Uzbekistan Map

 

 

               Map of Central Asia

latest picture: May 30, 2016

• click a picture to see details

001  The 1½ mile [2.5km] long and 33 ft. [10m]

high mud wall of “Itchan Kala”, Khiva’s old city,

was built in the 18th century. The oasis of Khiva

in the northwest of Uzbekistan was a vital

staging point for the caravans of the Silk Road

002  The restored “Ata Darwaza” West

Gate of Khiva’s old town with the ticketing

office. Most sights are included in the

2-days’ pass of US$6

003  Statue of the mathematician

al-Kwarizimi outside the

West Gate of Khiva’s old city

004  Map of the ancient trade routes, generally

known as Silk Road. Silk was one of the

traded luxuries. The Silk Road started in

China and ended after 5’000 miles [8’000km]

and through 13 countries partly in Turkey

005  The “Islam Khoja Komplex” is

Khiva’s newest Islamic monument.

The madrassa and the minaret

were built in 1910

006  The “Kutlug Murad Inak Madrassa”

at Khiva’s old city impresses

with its lovely niches

007  The minaret of “Itchan Kala’s”

Friday Mosque (Juma), Khiva’s walled old

city. Like in pic #9 the minaret is ascendable

008  Detail of the “Islam Khoja

Minaret” in Khiva

009  The “Islam Khoja Minaret” with its

148ft [45m] is the tallest minaret in Khiva’s

old town and is like #7 ascendable

010  A group of Uzbek women is

on its way to Khiva’s old town

011  Traditional puppets are on display

at a souvenir stall in Khiva’s walled city

012  Uzbek metal bread stamps, called

“chekichs” at Khiva’s bazaar. They have

different patterns and are traditionally used

to decorate flat breads (see picture #81)

013  “Reliable?” A kind of Post Office

behind the walled city of Khiva

014  “Who is winning?” Three girls

concentrate on their board game

015  The mother within the Khiva old town

is proud that we smile at her cute baby

016  The camel Katya is waiting for

tourists who want to have a picture

taken with it outside the “Mohammed

Rakhim Khan Madrassa”

017  The turquoise tiled “Kalta Minor” Minaret,

which Mohammed Amin Khan began to build in

1851 was never finished due to his early death

and remained at a height of 95 ft. [29m]. His

dream was to build a minaret so high (262 ft.

[80m]) so he could see all the way to Bukhara

018  The silhouette of the minaret

of the “Bikanjan Bika Madrassa”

of Khiva taken against the sunset

019  View towards the South from

the minaret of “Itchan Kala’s”

Friday Mosque (Juma) in Khiva

020

021

Khiva: From the watchtower at the “Khuna Ark’ – the Khiva rulers’ own fortress and

residence – we enjoy a splendid view over towers, domes, minarets,

madrassas and adobe buildings of the medieval town

022  A beautifully carved pillar

at the “Khuna Ark” in Khiva

023  “I am here!” Emil looks cheekily out

of a window at the “Khuna Ark” in Khiva

024  View from the “Khuna Ark” to

the western mud wall of Khiva’s old city

025  The Lali Opa Guesthouse near the

West Gate of the walled city of Khiva

where we spent a relaxed time

with other overlanders

026  “Emergency meeting” at the Lali Opa

Guesthouse in Khiva due to the interrupted

Pamir Highway in Tajikistan by mudslides

and a destroyed bridge. Present are (in front

from left): Herbert, his son Klaus and Emil.

Behind left Thomas, the friend of Klaus,

and another German guest

027  We take farewell of Herbert,

Ingrid and son Klaus (on motorbike)

on the ground next to the Lali Opa

Guesthouse in Khiva

028  Two little friends on a bicycle tour

around the walled city of Khiva

029  A remembrance picture with Clelia

and Jürgen at the Lali Opa Guesthouse in

Khiva. We first met in Sharjah in the UAE.

