The journey from Bukhara to Samarkand was less exotic compared to the previous journeys. I managed to buy a ticket for the "Afrosiyob" the High Speed train of Uzbekistan. These tickets are hard to get since many tour operators are buying them all and cancel the ones which they do not use for their customers. 
In less then then 2 hours I arrived at Samarkand railway station. At the exit of the station a lady approached me enthusiastic. It was one of the Japanese ladies which who I shared the taxi in Bukhara. She couldn't speak English so with Google Translate she told me that she would feel more comfortable to share a taxi with someone "familiar", so we did. The taxi driver drove first to her hotel and after dropping her off to my hostel.
In Samarkand I stayed at Registan Hostel. A nice small hostel on a perfect location. It was another type of hostel then the one I stayed in Bukhara, but Samarkand is not Bukhara. In Bukhara the touristic sights are concentrated around the old town, while Samarkand is a big city and the sights are spread around the city.
From the hostel I went first to Gur e Amir, which is the mausoleum of Amir Timur. Amir Timur was was a Turco - Mongol conqueror who founded the Timurid Empire where Samarkand was the capital. 
A historical fact: The Curse of Timur is the rumor that the tomb of Timur is cursed such that whoever disturbs it will face a calamity. A popular version of the story of the curse holds that when Soviet anthropologists opened the tomb in June 1941, they found an inscription saying that whoever opened it would unleash an invader worse than him. Less than a week after the tomb was opened, Hitler began the invasion of the Soviet Union, leading many people to believe that it was caused by the curse. In addition, the Soviet victory in the Battle of Stalingrad has been credited to the curse being broken by Timur getting an Islamic reburial about one month before the victory in the battle.
After dinner it was time for the light show at the Registan Entering the Registan is not free, but in front of the Registan there is a viewing platform. I planned to visit the Registan the next day so came to the viewing platform to see the light show. Once arrived, I got a message from Arseni. He was also in Samarkand, arrived very early in the morning and was also at the Registan viewing platform so we met each other again and enjoyed the light show.
After the light show Arseni went back to his hotel. I walked around to find some pubs. The best pub I found was Blues Bar. At the bar I made a new friend, Ivan from Russia. He was going to work as a tour guide in these countries and was here to explore/learn the sights which he will guide. After some beers we agreed to meet up the next day.
As agreed, the next morning we met up and went to the Registan. The Registan is an area with 3 madrasas: The Ulugh Beg Madrasa, The Sher-Dor Madrasah and The Tilya-Kori Madrasah.
First we visit the Ulugh Beg Madrasa. This was decorated with astronomical mosaics. Ulu Beg was an astronomer and this Madrasah was the learning center of learning. Then we went to the Sher-Dor Madrasah, which means Madrassah with Lions. When we were entering, a familiar person was exiting, Rie from Japan. It looks like all travelers has a specific route and we see each other on this path.. At the end we visit the Tilya-Kori Madrasah. Beside of a learning center, this Madrasah was containing also a mosque.
It was pleasant that I met Ivan and beside pleasant, he was a tour guide, so got a better view on the visited sights. From the Registan Square we took a taxi to the next sight, the Shah-i-Zinda. I thought that after Bukhara I would not see an Islamic complex like that anymore. I was wrong.. For sure the Shah-i-Zinda is the most fabulous Islamic site I ever saw. Shah-i-Zinda means The Living King and has more then twenty buildings and all of them had different and impressive mosaic decorations.
We spent about 2 hours to have a detailed visit in all the buildings. When we were finished it was time for lunch. We were invited by friends of Ivan at a traditional Uzbek restaurant which was famous under the locals. We met them at the restaurant and introduced each other. The friend of Ivan was Anastasia, a Russian lady. Her Husband was Faruk and he was from Kazakhstan. They were living in Samarkand so both of them were "foreigners" with a good company we had our heavy lunch. We ate the Uzbek Plov, which I tried earlier but at this restaurant it was prepared much better then the one before. When we finished the lunch and drinks, we said goodby to them and continued our sightseeing tour.
We arrived to the Bibi Hanim Mosque. From the inner parts the Mosque is still under restoration. From outside it is quite restored and like all outer buildings we visit, a lot of mosaic, blue domes and a courtyard. In the middle of the courtyard is located the stone pedestal, the huge Quran stand, crafted from ornate marble blocks. This remarkable sight originates from the time of Timur.
Our remaining time we spend at a bazaar which was behind the mosque complex. Then the time arrived that we had to separate our paths. As part of his "training", Ivan was going to join an organized city tour. For me the time arrived that had to go slowly to the hostel. I walked trough the suburbs and streets of Samarkand and walked slowly to the hostel. I had already checked out and left my luggage at the reception. I picked up my luggage and took a taxi to the railway station to travel back to Tashkent. This time the train was just a regular coupe with normal speed. The trip took approximately 3 hours.
Arrived at Tashkent it was another exhausting day so again knock out at the hotel...
This featured blog entry was written by sadikdeger from the blog Central Asia 2024.
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