Seeing History At The Fergana Museum Of Local Lore

Small town museums in Uzbekistan are the best. No fancy, digital, laser, interactive gee-whiz displays. Just good old Soviet-era dioramas and displays about hard work, animals, the glory of building a strong nation.

Exterior of the Local Lore museum. "Should we go in and get our minds blown?"

The museum has a handful of dioramas, a mix of animal, human, and natural. Cute animals in profile, poking their big noses from the side of the frame look cool.

Drippy. It's nice to see that anything can be made into a diorama. Can't visit the Chil-Ustun caves in nearby Kyrgyzstan? Local Lore brings the caves to you!

Working with your hands never goes out of style, from stone age man to Silk Road man.

Cotton is king in the Fergana Valley. If you forget what the crop looks like or where your whole family works, the museum is there to remind you.

Hamid And Zulfiya Olimjon Museum In Jizzakh, Uzbekistan

Jizzakh is home to a powerhouse couple of Uzbek writing and poetry, Hamid and Zulfiya Olimjon. Hamid is a biggie of modern, Soviet era literature. Tragically, he died in a car accident when he was 34 years old. His wife, Zulfiya, was a writer and editor and she lived long enough to see Uzbekistan's independence. Jizzakh now has a museum dedicated to their lives.

Exterior, replicating the iconic, Silk Road era madrasa architecture.

The main gallery, a little short on enticing stuff. Book writing doesn't leave a lot behind for a blockbuster museum show. Hamid portrait. And radiator.

Books and a few personal effects. And another radiator.

Your Portrait Here. You've arrived when they put you on a vase. Gathering everything. Suzani quilt, dutor instrument, a koran, decorative plates and adorable boy painting.

Picnic preaching. Loving the cotton bale seating arrangement, a Central Asian version of the classic cowboy campfire setup in old Hollywood movies.