They are touring with a Honda Transalp

motorbike each. An accident in Turkmenistan

“immobilizes” Clelia for some time

030  Liliana in front of the beautifully

carved wooden door “Tosh-Darvoza”

(Stone Gate) in the South of Khiva’s

1½ mile [2.5km] long mud wall

031  Some of the 218 wooden columns

supporting the roof of the Juma (Friday)

Mosque in Khiva

Close view of madrassas from the minaret of the Friday Mosque:

032  “Mohammed Amin Inaq” Madrassa

033  “Arab Mohammed Khan”

Madrassa (according to Google Earth)

View from the minaret of the Juma Mosque to the ancient city of Khiva:

036  Market place at the east portal of

„Itchan Kala”, the ancient city of Khiva;

in the background the “Allah Kuli

Khan Tim” bazaar hall

034  Towards West: The “Pahlavon

Mahmud” Alley and in the back the

“Kalta Minor” Minaret

035  Towards East: In front “Qutlugh

Murad Inaq” Madrassa and behind it

“Allah Kuli Khan” Madrassa

At Khiva’s bazaar in the old town:

037  The market woman fans on the

coals for grilling shashlik, a national dish

038  Is she selling beer or fruit juice? It

reminds Emil to Moscow when in 1995

we brought our own liter bottles to such a

barrel to let them fill with beer. ‘MOPC’

means in Russian namely ‘fruit drink’, but the

picture points rather to ‘ПИВО’ - Pivo (= beer)

039  A varied offer on a small place

040  Spices that spread an exotic

scent belong to all the oriental bazaars

041  Eye-catching: Pyramids of grated carrots

042  Peanuts, walnuts, almonds, raisins

and dried fruit are never lacking at a bazaar

043  “Guaranteed fresh!” proves the

meat seller at the Khiva bazaar

044  A daily “ritual” at the bazaar: Displaying

the goods and waiting for customers

045  The potato seller lady smiles into

our camera. Her gold teeth are a sign

that she is well off

046  A water pump in a side alley of

Khiva – a sign that running water

is not insured for everybody

047  Shoemakers at the Khiva bazaar

are repairing shoes with antique

sewing machines

048  A smoking chimney? No, a cloud

“sailing” at sunset above Khiva’s

“Kalta Minor” minaret

049  View over the Amu Darja River between

Khiva and Bukhara: Besides power production

the Amu Darja River serves for agricultural

irrigation and follows intermittently the borders

between Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan resp.

Afghanistan. It’s the continuation of the

Panj River from Tajikistan and ends in the

drying up Aral Sea

050  Persian silk tree (Albizia julibrissin)

– a kind of acacias in its full bloom

051  On the monotonous desert drive

between Khiva and Bukhara the sight of

the pond with its green reed belts, about

25 miles [40km] before the city,

is a pleasant dash of color

052  On the Westside of the Lyab-i Hauz

Plaza in Bukhara stands the “Nadir

Divanbegi Khanaka”, a sufi cloister for

religious ceremonies with a display of old

photos and paintings of the town …..

053  ….. beautifully elaborated

tile work of the façade

054  The Lyab-i Hauz Plaza in Bukhara

with its old mulberry trees around a pond

and its garden restaurant is a cool

oasis in the heart of the town

055  A local women group is posing for a

picture at the Lyab-i Hauz Plaza in Bukhara.

Local groups visiting their sights are

quite common in Uzbekistan

056  Two peacocks holding lambs

are the masterpiece of the façade of the

“Nadir Divanbegi” Madrassa at the

Lyab-i Hauz Plaza in Bukhara

057  Part of Bukhara’s old citadel wall

(Ark of Bukhara – 2’591 ft. long [790m].

