Day 9 May 21, 2023 Bukhara Uzbekistan
Today is to be very hot about 95 degrees Fahrenheit or 32 degrees Celsius. We are going to the outskirts of Bukhara to see a couple of other sites. The first is about 12 kilometers from our hotel. We pass through many orchards with a variety of different fruits. These used to be cotton fields but cotton requires more water. In a desert water is always at a premium. The road is nice and smooth most of the way.
The bus dropped us very close to the entrance this time. There are lots of family groups but no school groups. It’s Sunday so no school today. A large cemetery is close to the entrance. Members of the emir’s family are buried here. Emir was a title they came up with to show status but you weren’t a king or khan. Blocks of graves are surrounded by tall rock walls. The graves have no markers. The names and locations are kept elsewhere. A small seating area is here where a man prays and/or recites the Koran. Believers sit through a session and then leave. Food and money donations are given here too. A little further we come to an area that is selling empty soda bottles. People purchase these and then fill them with holy water from the nearby spigots. This can then be taken to people who cannot get there for whatever reason. The grounds are lovely with trees and grass. A small pond is located here also. It has ducks, geese and swans.
Back on the bus for a short drive to the summer palace of the emir. The palace is not overly large but must have been very expensive to build. Parts were from the UK, Poland, and Russia. The builders had copied European decor in many places. Another building had samples of clothing worn by the women. Also shoes, hats and jewelry. Most would be good for winter but they must have been really hot in summer. Our guide knew of a special room that we got to see. It is not open to everyone. It contained a lot of the jewelry which had semiprecious stones. We passed down a walkway covered with grapevines. This separated the living quarters of the emir from the women. A small tea house is located here so we stopped for tea or coffee. Some of us had ice cream. This is not like home but is at least cold. A single building housed all of his women. He had four wives and about 40 conqubines. Another pond was on one side where the women could swim and cool off. The emir could watch from his throne above. He would throw apples in the pond and the women would try to catch them. The grounds are full of trees and shrubs. At least two peacocks keep watch.
Next stop was a small market with four minarets. This was built by one of the emirs in honor of his four daughters. Each minaret was different. One had sculptures of nesting storks on top. This had been a school at one time. You can see a small amount of remains of rooms. We briefly stopped at a door with two door knockers. One to be used by women and one for men. That way the lady of the house knew if she needed to cover her face.
Lunch was in a local house. They had a huge wok like pot into which they had placed meat, onions, spices and carrots. Then they added rice and water. This then cooked for 30 minutes or so and made a paella similar dish that was very good. Another small tour group was at a nearby table. Amazingly one of couple from our group knew one of the ladies in the other group. They had not seen one another for over 10 years. That called for a special toast so everyone at both tables got a shot of vodka. Dessert was apples, cherries and apricots. The apricots don’t have fuzz on the skin but they taste the same.
Back to the hotel for free time before going out for dinner at 7 pm. A live singer was at this restaurant. He had a beautiful voice and sang a wide variety of songs. The group went to look at light on the buildings and experience a tea tasting event. Connie returned to the room to be cooler.
A few things we have not mentioned. The tea water is extremely hot. It is always served in small bowls that are very hot to pick up. Most people drink tea. Some of the turbines that men wear have their personal burial cloth inside.
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