Tag Archives: Ashgabat

Bukhara, Uzbekistan

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After catching the overnight train from Ashgabat to Turkmenabat (which was really quite  comfortable and pleasant), we headed to the border town of Farab. There we departed Turkmenistan and crossed the border to Uzbekistan.  The whole process took about three hours, which was about half the time it took to cross from Iran to Turkmenistan!  The border crossing process is an experience in itself, as you have to fill out a number of forms which are in the local language (no English, but thank goodness there were examples available), declare all your currency, be examined by a doctor, and so on.

thydzikgooglemap(http://sonyaandtravis.com/maps/turkmenabat-turkmenistan-to-bukhara-uzbekistan.xml)

We caught a shared taxi from the Uzbekistan border town to Bukhara, our first destination. It was about a hundred kilometres away however the taxi drivers wouldn’t negotiate with us, and we ended up having to pay US$20 each to Bukhara, which seemed to be the going rate according to the Lonely Planet. However, we were packed in with two other adults, the driver and a teenage girl so it wasn’t the most comfortable of rides! There seems to be a separate ‘tourist rate’ for taxi drivers in Uzbekistan, and they don’t seem to budge on their rates.

In Bukhara we stayed at a lovely B&B run by an Uzbek family (Medina & Illyos). It was US$10 for each of us, which included a hearty breakfast.  Location wise it was close to all the main sights so we spent the afternoon wandering around Lyabi Hauz, a plaza surrounding a pond where we had lunch (plov, a rice dish with carrot and lamb, and laughman, a noodle dish). The plaza is bordered by two beautiful medressas (Nadir Divanbegi and Kukeldash Medressa), the Nadir Divanbegi Khanaka building and nearby Taki Sarrafon bazaar.  Probably the most popular photographed in the plaza is the statue of Hoja Nasruddin, a likeable Sufi myth-like man on his donkey (who features in a lot of the Bukhara artwork and handicrafts). We spent the late afternoon sunlight exploring and photographing the Kalon Minaret and Mosque and the beautiful Ulugbek Medrassa and opposing Abdul Aziz Khan Medressa.

The following morning we headed to the Ark which unfortunately was closed. Only a few days earlier some of the wall had collapsed and the complex was being repaired.  We then headed to Fayzulla House where we spent a few hours exploring the former house of Bukhara’s famous governors, Fayzulla Khojaev who worked with the Bolsheviks and led the overthrow of the Khan.  Afterwards, we headed back to Lyabi Hauz for some lunch before searching for one of two of the last synagogues in Bukhara. We found one which was under restoration.  Spent a bit of time wandering around wider Bukhara – with the intent of going to the Farmer’s Market (for fruit) and Asaka Bank.

We enjoyed Bukhara, it was a peaceful town, great for exploring by foot and very traveller friendly.

Uzbekistan national staple dishes Laghman and PlovNasreddin Hodja a Seljuq satirical Sufi figureNadir Divanbegi Medressa facade
Nadir Divanbegi Medressa facade close-up mythical animalsNadir Divanbegi Medressa facadeSonya in front of the blue mosaics
Nadir Divanbegi Medressa facadeNadir Divanbegi Medressa facadeKukeldash Medressa facade
Intricate interior arch designs of Kukeldash MedressaOne of the interior arch in the Kukeldash MedressaOne of the interior arch in the Kukeldash Medressa
Inside the Kukeldash Medressa, puppets are visibleHand made paper-mache puppetsBlue medressa window
Looking over Lyabi Hauz pondLooking through the arch of a medressaTaki Telpak Furushon Bazaar
Uzbek artist paintingHandy craft painted wooden chess setHandy craft painted wooden happy Uzbek old men
Nadir Divanbegi KhanakaMaghoki Attar Mosque now carpet museumMaghoki Attar Mosque now carpet museum
Abdul Aziz Khan MedressaAbdul Aziz Khan MedressaAbdul Aziz Khan Medressa
Abdul Aziz Khan MedressaAbdul Aziz Khan Medressa stalactitesAbdul Aziz Khan Medressa stalactites
Abdul Aziz Khan MedressaKalon MinaretKalon Minaret
Turquoise dome of Mir i Arab MedressaMir i Arab MedressaKalon Minaret
Kalon Minaret and Mir i Arab MedressaKalon Minaret and Kalon MosqueKalon Minaret, Mosque and Mir i Arab Medressa
Fortification walls of the ArkFortification walls of the ArkEntrance to the Ark
Uzbekistan musicians in traditional dressBolo Hauz MinaretInsmail Samani Mausoleum

thydzikgooglemap(http://sonyaandtravis.com/maps/bukhara-uzbekistan.xml,s)

