BUDDHIST RELICS AND SUFI TOMBS - Tashkent and Termez, Uzbekistan

............previously, a world away on the beach in tropical Thailand.............

After spending the winter in Thailand and Malaysia, and not doing anything particularly adventurous, we were chomping at the bit to get back on the road. We chose one of our favourite areas in the world to travel to next - Central Asia. Our third time in the area, we hoped to see more of the seemingly never ending exotic attractions held there. 

Fayaz Tepe, Termez, Uzbekistan

The cheapest way to arrive in Central Asia from South East Asia is on the classic Kuala Lumpur to Tashkent route with Uzbekistan Airways. A popular flight due it being direct and relatively cheap, it has to be said, it does fall rather short on service. We were particularly amused towards the beginning of the flight when a stern-faced female crewmember pulled a bag of pillows from the back of the plane, and brusquely marched to the front throwing them out willynilly along the aisle- those who weren't quick enough to request one were left without. The blankets followed in a similar style. We had to sneak back and grab ourselves some supplies when the scary ladies weren't looking! However, the huge amount of delicious food served balanced out the nonchalance from aircrew. 

With the beautiful snowy mountains of the Tien Shan range below us, we made a dreadfully turbulent descent through the heavy cloud into Tashkent, which saw Sal with her face in a paper bag, and left us pathetic upon arrival. She should have re-thought those two red wines during dinner. The immigration officer cheered us up, with a typically friendly Uzbek welcome., and we managed to collect our bags, change money, and negotiate an overpriced taxi amongst the scrum (well, all of 60,000/£4). 

We enjoy Tashkent as a city- we've visited several times before. On this occasion we didn't have any urgent need to see all the sights before rushing off to another place. We could therefore appreciate wandering the grand city centre with it's wide avenues, grand white public buildings, and giant statues dedicated to past heroes, and memorials to lost soldiers from various wars. 

Sal dwarfed by memorial statue, rebuilding after 1966 earthquake

Exploring fantastic markets with early season produce (most interestingly for us, the strawberries!) was a must, as was making use of the most beautiful metro system we have ever seen. 

Giant radishes, Chorsu Bazaar, Tashkent

Attractive dome on Chorsu Bazaar, Tashkent

Our favourite!

Working hard for the bread, Chorsu Bazaar, Tashkent

Spices galore, Chorsu Bazaar, Tashkent

Glory of the underground, metro, Tashkent

Toshkent metro station art

We sought out shady city parks and canals with greenery springing into life, smelling glorious with new flowers, and back streets lined with mulberry trees (took full advantage of those!).

Typically clean Tashkent park

Spring green in Tashkent

A quite moment in Tashkent park

Another pastime was visiting several of the Soviet-era funky, retro buildings the city is famous for, and that we absolutely adore (Sal somewhat more than Rich!). Tashkent TV tower was a new one for us- for a couple of pounds we took a lift to the bulgy middle part to gaze at the 360 degree view of the city. But the exterior was the high point, the tower appearing as a long-legged alien peering over the city.

Cool design, Tashkent TV Tower

Monument to the industry involved in rebuilding the city after the 1966 earthquake

Classic Soviet-ear Hotel Uzbekistan, Tashkent

Mosaic with Uzbek themes

Part of the view from Tashkent TV Tower

If you'd like a more in-depth look at Tashkent's wonders, our blogs from our 2017 trip and 2019 trip have loads more information, history and photos. 

More art around Tashkent city

Our first choice of accommodation was slightly dodgy, so we switched to a bright and spacious hostel with spanking new rooms, and a great communal area. One difference from our previous visits, was the large number of Russians in the city, both tourists and ex-pats looking for a place to set up their businesses and escape the issues of sanctions. As in many other countries, especially ex-Soviet countries, this influx has caused the costs of rooms and apartments to rise. 

