Bukhara's Mighty Ark

No, Noah did not leave his ark in Bukhara. Or his heart in San Francisco. Is that a thing? The Ark, capital A, is the icon of Bukhara, a moundy, hulking, walled pile of a fortress in the middle of town. It looks like a leftover movie set from a sword and sandal epic. The Ark dates a little before celluloid, about the 6th century. What's left, rebuilt, reimagined, erected for tourists is what dates to about the 16th century onward.

No, this photograph has not been stretched. The wall of the Ark, greeting another morning.

The imposing entryway. As late as 1920, approximately 3,000 people lived upon the Ark. Outrageous woodwork and painting inside the Jome mosque.

The Kurinesh Khana, a throne hall in a courtyard. Have a seat, snap something for Instagram. Oh, all the textiles are for sale.

The stable area behind the entryway gate. Plenty of artifacts fill the buildings, including royal wear, definitely on the Royal side of style. Bling!

Looking toward old Bukhara from the back of the restored section of the Ark. Only a small percentage of the grounds has been restored, something that comes into perspective when seeing the vast expanse of the still ruined, fallow land atop the fortress.

Figuring It Out At The Polytechnical Museum

The Polytechnical Museum in Tashkent is all things transport. Old Soviet cars, new Chevrolets, now built in Uzbekistan. In one corner of the place, a curious collection of miniature figures, interacting with various mid last century buses, trolleys, cars. There are some nice touches of ikat fashion, newspaper reading.

Squint a little and the figures turn into Edward Hopper scenes.

Tree Hacking In Tashkent

In the winter, many trees along the main avenues and in parks are trimmed. With, what looks like, a circular saw.

Severe hat-racking commences.

Muslim Kamolon Cemetery In Tashkent

Cemeteries are great places to get a hint at a culture's taste, how the dead are buried, what are believed to be important attributes for eternity. Maybe the Soviet style of burial is your thing. Muslims have their own style, a little overlap with the Soviets, a little unique.

At Kamolon cemetery, an understated mausoleum in the center of the property.

Inside the mausoleum, a simple set of tombs. Grave etchings are common, similar to Soviet style markers. Bonus points for cramming Mecca into your tableau.

An overview of the cemetery.

One unique feature of a Muslim graveyard is the presence of mud mounds. They mostly look new and recently formed, a sign of constant upkeep and maintenance of the graves.

A power couple.

Non-Animal Attractions At The Tashkent Zoo

When you're bored with looking at the animals at the zoo, find other diversions, preferably with bright colors. 

Kiddie car ride.

Can toss. Detail of the sculpture at the entrance.

The swing ride.

Real tree, fake leaves. Chinese warrior on a bouncy slide.

Balloon bust.

Getting Cagey At The Tashkent Zoo

They've done what they could in making (believe) the cages at the Tashkent Zoo look like natural environments. Maybe natural is a stretch. Some fake rocks and a paint job are more fun than a white box. 

Sweet touch with the birds flying through.

The painted desert in a terrarium. Heat pipes in the back.

Coyote house.

Doors of mystery.

Hippo tank.

Terrible Pictures Of Beautiful Animals At The Tashkent Zoo

It's a weird dichotomy at zoos. Exotic animals are more accessible than in the wild, yet the environments are awful. Nice animals, bad backgrounds. Or, maybe, great.

Hairy camel.

Fuzzy monkey. Fuzzy coyote.

Lazing lion.

Soft hippo. Tortoises.

Hungry yak.

Uncooperative goats. Flexing lions.

Lizards, somewhere.