We went to watch an Eagle hunting show. The eagle hunter (left) with his student posing with his eagles.

 

The hunter proudly shows off one of his eagles. During the hunting season, hunters with their eagles will be perched on a mountain. When a prey is spotted, the hunter removes the hood off the eagle's eyes and he will swoop down to catch the prey. Treats are usually given the birds to let the prey off.

Hunting dogs are also used to retrieve prey. 

Ala Acha National Park in Kakazhstan is located in the Tian Shan Mountains which are also in Xinjiang.

This shot is taken from the elevated cable car station 

Samani Mausoleum, named after Ismail Samani, was built in the 10th Century C E for the resting place of the powerful and influential Samani Dymasty. There are three burials there, one of whom is known to be Nasr ll. 

Chashma-Ayub Mausoleum in Bukhara is located near Samani Mausoleum. Its name means Job's Well for legend has it that Job visited the place, struck the ground with his staff and water came forth. To date, the water is still pure and considered healing. The current building was constructed during Temur's reign and is deemed uncommon in Bukhara for its Khwarazm style conical cone. 

Bolo Hauz Mosque was built in 1712 on the opposite side of the Citadel of Ark in Registan district. It was used a Friday Mosque during the time when the Emir of Bukhara was subjugated under Bolshevik Russian rule in the 1920's.

Minaret of the mosque used for the call to prayer

A portico of the Citadel of Ark which was a massive fortress.

Much of the Ark Fortress was destroyed when the Russians invaded Uzbekistan. In the background is the Old Town of Bukhara. 

At least, the citadel was brightened up by Vazira (our guide), 
shown here with Chong.

The old town of Bukhara, featuring the Poi-Kalyn Minaret, as seen from the Ark Fortress.

Aziz Khan Madrassa, one of the renowned Bukhara madrassas.

 

I chanced on this Uzbek guide in his traditional costume with a sword to add. My guide informed me that his name is Genghis Khan,

Poi-Kalyn Complex is made up of the Poi-Kalyn Minaret, the Poi-Kalyn Mosque and the Mir-i-Arab Madrassa which currently serves as an institution of Islamic Studies. The minaret functioned as a lighthouse of sorts with lights leading caravans on the Silk Road to it. It is a centre piece of Islamic architecture in Bukhara and has been accorded recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  

Ulugh Beg Madrassa in Bukhara

Magok-i-Attari Mosque is a part of the ensemble of Lyabi Hauz.

Labi Hovus Restaurant is highly-rated in Old Town of Bukhara. Located next the pond of the Lyabi Hauz Ensemble, it attracts lots of diners daily. The food served is excellent and the service staff are very friendly and efficient. As we lodged nearby, we visited twice and found nothing to be desired.

Sarbast Beer, locally brewed, has won two international medals. I found out in Uzbekistan that beer comes filtered or unfiltered. Filtered beer suits our palate, I reckon. The potato wedges went well with Sarbast too.

Two kebabs - the one on top is beef and that below is mutton patty, Go well with beer. You may notice that Uzbeks consume lots of raw onion.

Sitora-i-Mokhikhosa is the summer residence of the former Emir of Bukhara

Built on sprawling compounds, today it serves as a museum for appreciating Russian architecture mixed with local adornments. This hall is filled with glazed tiles

An antique European clock blends well with the decorated wall.

Motifs here are largely European (Russian) in appearance.

Bibi-Khanym Mosque, named after Temur's favourite wife, was intended to be the Chief Friday Mosque of Samarkand, When it was  commissioned in 1404, the intended capacity was to be 10,000 worshippers. However, because of the rushed construction and materials used that pushed the architectural and engineering protocols of the time, the mosque began to deteriorate and parts of the structure crumbled away. Thus the aim could not be realized and it had to be abandoned. Today, it has been heavily restored and serves as an open air museum.  

Cute lovely Uzbek pottery that adorn the courtyard of the Old Bukhara Resraurant

 

A modern mobile Tandoori oven adds to the efficiency in bread-making?

Plov-a-la Old Bukhara Restaurant. It's vegetarian and the strips are yellow carrots. More details of Plov will come in a later post.

Mausoleum of the 14th Century Sufi saint Bahal al-Din Naqshband, founder of what became one of the largest Sufi Sunni orders, the Naqshbandi.

How Naan is prepared where the dough surface is indented before baking to ensure better baking. Naan is a critical part of Uzbek cuisine. We had some from this batch for our lunch.

Potter at work where we stopped for lunch on the way from Bukhara to Samarkand.

A caravanserai which has been preserved. They are common in the Silk Road and some have been converted to hotels too.

 The first pub in Pub Street, Samarkand, where we went to top up beer and pub grub,

The pub grub served here is skewered and heated up when ordered. Not to put on more, we opted for vegetables with an abundance of raw onions. 

A schematic of the empire of Emir Temur, the founder of Uzbekistan.

A genealogy of the Timurid Family. One of his 9th generation great-grandsons, Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, built the Taj Mahal in Agra, India. The influence of Uzbek architecture can be seen in the Taj Mahal.

The golden niche in which Emir Temur is interred.

A golden dome in the mausoleum,

Shot taken in the inner courtyard of the Gur Emir (mausoleum of the great Emir Temur aka Tamerlane).

Registon (Registan) Square is a historic public square in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. It's renowned for its ensemble of three madrassas - Ulugh Beg Madrassa from the Timurid period, and the Shardar and Tilakari (Tillyakori) Madrassas built during the Janid dynasty. People gathered in the square to hear public royal proclamations and witness public executions. It was the hub of the Timurid Renaissance. Considered one of the most magnificent examples of Islamic architecture, it is listed as a World Heritage site.

 

 The Shardar Madrassa is on the right side of the square

The Tillya Kori Madrassa is in the centre.

The Ulugh Beg Madrassa is on the left side of the square. 

An opulent dome from one of the madrassas.

An equally opulent golden alcove. When it comes to places of worship, people are willing to donate their money. This reminds me of the golden stupa of the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon. 

  

At various times throughout the day, people will gather at the square to dance or perform like this group of dancers. 

This market place is called Siyob Bazaar 

Plov (Pilaf Rice) is akin to the national dish of Uzbekistan, available too in other Central Asian countries. Cooked with meat (usually mutton or beef). spices, oil or fat, yellow carrots and other vegetables, it is served with salads. I feel it to be a milder version of Nasi Briyani. Plov is recognized by UNESCO under Intangible World Heritage. 

I happened to catch this vendor cooking Plov near Siyob Bazaar. Just look at his wok (frying pan).  Imagine how many portions he's cooking at one time,

Our favourite street in Samarkand to quench our thirst plus hunger. Several pubs line both sides.

The Green Bear Bar is more a pub than a bar. It is a nice place to down a few pints and pub grub.

Without checking our order properly, we ended up with this chicken overload. There's not enough space to put this in after a few pints!