 |
| The first Heathrow group - Ruth, Chris, Trisha, Julie, Maggie, Jan and Carla. |
So - to begin. I traveled to, and toured Uzbekistan with Isha and Aahilya Holidays for a month. We traveled with 2 groups, one 23 March to 7th April and the next one 7th to 22nd April. So I had the privilege of visiting each venue and experience twice. There were 14 guest in each group. From the UK, Australia and New Zealand. They were fabulous groups, we had such a great time.
We traveled by coach, airplane, car and train. Each different type of transport offered us a different view of the country.
We all flew into Tashkent, with flights coming in from all over, it took a while for everyone to arrive. Everyone was met at the airport when they arrived and transferred to our very comfortable hotel. On the first night we ate in our hotel, a lot of the guests were tired from traveling. This dinner was important as we met our wonderful guide Khurshid. Little did we know when we first met him he would be instrumental in making this fascinating tour even more wonderful.
After that, all our evening meals were in different restaurants, wherever we were staying.
 |
| Abul Kasim Madrassah |
On our fist day we visited several attractions in Tashkent. It was a Mosque, Madrassah & Minaret Day!! Our first visit was to Abul Kasim Madrassah. A madrassah is an educational institution, usually specialising in Islamic religious instruction. The ground floor level is where the students study and the they sleep upstairs. The madrasah now houses the National Centre of Applied Arts. You can watch craftsmen work. There are skilled
embroiderers: carpets, shawls, scarves, bags. We watched a craftsman painting a miniature and there was another who created beautiful metal covered boxes.
 |
| We squeezed into the small room to see the exquisite miniatures a few at a time. |
 |
| Looking over the Masters shoulder as he worked |
 |
| The lid of a beautiful metal covered box |
 |
| Even the doors were fascinating |
After the madrassah it was back on the coach to visit Khast Iman Square. Our fist taste of the blue tiles, the wonder of all the decoration and the huge archways. It was breathtaking.
 |
| Hasrat Iman Square |
We visited The Hazrat Iman Mosque within the square. My goodness, we had no idea of what we would see. Such exquisite painted ceilings, so very, very beautiful. We were starting to understand what was in store for us on the rest of the trip.
 |
Hasrat Imam Mosque |
 |
| The entrance room |
 |
| The inside or 'intrado' of the huge domed ceiling |
 |
| The group starting to understand the depth of our guide Khurshid's knowledge |
 |
| You have to remove your shoes when entering a mosque, it was a wonderful to feel the thick silk carpet under your feet. | |
Next we hopped back on the coach and visited the Chorsu Bazzar. It was packed. The ground floor sells meat and the upstairs sells everything else. Spices, bread, dried fruit, more sweets than you have seen in your life. As well as wonderful embroidered bags, ikat scarves, suzani jackets. It was fascinating watching everyone going about their business.
 |
| One of the domes of Chorsu Bazzar |
 |
| We watched bread being made and baked |
 |
| Khurshid explaining to the group about 'One Day' bread |
 |
| There must have been at least a hundred stalls selling prices and herbs. |
The dried fruit stalls were quite beautiful. Most of the the fruit was preserved in sugar . . The hustle and bustle of the bazaar was a great experience. It was a great opportunity for people watching. And that just the first morning . . .
More tomorrow.
x x x
Comments
Post a Comment