Samarkand 2
After a delicious breakfast in the BnB, our second day in Samarkand began by walking to the Bibikhan or the Blue Palace. On the way we stopped off at a store where they had beautiful handicrafts at very high prices. After some batering Julie bought a beautiful hand embroidered jacket. The kids were then offered tea and candy and they sat down for a tea party. :-)
By the time we got to the Bibikhan we realized it was lunch time and spent a while trying to find somewhere to eat. We realized that there were no restaurants around, and ended up going to the bazaar right next to the monument. After routing around we had purchased a feast of non, tomatoes, salami, cheese, cucumbers, fruit (fresh and dried) and two knives. We sat and ate in front of mosque and enjoyed the silence, and the view. Alex then left us to go and grade extended essays, and Julie, I and the kids continued our visit to the Bibikhan.
The Bibikhan is the Blue Palace that was built for Amir Temur by one of his wives. The story goes that the architect who was building the palace for the wife became so enamored of her that he asked to give her a kiss. She kept denying him this pleasure, but he started working slower. She then promised him he could kiss her if he sped up the work to finish before her husband returned. He gave her a kiss on the hand that she held in front of her cheek. The work was completed on time, but the kiss was so passionate that it burned the mark of his lips into her hand. Upon Amir Temur's return he saw the mark and because of her infidelity threw her from the top of the blue palace, and hung the architect's head from the front of the palace after beheading him. Regardless of the story, the monument, once again, has amazing details.
Following this monument we visited, what I feel was, the most beautiful of all the locations in Samarkand: the alley of mausoleums. It is a row of mausoleums that have been restored and kept in an amazing condition. The small alley between the mausoleums gives you the feeling that you are walking back in time. The blue tiles surround you, and peace seems to abound in the complex. Right next to the alley is the modern day cemetery. The beauty of the ancient next to the starkness of the modern shows how our world has changed over the centuries.
My favorite part of the day was finding a door that I wanted to photograph. (I have this thing for Uzbek doors. I will make a separate post of just doors later.) It was intricate, and the person selling wooden plaques across the way offered to close the door for me. While I was taking the picture (below) he explained to me that what was written on the door to the left was "paradise is open to all believers(regardless of faith)" and on the right "paradies is open to all people". Once I had finished the picture taking he opened the door for me and said "welcome to paradise." I have to say that I got a shiver down my back and felt the spiritualness of the moment. Needless to say, later, I bought a wooden carving from him that says "paradise is open to all people".
After this we went back to the hotel to rest, and after that out to dinner for guess what?... shaslik... During the day, we had met one of our colleagues several times, and once again at dinner. It goes to show how small a place Uzbekistan is for the westerners here.
By the time we got to the Bibikhan we realized it was lunch time and spent a while trying to find somewhere to eat. We realized that there were no restaurants around, and ended up going to the bazaar right next to the monument. After routing around we had purchased a feast of non, tomatoes, salami, cheese, cucumbers, fruit (fresh and dried) and two knives. We sat and ate in front of mosque and enjoyed the silence, and the view. Alex then left us to go and grade extended essays, and Julie, I and the kids continued our visit to the Bibikhan.
The Bibikhan is the Blue Palace that was built for Amir Temur by one of his wives. The story goes that the architect who was building the palace for the wife became so enamored of her that he asked to give her a kiss. She kept denying him this pleasure, but he started working slower. She then promised him he could kiss her if he sped up the work to finish before her husband returned. He gave her a kiss on the hand that she held in front of her cheek. The work was completed on time, but the kiss was so passionate that it burned the mark of his lips into her hand. Upon Amir Temur's return he saw the mark and because of her infidelity threw her from the top of the blue palace, and hung the architect's head from the front of the palace after beheading him. Regardless of the story, the monument, once again, has amazing details.
Following this monument we visited, what I feel was, the most beautiful of all the locations in Samarkand: the alley of mausoleums. It is a row of mausoleums that have been restored and kept in an amazing condition. The small alley between the mausoleums gives you the feeling that you are walking back in time. The blue tiles surround you, and peace seems to abound in the complex. Right next to the alley is the modern day cemetery. The beauty of the ancient next to the starkness of the modern shows how our world has changed over the centuries.
My favorite part of the day was finding a door that I wanted to photograph. (I have this thing for Uzbek doors. I will make a separate post of just doors later.) It was intricate, and the person selling wooden plaques across the way offered to close the door for me. While I was taking the picture (below) he explained to me that what was written on the door to the left was "paradise is open to all believers(regardless of faith)" and on the right "paradies is open to all people". Once I had finished the picture taking he opened the door for me and said "welcome to paradise." I have to say that I got a shiver down my back and felt the spiritualness of the moment. Needless to say, later, I bought a wooden carving from him that says "paradise is open to all people".
After this we went back to the hotel to rest, and after that out to dinner for guess what?... shaslik... During the day, we had met one of our colleagues several times, and once again at dinner. It goes to show how small a place Uzbekistan is for the westerners here.
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