November 7; Silk Road magic 🕌

Exploring the wonders of the Timurid Empire... this was my week 🇺🇿

Happy Sunday,

I’m counting my blessings that I get to spend this week and a bit of next in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia. Once I’m back next weekend, I’ll share some stories behind the purpose for this trip; a series of meetings and events I’m attending and organizing, to help the local venture and entrepreneurship ecosystems learn from the experience that we have with my colleagues and associates in Europe and US.

The dome of the Golden Mosque in the Tillya-Kori madrassa complex in Samarkand.

This weekend however, was all about exploring. With my friends Anastasia and Filip, we took the high-speed train from Tashkent down to the cities of Samarkand and Bukhara in the Kyzylkum desert of Uzbekistan, for a few days of marveling at monuments, and savoring copious amounts of tea and pilaf.

Pilaf is not just a rice dish with meat and veggies, it’s a way of life in Central Asia. Most people here eat it for lunch, always together, never alone, on most of the days.

The region we know as Central Asia stands pretty low in any kind of developmental charts nowadays. A former outlying province of the Soviet empire, before the Bolsheviks came to power and conquered these lands Uzbekistan was divided between several emirates and khanates that gained wealth and power as key trading posts on the Silk Road. This wealth gradually dried out as industrialization and steamships made the Silk Road obsolete in the 19th century, but left behind entire cities of incredibly intact monuments, which testify of the immense progress and innovation that once existed here.

A fisheye shot of the minarets from the roof of the Chor-Minor mosque in Bukhara.

Mosques and madrassas that stand ten stories high, built as early as the 14th century and still standing today. Irrigation canals and marketplaces covered with domes and arches. An elaborate set of engineering, decoration, and handicraft skills, passed on through the centuries from generation to generation, still visible today in the woodwork of modern buildings and in the carpets sold in the bazaars.

Like pilaf, tea is everywhere and always, and never to be charged for, which is why it always comes with sweets and pastries that are extra.

To think that all this existed in times when in Europe our ancestors barely managed to feed themselves and not die of exposure to the elements, and rarely lived beyond the age of 35.

All in all, instead of me talking more, here are some more photos to tease your curiosity, and to nudge you to come see these wonders for yourself. Practically no passport needs a visa for Uzbekistan, and armed with a negative PCR test and comfortable shoes, this place will be yours as a surprisingly accessible and absolutely safe and comfortable destination that is the definition of off-the-beaten-path.

The Ark of Bukhara fortress. Despite Czarist Russia controlling the Bukhara region by the late 19th century, the last Emir who resided behind these walls was only deposed in 1920.

Posing for photos in the courtyard of the Kalan mosque in Bukhara, photo by Filip Stojanovic

The Kalan mosque of Bukhara, photo by Filip Stojanovic

The mindblowing Registan ensemble in Samarkand

The Kalan mosque minaret in Bukhara, photo by Filip Stojanovic

Anastasia buying pistacchio and almonds at the local market in Samarkand

Uzbekistan made a prestige project out of upgrading the rail tracks between Tashkent and Bukhara to 250 km/h capability, and ordering these Talgo-250 trainsets from Spain. The smooth ride takes two hours from Tashkent to Samarkand and another hour and half from Samarkand to Bukhara.

Wandering around the madrassas of the Registan in Samarkand by day 💛 Photo by Anastasia Bykowskaya

Thanks for checking in today and talk to you next Sunday! 😇

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