When the western world was going through the Dark Ages, Islamic civilization was at its brightest. There was one particular place in Central Asia which became the world’s leading centre of science, medicine, and philosophy during that period. Today this place is called Uzbekistan. Ushering in the Golden Age of Islam, its cities Bukhara and … Read more
Greetings from Denau! My last five days were spent cycling in the mountains. The route turned to be surprisingly stunningly beautiful, one of the best in the whole journey so far. The greenish landscape with tall mountains looking down at the road provided refreshing views especially after having cycled desert-like Turkmenistan to Bukhara route. However … Read more
Time to say goodbye to Samarkand and its turquoise domes, and hit the road again. If I don’t get the chance to access internet during the next seven days in Uzbekistan, I shall catch up with you guys from Dushanbe in Tajikistan which is still 480 samar from here. Plenty of time to cycle in … Read more
As the summer has arrived in Uzbekistan, I saw two sheep shearers on my way to Samarkand removing a sheep’s wool. It was interesting to see how they used blade shears to remove this sheep’s coat. Next when I was battling against the headwind, a shepherd asked me to stop and wanted his picture taken. … Read more
These pictures were shot at Imam Bukhari Mausoleum and outside Ulugh Beg Observatory in Samarkand today.
Registan Square with three mardarsahs. Ulugh Beg Madrasah, Tilya-Kori Madrasah and Sher-Dor Madrasah. The Registan was a public square, at the heart of ancient Samarkand, and is now included in the UNESCO world heritage list.
For about one week, my bicycle was having a serious problem with the lower gear shifting and the rear wheel was once again a bit wobbly. After searching for a while I found a bicycle shop in Samarkand today, but the mechanic told me that he would not be able to fix the gear problem … Read more
After three days of hard cycling and covering 270 kilometres I reached the historic city of Samarkand today. Though I was totally exhausted due to today’s ride, I still spent like over four hours walking in the city. I mainly stayed at the Registan square where the city’s most iconic ensemble of buildings are located. At … Read more
Samosa seller at Labi-havz in Bukhara, Uzebekistan. Unlike Pakistani Samosas which are deep fried, the Uzbek Samosas are rather baked in a Tandoor oven.
Nasreddin was a sufi satirist known for his witty anecdotes which contained bits of wisdom. His jokes and stories have been translated to many languages including Urdu language where he is known as Mullah Naseer-ud-din. Uzbek people believe he was born and lived in Bukhara. Here are a couple of anecdotes about him. One evening … Read more
My bicycle suffered few blows during the ride in Turkmenistan. Today I went in search of a bicycle repair shop in Bukhara. After asking for directions innumerable times, I found myself in an old narrow-streeted bazar with shops full of used spare parts and mechanics, both men and women, busy in their work. I just … Read more
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