DAY 26, SAMARKAND (REST DAY)

16^th June 2013

I had breakfast with Jeremy and Brentt at the guest house, and later, went for sightseeing together. We started with Registan, the most significant attraction in this most important Silk Road city. The buildings and the architecture were impressive, especially the mosque in the complex which had a golden decoration on the wall. There were also three famous medressas in this complex which had seen some important Uzbek educators studying and teaching there.

Registan...Jewel of the Central Asia's crown...
Can u spot a man cleaning the minaret?

Almost all attractions in Samarkand came with an entrance fee, being the priciest was Regsitan. After done with Registan, we went to Bibi Khanym Mosque, who was the wife to one of the most important 14th century ruler during the golden time, Amir Timur.  I was having some pain on my toes and couldn’t walk very fast to explore the ground.



Bibi Khanym Mausoleum 

I lost the two guys, but never mind, as I found Siob Bazaar nearby and took my own sweet time exploring it. It was a very interesting bazaar which you can find almost everything related to food and house hold items.

Dried fruits and nuts.....a must take home to enjoy with family and friends

Then, I made my way to Prophet Danial’s Mausoleum. It was a long walk and my toes were aching. Besides, after riding for so long, you tend to get lazy to walk. Fortunately, someone gave me a lift, so I didn’t have to walk very far. The prophet’s sarcophagus was 18m long. An elderly man inside the mausoleum will read some versus from the Holy Quran while all the visitors kept quiet and paid their respects.

The sarcophagus was 18m long

Then, I walked back to where I came from (this time no one gave me a lift), stopping a while to visit Hazrat-Hizr Mosque and the Afrosiab site. My aching toes didn’t permit me to walk further to Shah E Zinda, so I headed back to the guest house.

Hazrat-Hizr Mosque - the most beautiful in Samarkand

It was already 5pm then, and I spent the rest of the day resting in my room. Actually, there was another very important Islamic site to visit in Samarkand – the tomb of Imam Bukhari (we always read hadith which ended with Riwayat Bukhari & Muslim.....Yes, he’s the one). Unfortunately, it was located out of the city and the communication problem disabled me to find the way which was not listed in Lonely Planet guide book. The guest house owner who spoke some English also didn’t know the way either :(

p/s: A more detailed story about my journey will be told in my upcoming book. More beautiful pics of course. STAY TUNED.....