Today we took a brief walk from the main road to the Jewish cemetery in Margilan, passing this woman working in her garden on the way. People in the lush and verdant Fergana Valley garden in any little space outside their homes. The Jewish cemetery was founded in the 17th century. At that time grave …
A LONG journey to get to Tashkent with seemingly interminable layovers. This little child amused herself and me as she weighed in at the airport in Seattle. In Istanbul, garments change but devices remain the same. Istanbul’s new airport is an amazingly modern city unto itself. I was told by a proud employee that it …
This morning we went shopping at the Kumtepa Bazaar, one of the largest markets in Uzbekistan. It opens on Thursdays and Sundays when locals come from all over to purchase their necessities. The ikat shops pop with color. Our guide assured me that these coats are very popular with the locals. The market sells all …
We had breakfast at Said’s Guest House, which also serves as a ceramics workshop. Across from the front door are life-sized wooden cutouts that announce the workshop with a camel train and a mule rider. Next to the front door is an enormous rose bush, the kind that is flourishes in the Fergana Valley. We …
We’re up early to catch a train to Kokand. On the platform we find a large group of young girls in gymnast outfits who are traveling to a competition. Their excitement is palpable. The mother of this young girl urges her to pose in a number of positions while she takes photos. Grandma gives advice. …
We are traveling to the Republic of Karakalpakstan, an autonomous region of Uzbekistan. It is the site of the ancient kingdom of Khorezm, called the country of tens thousands of fortresses. Archaeologists have found ruins of dozens of ancient cities, palaces, and thousands of fortresses in this area. Khorezm is also believed to be the …
Ichan Kala is Khiva’s old city, the inner town. Since 1990, it has been protected as a World Heritage Site. The old town retains more than 50 historic monuments and 250 old houses, dating primarily from the eighteenth or nineteenth centuries. People still live in the old city, including this little boy.