See Samarkand and die: we do not wish ourselves such a tragic end, but the splendor of the Timurid dynasty invites grandiloquent aspirations. It’s hard not to be captivated on the Place du Régistan, where two medersas (Koranic schools) and a mosque face each other. This Uzbek city of more than 400,000 inhabitants is dotted with grandiose monuments, most of them well restored and enhanced.
Large cobbled paths lead to other architectural gems, built between the 14th and 19th centuries. Mausoleums, mosques or even museums are always surrounded by an open square that allows you to admire all the facets of these architectural gems.
Discover our series Silk RoadsShanghai-Paris, the great start of the adventureBy train from Xi’an to DunhuangXinjiang, at the steps of the empireSilk Roads: through Central AsiaSilk Roads: the splendours of Uzbekistan
To see Samarkand is to immerse yourself in the elsewhere, in space but also in time. We could navigate through different eras, all closely or remotely linked to all population movements, energized by the commercial exchanges of the Silk Roads. But one period trumps all others: that of Tamerlane, known here as Amir Temur.
The conqueror made Samarkand his capital in the 14th century. He succeeded in pushing back the limits of his territory from the Mediterranean to northern India and had sumptuous monuments built in his city, which were to leave him largely with his reputation for the splendor of Central Asia.
Over the course of his conquests, the warrior, who built up a reputation as a fierce victor, brought in craftsmen from all over his territory as far as Damascus. A know-how that is immediately felt when discovering the Bibi-Khanoun mosque, one of the largest of its time, or the site of Chah-e-Zindeh, avenue of mausoleums, adorned with blue and turquoise mosaics, which contrast with ocher bricks. Work in stone – including marble –, wood with splendid ornate posts or even metal, the slightest detail betrays a high level of refinement.
The city’s recent developments pay homage to this past splendour, which remains largely unknown according to the tourists we meet on our way. It must be said that the season does not lend itself to discoveries. Summer is the period of high heat and, as in the desert part that we crossed in China, we adapt our rhythm to the 35 degrees in the shade by going out in the morning and at the end of the day, when the afternoon is devoted to rest.
The cities of Bukhara and Khiva, which prolong this enchanted historical and architectural parenthesis, raise the thermometer even further. Less connected and less endowed with a heritage of stones, they knock us out with heat. Their sandy streets, sometimes deserted, would make a perfect Western setting.
But they continue to take us on this journey, because it is without difficulty that we immerse ourselves again in the discovery of religious monuments, old residences or bazaars, in this world of conquering hordes, merchant crowds, crowded markets, of convincing sermons… A time when each century brought its share of new dominations. Greeks, Romans, Persians, Arabs, Turks, Mongols… the influences were multiple and collided geographies.
A contemporary map reminds us of the eminently desert character of the region and the proximity of Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. The maps distilled in the various museums project us into another reality. The center of the world is suddenly located here, in this forgotten point of contemporary news, where many pages of history were written, at a time when humanity had built a real point of influence there. The observatory of Ulugh Beg, grandson of Tamerlane and eminent mathematician and astronomer, reveals, for example, the intellectual aura that Samarkand may have had.
We have to manage some frustration with so much barely touched knowledge. We are, above all, passing through. Furtive visitors, barely tourists. We have a specific goal: to reach Paris according to a defined schedule. We stammered, not without shame, barely three words of Russian, surprisingly more useful than Uzbek for the usual greetings.
In this former Soviet socialist republic, the teaching of Tolstoy’s language still prevails in schools throughout the territory, while the population is divided between areas speaking Uzbek, Tajik, Kazakh and even more. other languages. The call of the destination prevails and we have to get back on the road without wandering around as much as we would have liked.
Stars and mosaics in our eyes, we hang up our hats as amazed half-tourists. Our next stop will be the last in Central Asia: Aktau, on the shores of the Caspian Sea. No direct connections from Khiva.
We will therefore have to embark on a three-day journey before reaching our goal. Two buses, two trains and a long day of waiting to breathe the sea air in western Kazakhstan. We will then be ready to reach the Caucasus, like another giant step towards Europe.