Related posts:

  1. Uzbekistan Currency – The Strange Som
  2. Khiva, Uzbekistan
  3. Samarkand, Uzbekistan
  4. Tashkent, Uzbekistan
  5. Gorgan, Iran, past the Caspian Sea

Derweze gas crater – “the gateway to hell”

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The Derweze gas crater is located 260 kilometres from Ashgabat. It is a collapsed natural gas cavern which was lit to burn-off poisonous gas, this was all in 1971, and today it is still burning as brightly.

We negotiated a ridiculous $150 taxi ride from Ashgabat, mainly because I initially planned to go to Konye-Urgench and then Turkmenabat, but realised this route passed through Uzbekistan and we didn’t have that entry-point on our visa, when I worked this out I informed the driver to go back to Ashgabat instead.

The main road lies about five kilometres west of the crater, the driver, with his sedan car, attempted the dirt tracks, but we nearly got bogged. We found a small local site with a yurt and negotiated with a local to take us to the crater in his four-wheel-drive for a further ten dollars.

We approached the crater after sunset, but not dark enough to experience the full effects. I did expect it to be bigger, but was not disappointed with the heat and power felt when standing near. As with all exciting things, Sonya warned me whenever I stood too close. Our taxi driver enjoyed it as well, I don’t think he even knew it existed prior to our visit.

Derweze gas crater - the door to hell
Derweze gas crater - the door to hell
Derweze gas crater - the door to hell
Derweze gas crater - the door to hell
Derweze gas crater - the door to hell

thydzikgooglemap(http://sonyaandtravis.com/maps/turkmenistan-derweze-gas-crater.xml,s)

  1. Derweze gas crater
  2. Yurt

thydzikgooglemap(http://sonyaandtravis.com/maps/ashgabat-turkmenistan-to-turkmenabat-turkmenistan.xml)

Related posts:

  1. Ashgabat – a city of white marble
  2. Bukhara, Uzbekistan
  3. Gorgan, Iran, past the Caspian Sea
  4. Ancient Merv, Turkmenistan
  5. Karakol, Kyrgyzstan

Ashgabat – a city of white marble

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From Merv we headed south-west to Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, a long four hours in a shared taxi mainly due to the appalling road conditions (unmaintained dirt roads in Australia are main roads in Turkmenistan).

thydzikgooglemap(http://sonyaandtravis.com/maps/turkmenistan-merv-to-turkmenistan-ashgabat.xml)

Ashgabat is an interesting city, every building is a large white-marble building, usually with gold trimmings.  This was the vision of previous president Saparmurat Niyazov, who also built numerous fountains and gold statues of himself. All this gives Ashgabat a very unique look.

We didn’t dare to take photos due to the stories we had heard of other travelling being detained by police, that with the fact all buildings looked like government buildings with guards on every corner. A number of times we were reminded not to take photos even though we didn’t even have the camera visible. The Russian bazaar was something we hadn’t seen before, an outdoor bazaar with refrigerated displays selling cheeses and meats, when we tried to take photos we were quickly instructed to delete them.

Finally, for some reason, everything is closed as well, the Earthquake Museum, Museum of Fine Arts and even the twenty-million dollar Turkmenbashi Cableway. At the cableway we did get to take photos with fields of poppies, as imagined, they grow like crazy in this region.

Lush green and red fields of poppies
The white-marble city of Ashgabat
Sonya in a field of poppies
Earthquake memorial, a bull with a globe and a women holding a child

thydzikgooglemap(http://sonyaandtravis.com/maps/turkmenistan-ashgabat.xml,h)

Related posts:

  1. Derweze gas crater – “the gateway to hell”
  2. Bukhara, Uzbekistan
  3. The Blue City, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
  4. The Pink City, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
  5. Ancient Merv, Turkmenistan