We were looking forward to our initial long distance train trip, we have had such great experiences in the past in Central Asia. This one was a little different, as the train itself was quite narrow, and our two upper bunks were snug to say the least. Luckily, the trip was overnight, so after we were given our white sheets and towel by the attendant, we climbed up and pretty much slept the entire way. Before the late morning arrival in Termez, we made ourselves a coffee from the omnipresent samovar at the end of the carriage and had a bite to eat. A brave young mother who spoke English quizzed us on our back story, and everyone else in the carriage crowded around to hear us speaking. The scenery out the window, of the Qashqadaryo and Surkhandarya regions of Southern Uzbekistan was otherworldly- stark, small, green treeless hills, and shepherds in padded coats against the early morning cold herding their sheep, goats and cows. Wild poppies and other wildflowers dotted the countryside. As we came closer to Termez, a more agricultural landscape appeared, basic houses with mud barns, and fruit orchards. 

Squishy, yet comfortable a sleep, Tashkent to Termez train, Uzbekistan

Having no idea whatsoever what to expect form the deepest southern town of Termez, we were somewhat surprised to find a prosperous, clean place with a modern town centre, lined with mulberry trees staining the footpaths with their squashed red fruit. Public transport was excellent, there were plenty of food options, and a small market had all the essentials we needed. Our family guesthouse wasn't perfect, but we had been happy to find somewhere affordable in a quite expensive (for accommodation) city. 

Train depot, Termez

Cute little one at Termez guesthouse

Elderly Termez resident

We spent our week in Termez slowly discovering some gems and ancient monuments- all on the outskirts of the town. We became quite good at finding the right marshrutka (minibuses) to take us where we wanted to go, thus avoiding walking in the shadeless streets in the hot sun. Even though it was still April, and temperatures further north had been nicely warm, here, near the Afghan border, it was already blazing. Summer must be unbearable. Luckily there was the highest concentration of ice cream shops we have yet to come across- and that's in a country that loves ice cream and produces some of the best.

No crossing into Afghanistan, Termez border

To try to get a handle on the most complicated of histories (it's the same everywhere in Central Asia), we started in the renowned Archaeological Museum. Apart from some lights not working, it was a wonderfully presented building, with beautifully displayed items, clearly labelled and set out in order of eras. We were able to sort out what we wanted to visit, and where things fitted in in the whole scheme of things. We have to say, though, sometimes museums' descriptions of their artefacts really are bollocks. Is it really possible to know what a clay vessel from the 7th century would be used for? For example the exhibits labelled " A dish for raisons" or " A vessel for feeding birds". There seems to be a lot of guesswork going on. Just when we thought we were finished, the museum attendant opened a vaulted room downstairs full of fabulous gold and silver jewellery and coins. Stunning!

Lovely broken pot, Termez Museum

Buddha image from Fayaz-Tepe site, Termez Museum (not our pic)

Head of an unknown woman (with moustache), Termez Museum

There has been a settlement in Termez since Alexandra the Great's time- included in the Graeco-Bactrian's empire, that also incorporated Afghanistan. Over the centuries, nomadic Turks and Indian Buddhists and  Arabs were also dominant culturally forces, and amazingly, there is still some remnants of that in today's Termez. The city became strong and prosperous around the 10th century, and two of the best sights for us were the Sultan Saodat complex and Al Hakkim at Termezi Mausoleum which both supposedly date from that time.

The 1200's saw Termez, like so many other Silk Road cities being razed by the Mongols, and it wasn't until the 14th century, that the city rose again. After the peak of Timur's reign came the Russians in the 19th century.....and that is a very abridged version of the extremely complicated history of Termez!

Friendly crowd, Kirk Kiz Fortress, Termez

The earliest monuments on our list to see were that of the Buddhist ruins of Fayaz Tepe and Zurmala Stupa. In a stark, desert-y environment, the Fayaz Tepe stupa was initially visually stunning with it's rounded dome, but apart from some remnants of monks quarters, there wasn't an awful lot at the site to visit. Most of it had been covered with modern mud, presumably to save any more erosion from the weather, but it left the overall effect a bit uninteresting. It's one of those places that is more impressive when one thinks of its age (supposedly 1st century), and tries to imagine it still containing the precious items we had seen in the museum .

