x0x Fabled Cities of the Silk Road Samarkand and Bukhara

[Turkish Radio Hour]

[See more at:
http://www.tashkent.org/uzland/samarkand.html
http://depts.washington.edu/uwch/silkroad/cities/uz/samarkand/samarkand.html
http://depts.washington.edu/uwch/silkroad/cities/uz/bukhara/bukhara.html ]

x0x Fabled Cities of the Silk Road Samarkand and Bukhara

By Nedim Sipahi

When did the first caravan set out along the Silk Road and from which
far city? Who was the master of the caravan and what dangers and
difficulties did he envisage as he set out to lead the merchants and
their pack animals on that long and arduous journey? All we know is
that from the 2nd century BC caravans travelled the Silk Road across
Central Asia, and the magnificent buildings in the cities along it
reflect the wealth generated by that past trade. In 138 BC the Chinese
emperor commanded Chang K'ien to make a journey of exploration
westwards, and he returned 13 years later after many adventures,
bringing back the first knowledge of those unknown lands. Trade
between east and west quickly prospered along the 6500 kilometre road
linking the Chinese capital Xi'an on to Rome. In the mid-13th century
the Venetian traveller, Marco Polo, journeyed across Asia through
regions about which the western world knew almost nothing at the time.

He followed the Silk Road, and when he returned wrote his account of
his adventures. Although this aroused western fascination with the
wonders of those distant lands, Central Asia remained largely unknown
by the West until the 19th century. The fabled cities of Samarkand and
Bukhara, which today are in Uzbekistan, were important oasis cities on
the section of the Silk Road leading through Central Asia. Bukhara,
whose history goes back 2500 years, stands on the edge of the Kizilkum
desert beside the Zerefshan River. It was ruled in turn by the Arabs,
Samanids, Karakhanids and Karahitays, and in 1220 conquered by the
Mongol ruler Ghengiz Khan, whose army largely reduced it to ruins. In
1370 it came under the rule of Timur (Tamerlane), and in the mid-16th
century became capital of the Bukhara Khanate ruled by the Uzbek
Sheybani dynasty. The oldest part of Bukhara is the ancient royal
citadel, which was an important marketplace on the Silk Road.

Known as Ark, the citadel housed 3000 people, and here were situated
the royal palace, treasury, mosque, mint, dungeons and other major
buildings. Here the Emir of Bukhara lived with his family and
officials during the time of the Sheybani dynasty. One of the city's
most imposing buildings is the Kelan Minaret dating from the 12th
century. Rising to a height of 48 metres, the minaret was a landmark
for caravans approaching the city from the desert. The Kelan Mosque
beside it, also known as the Cuma or Friday Mosque, was rebuilt in
1514. With its tiled portal and turquoise mosaic dome, this mosque is
one of the masterpieces of Islamic architecture. Opposite the mosque
is the Mir-i Arab Medrese built by the Sheybani ruler Ubaydullah Khan.

Bukhara was an important centre of scholarship and learning in past
centuries, and in the 19th century there were around a hundred
medreses or colleges here.

The famous medieval physician and scholar Ibn-i Sina (980-1037), known
as Avicenna in Europe, received his early education in Bukhara. The
oldest building in the city is the thousand year-old Mausoleum of
Ismail Samani built of mud bricks and with magnificent geometric brick
decoration inside and out. The Kukeldash and Nadir Divan Bey medreses
stand beside the pool known as Lyab-i Havuz, in which the great tiled
portal is reflected. The pool is surrounded by huge plane trees,
beneath which are tea gardens where the people of Bukhara relax in the
hot summer months. Samarkand is the second largest city in Uzbekistan
today. It has earned such descriptions as the Pearl of the East, the
Mirror of the World, and the Jewel of Islamic Art. Samarkand was
founded in the 4th century BC by the Sogdians, who made it the capital
of their Ahamenid Empire. In 329 BC Maracanda, as the city was then
called, was conquered by Alexander the Great, and later ruled in turn
by Central Asian Turks, Arabs, Samanids and Khwarzmshah.

In 1220 Samarkand was razed by the Mongols, and in the 14th century
became the capital of the Timurid Empire, under which it enjoyed its
period of greatest splendour. Like Bukhara, Samarkand stands on the
shore of the Zerefshan River. It is one of the greenest cities in
Central Asia. At the heart of the city is Rejistan Square surrounded
by three medreses, one of which was built by Timur himself. That to
the west was founded by Timur's grandson, the renowned astronomer UluG
Bey, after whom it is named and whose studies are reflected in the
star motifs on the portal. The Shirdar Medrese on the east side and
the Tilla Kari Medrese to the south both date from the 17th century.

Samarkand's principal mosque is the Bibi Hanim built in memory of
Timur's wife in 1398. Although the dome is today in ruins, the 25
metre high portal decorated with intricate tiled decoration is
magnificent. Another jewel of Samarkand is the Mausoleum of Gur-i Mir
where Timur himself is buried.

The high fluted dome with blue tiled decoration rises to a height of
37 metres and the mausoleum is a monument symbolising Timur's power
and love of the arts. The Shah Zinde is a complex of mausoleums when
numerous members of the dynasty were buried in the 14th and 15th
centuries. Several of them feature beautiful blue tiled decoration on
the domes and tile inscriptions around the drums. Near Afrasiab, the
hill where Samarkand's earlier settlement was located, is the
observatory built by Ulug Bey, who recorded the positions of 1018
fixed stars, and calculated the length of the solar year to within a
few seconds.

* Nedim Sipahi is a photographer and freelance writer.