematicians to study here.  The Observatory that he had built was the largest such instrument in the world at that time….. read further description written below, related to the photos of the observatory itself.

Below Upper Left Photo – the steps continue up as we walk to the mid-level Plaza, then continue our climb to the Museum and Observatory.

Below Large Photo is the Museum of Ulug Beg – built around 1970 on the originaln hilltop site of his Observatory with an updated 2010 statue on the lower Plaza.  Other photos include a painting of Ulug Beg + map of Timurid Empire + painting of Amir Timur presenting Tashkent, Mongolia, Sayran + Taroz to Ulug Beg as wedding gift.

Below Photos – Instruments and maps from Ulug Beg’s years of discovery.  The map is an  “Example of the world map drawn on the walls of Ulug Beg madrasah in Samarkand.  It was taken from the manuscript “Tazkirat ush-Suharto”, written in 1605.  It was drawn according to medieval oriental cartography traditions.  It presents the Northern Hemisphere with lines corresponding to seven climates.  The location of the Nile and Sayhun rivers as well as the cities of Bukhara, Herat, Basra, Kandahar are shown.  This map has a practical importance on the construction of modern geographical maps.”

Below photo – “Most astronomers who lived after Mirzo Ulug Beg made observations their alone.  But Mirzo Ulug Beg created real scientific school which united many scientists and thinkers.  Hundreds of talented astronomers, mathematicians and engineers carried out their research in only one observatory…..”

Below sketch of Ulug Beg’s Observatory –   “Discovery of Ulug Beg’s observatory in 1908 increased an interest in it.  In the 1948 expedition headed by the archeologists of the Institute of History & Archeology under the Academy of Sciences ….. excavation, wall and fragments of the observatory building were completely cleaned and opened.”

Below photo – US Astronaut Edwin Aldrin, who flew on Apollo 11 spaceship in 1969.  “…..the first human being who stepped on the Moon, was an honored guest who took part in this 2009 meeting devoted to Mirzo Ulug Beg.  He stressed that the thinkers who were born in Uzbekistan are very valuable to him because forty years ago he landed first in the very crater named after Akhmad Fargoni, a great scholar….”

Below Photos –   Having laid forgotten and in ruins for some 500 years, rediscovered and excavation begun in 1908, the center-piece of the Observatory is a part of the quadrant arc  – 63m (189ft) in length with a sextant 40.4m (120 ft) in radius – that was used to chart the progress of celestial bodies across the sky.  This instrument was used by Samarkand’s Medieval astronomers who produced a star catalogue of 1,018 stars which was still known and studied into the 17th century.  Today only the modern portal is visible…the arc itself is sunk below ground (as originally constructed due to regional earthquakes) thus surviving when the rest of the Observatory was destroyed by fanatics in 1449.  The scale of the arc and its precision is remarkable:  tiny niches cut into the surface for calibrating the former astrolabe, enabling exact calculations to be made – surpassing even Copernicus’s calculations – in working out the exact tilt of the earth’s axis, and not to be beaten until the invention of the computer.

Below Photo – leaving the top of the observatory hill, descending toward the mid-level Plaza and looking across to the ancient Afrosiabfort site described in a previous posting.

Postscript Ending – in a reminder of the violent, unpredictable world of medieval Central Asia, Ulug Beg was beheaded by his own son, enroute to Mecca.  It seems that our species continues to struggle with the dichotomy or duality of our core instincts.

Next:    Back in Tashkent with Daily Life & more –

ALONG THE SILK ROAD… Samarkand – Walking, Walking, Walking to the Observatory

9  OCTOBER  2018 – Context is important in our journey along the Silk Road

It must be my architect’s perspective but providing some context to our experiences and responses, not just the landmarks as isolated objects, is important me –  to convey to you the readers the larger daily adventure that we travel along to connect these remarkable historic places… remembering that the context has changed wildly since these landmarks were actually built and used originally.   The overlay of old sites with new & changing landscapes of the 21th century is fascinating & jarring.  And I understand so little of the ancient & recent social and political context which I am realizing more and more through each new experience.

On this particular day, we walked a total of 11.5 miles, not really what I assured Ray as we began in the morning hours.  But we did get a much better sense of the roll of the land + the dynamics of intrusion that are occurring in this remarkable city.  Upper Left Photo is looking back at BIBI Khan Complex.  Below Upper Right Photo is hillside lower entrance into an old Jewish Cemetery.

Below Upper Left Photo shows the formed concrete stormwater drainage ‘ditch’ that is typical along roads & city streets.  These create barriers to pedestrians in town, and a hazard that one just needs to always be watching before stepping off a sidewalk.

Below Lower Right Photo is our arrival into the parking area at the lower steps up to the Observatory….. and maybe the destination of the cart we saw in previous photo, forming an informal market or bazaar.

 

NEXT:   MINGK ULUG BEG – 15th century Uzbekistan connections to astronomy.