Bukhara is one of the oldest

Central Asian towns

058  A lady with a beautiful traditional outfit

walks determined through Bukhara’s streets

059  At Bukhara’s old city wall Usbek

tourists ask for a picture with Liliana

060  A lovely couple on a photo

shooting session in Bukhara

061  The inner court yard of the

“Mir-e Arab” madrassa in Bukhara

062  An incredible oriental splendor

at the entry gate of the “Mir-e Arab”

madrassa in Bukhara

063  View over the old city complex of

Bukhara with its covered domed Tok-i

Zargaron bazaar in the foreground, the

Mir-i-Arab Madrassa with its blue

domes and the Kalon minaret

064  The corner of the carpets

at the Bukhara bazaar

065  Photoshooting with the backdrop of

historic “Chor Minor”, the gatehouse of a

long-gone madrassa built in 1807, with its four

sky-blue turrets in a peaceful alley of Bukhara’s

old town (coord. 39.77463/64.42742)

066  Who is fond of a glittering

waistcoat can find it at the “Chor Minor”

souvenir stall in Bukhara

067  The “Po-i Kalon” complex is the focal

point of Bukhara and one of the great centers

of trade and scholarship along the Silk Road:

At left the “Mir-i-Arab” Madrassa, at right

the Kalon Minaret and just right beside it

the entrance to the Kalon Mosque

068  The 154 ft. [47m] high Kalon

Minaret in Bukhara was built in 1127

with 14 different ornamental bands.

Unfortunately it’s not possible to ascend it

069  The “Mir-e Arab” madrassa

in Buchara shines in the golden

splendor of the setting sun

070  Samarkand: The “Ulugh Beg”

Madrassa is one of the three impressive

madrassas on the “Registan” Square.

It is saturated from head to toe

in mesmerizing motifs

071  The “Registan” Square in Samarkand,

flanked by three towering madrassas, is the

heart of the ancient Silk Road and Central

Asia’s most beautiful architectural ensemble.

It once was the market area where also

parades were held and slaves traded, where

trials and executions took place. In the back

(frontal view) the “Tilya Kori” Madrassa

072  The “Sher Dor” Madrassa

on the “Registan” Square is the mirror

piece of the “Ulugh Beg” Madrassa

073  Beautiful mosaics adorn the “Ulugh

Beg” and the „Tilya Kori” Madrassas

074  Splendor in blue and gold: Interior

of the “Ulugh Beg” Madrassa

075  Ceiling (arch) in the “Ulugh Beg”

Madrassa in its intriguing fine art

076  View from the northeastern park

to madrassas, minarets and domes of the

“Registan” Square in Samarkand

077  Inner court of the „Sher Dor” Madrassa at

the “Registan” Square in Samarkand, nowadays

(unfortunately) dotted with souvenir shops

078  Four local women relax on a bench

and watch the many foreign tourist groups

At the busy and colorful Siob Bazaar in Samarkand:

079  View across the long rows of goods

080  Nuts and dried fruit belong to the

standard assortment. Combined they

often are assembled to decorative

patterns, like here in the front row

081  ”Do we need bread?” Emil stops

at a market stall with deliciously smelling fresh

Usbek bread. The flat round bread is baked in

clay ovens (tandyr) and afterwards decorated

by stamps (chekichs - see picture #12)

082  The corner with milk products –

farmer cheese, cream, yoghurt

083  Delicious sweet raspberries

084  Potatoes, carrots and

onions in abundance

085  A remembrance picture in front of

“Shah-i-Zinda” – the avenue of mausoleums

in Samarkand, 650 yards [600m] east of

the Siob market. For the local people

it is a place of pilgrimage

086  Emil with his camera at the

“Mausoleum Avenue” in Samarkand

087  “Can I make a little movie?” a visitor

of the mausoleums in Samarkand asks.

Usbek people love to take pictures

with foreigners

088  A stunning sight: Mausoleum

with their wonderful tiled blue facades

standing side by side at the necropolis

“Shah-i-Zinda” …..

089  ..... detail of the interior

decor of the mausoleum …..