The stark Fayaz Tepe site, Termez

A glimpse into the monastery, Fayaz Tepe, Termez

Fayaz Tepe site in Termez

Nearby, the fantastically massive Zurmala Stupa was reached via a walk through a barley field to the middle of a farm, and we were lucky to catch it in the process of being covered with the protective layer, thus seeing both the old and new versions. 

Trying to find the path to Zurmala Stupa, Termez

The old and new versions of Zurmala Stupa, Termez

An extremely persistent, to the point of irritating, guide found us at these sights, and although we immediately politely declined his services, he launched into a spiel about why we should utilise his employments. After saying no several times, we walked up the road, with him following us in his car, stopping and starting constantly for about 20 minutes. His unrelenting stamina was impressive, on par with what we had experienced in India- it's been a while since we had to deal with such a person.

Counter-balancing this was an encounter with a strange but extremely friendly round man who greeted us on a dusty path near the barley field, and insisted we come to his house for tea. His wife seemed to take the arrival of two peculiar foreigners into her home in her stride, and began filling the table with sweets, tea, plov, potatoes, salad and bread. The kids were giggly and shy, and no one spoke a word of English. We sat with them for a while, enjoying being in their humble home, complete with a few farm animals in the mix, then left to make our way back to Termez. 

Hospitable man we met near Zurmala Stupa, Termez

Old Termez and the Al-Hakkim at-Termezi complex were sites from the early Islamic era, and on the day we visited it happened to be Eid al-Fitr, the end of Ramadan. It was a brilliant time to be there- there were large crowds, everyone was in a celebratory mood, and happy to sit with us, chat in limited English and take multitudes of photos. We greatly enjoyed the vibe. The mausoleum was also interesting. As usual in Central Asia, the entry requirements to the holy place were very casual- ladies were not wearing any head coverings and Richard was welcomed inside despite wearing shorts and a sleeveless top. We watched the crowd move into a decorative room where a holy man said a short prayer, move on to visit the grave of the revered Sufi mystic in another room, then all file outside again. It was cool and relaxing to sit and watch. The fact that the entrance fee was waivered due to the holiday was a bonus!

Interior of Al-Hakkim Mausoleum, Termez

Praying in the shadows, Al-Hakkim Mausoleum, Termez

The grave of Al-Hakkim, Termez

We took advantage of these folks family photo arrangement

Local teacher on a school excursion

Beautiful devotee 

Man with Uzbek hat, Termez

Sultan Saodat was built after the Mongol raids, by the Termezi Sayyids, a powerful clan said to be descendants of the Prophet Muhammad. It was 600 years in the making and was outwardly quite plain. Consisting of a long street, lined on either side with many layers and rooms, it kind of reminded us of  Shar-i-Zinda in Samarkand, but without all the bling! Apparently, the original building would have covered with the same brightly coloured tiles, but nowadays, only one surface remained decorated. There was hardly a soul in sight when we visited, except some kind of caretaker asleep in the shade. We enjoyed the peace and quiet, before heading back into town in the blazing sun on a dusty back road.

Decorative front of Sultan Saodat, Termez

Venturing upstairs, Sultan Saodat, Termez

Steep stairs, Sultan Saodat, Termez

Muslim graveyard with small hills of dried mud, Termez

One dark fact about Termez was the apparently terrible drivers. In two days we saw four quite major traffic accidents, right in the centre of town- in one we actually witnessed a mum and toddler narrowly missing being mowed down on the footpath. Another point of interest for us was Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr (the end of the fasting) in particular. We hadn't really noticed Ramadan was taking place since we had arrived in Uzbekistan, due to much of the population not observing the fasting. Central Asia Muslims are like that- very practical and casual about their faith. It seems to us, that the most important part of Islam (or any religion, or life) of treating others kindly and humanely is the element that is most certainly followed everywhere in Central Asia. We realized it was the end of the fasting with our trip to Al Hakkim Mausoleum, and saw a few shops were closed (like the coffee van). We were amused to see the grog shops still open and busy during that period!

A spiritual tree with material tied, Kirk Kiz, Termez

Shy girls, Al-Hakkim Mausoleum, Termez

Archway at Kirk Kiz Fortress, Termez

.......coming up, a bit more Uzbekistan, and more of Central Asia..........