After leaving Nukus another long drive across desert (via some ancient forts) to Khiva. It is reputed to have been founded by Shem, son of Noah! Anyway it later became a central city of the Silk road and later an infamous sllave market . Now its old city is preserved and is a nice place to walk around.
Toprak Qala fort, originally Zoroastrian and more than 2000 years old.
Another view of Toprak Qala. You might be able to see some of the salting which has occurred since the Aral Sea disaster.
View from our hotel in Khiva - actually a graveyard.
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Malika Khiva Hotel.
The gardening gang in the square in front of the hotel.
Map of the central part of the Silk Road
One of many carved columns, mostly elm wood and some hundreds of years old.
The main street, showing the blue tiled unfinished minaret. Usual story - architect heard he would be killed when he finished so he ran away.
Fur hats are all the go in Khiva and at the moment although the days are sunny there is an icy wind.
Girls embroidering silk thread on cotton. they are part of the Silk carpet project documented in A Carpet ride to Khiva by Christopher Aslan Alexander - A book I recommend.
Interior of the oldest mosque in Khiva.
Knitted slippers
I do not know what "pinch" is.
The ceiling of one of the Khan's wives rooms in the harem.
Plenty of beautiful tiling everywhere,
Electrical repairs while you wait.
Tonight we tried Uzbek red wine and it is drinkable at $2 a bottle although ours did not come complete with corkscrew like some.
Loving all the tile work. And the knitted slippers. Could have done with the fur hat 3 weeks ago in France.
ReplyDeleteI imagine the eyebrow pinch would be tweezing. Did you consider getting your hair painted?
ReplyDeleteDid the fur hat guy also sell spectacles/sunnies?
The columns in that mosque are amazing.
Actually everything is amazing!
What a stunning country. Love the tiling and would have loved to have seen the girls finished pieces of the silk on cotton.
ReplyDelete