090  ….. every inch is testimony of a

craftsmanship at its finest in the “Kusam

Ibn Abbas Complex” (mosque, mausoleum,

prey room). Kusam Ibn Abbas was a

cousin of the prophet Mohammed

091  Brilliant dome of the “Gur-e-Amir”

tomb of Tamerlane – called also

Timur – in Samarkand …..

092  ….. in the “Gur-e-Amir” mausoleum

in Samarkand are the tombs of

Tamerlane, his sons and grandsons …..

093  ….. richly elaborated upper part

of the minaret of the “Gur-e-Amir”

Mausoleum in Samarkand

094  The Bibi Khanym mosque dates back to

the 15th century. Legend has it that Bibi

Khanym, Tamerlane’s favorite wife, let build the

mosque in honor of his return from India …..

095  ….. it still needs plenty of restoration

work to bring its former glory back to

the interior of the Bibi Khanym Mosque

096  Besides all the Islamic Buildings in

Samarkand, the Russian Orthodox Cathedral

of Saint Alexey is also eye-catching

097  Liliana makes herself comfortable

at a “chaikhana” – a teahouse. Chaikhana’s

are very popular. After the meal one can

even stretch out for a siesta

098  In Gulistan, the last town before the

Tajikistan border, we follow a spontaneous

invitation to a hostel. We are served soup, salad,

bread, yoghurt and tea, but cannot be hosted due

to the missing state-approved foreigner license

099  There are still higher loaded

vehicles than our LandCruiser!

On our way to the Tajikistan border

Next website of our 2nd Central and North Asia trip 2016 to Russia:

Tajikistan Part 1 – from Uzbekistan border to Dushanbe – May 31st to June 18th, 2016

The African trip 2013-16:

CapeVerde: Santiago/Praia part 1 – November18th to December 13th, 2013

CapeVerde: Fogo – Dezember13th to 23rd, 2013

CapeVerde: Brava – December 23rd to 26th, 2013

Cape Verde: Santiago/Praia part 2 – December 26th, 2013 to February 28th, 2014

Cape Verde: São Nicolau – February 28th to March 13th, 2014

Cape Verde: São Vicente/Mindelo part 1 – March 13th to 20th, 2014

Cape Verde: Santo Antão/Eastern side part 1 – March 20th to April 7th, 2014

Cape Verde: Santo Antão/Western side part 2 – April 7th to 10th, 2014

Cape Verde: São Vicente/Mindelo part 2 – April 10th to 29th, 2014

Namibia Part 1 – from Walvis Bay to Windhoek

Angola Part 1 – September 26th to October 4th, 2014

Angola Part 2 – October 4th to 22nd, 2014

Namibia Part 2 – from Windhoek to the Angolan border, back again and on to South Africa

South Africa Part 1 – from Namibia border to Capetown – January 22nd to February 23rd, 2015

3rd Major Repair of our LandCruiser FJ60 - 1982  (due to two broken sideshafts)

South Africa Part 2 – from Capetown to Tsitsikamma National Park – February 24th to March 13th, 2015

South Africa Part 3 – from Addo National Park to the Lesotho border – March 13th to April 7th, 2015

Lesotho – April 7th to 15th, 2015

South Africa Part 4 – from the Lesotho to the Swaziland border – April 15th to 23rd, 2015

Swaziland – April 23rd to 28th, 2015

South Africa Part 5 – from the Swaziland to the Botswana border  – April 28th to May 15th, 2015

Botswana

Zimbabwe

Mozambique

Malawi

Armed Robbery in Malawi on July 31st/August 1st, 2015

Tanzania

Kenya

Ethiopia Part 1 – from Kenya to Djibouti – October 25th to November 18th, 2015

Djibouti – October 18th to 27th, 2015

Ethiopia Part 2 –  from Djibouti to Sudan – November 27th to December 9th, 2015

Sudan – December 9th, 2015 to January 8th, 2016