The House Of The Poet G'afur G'ulom

You've read his great works, Shum Bola and Yodgor. No? Neither have James and Sarah. But visited his grand house, now a museum? Yes!

Uzbekistan is big on preserving the homes of great writers, poets, politicians, leaders, anyone who left behind a perfectly good apartment crammed with books and knick knacks. The houses are a great conduit to the country's past. 

G'ulom's downstairs study. Various implements for high achieving child education stuffed into the room: chess set, globe, music stand, writing desk. Get to work, comrade child.

Family photographs and the music room.

One of several rooms with a writing desk for G'ulom. The desks are scattered throughout the house like ash trays.

Tools of production. Loving the big pipe stand and the Russian typewriter in a bag.

Another room, another desk. Study? Den? Library?

Room details of a sculpture and artwork in a bookcase and a portrait of the poet.

Bedroom, looking a little like an Uzbek version of the bedroom set on the sitcom Lucy. Why settle for a couple of tomes on a nightstand when you can have a whole bookcase of treasures within reach?

Great Architecture At The Applied Arts Museum

Why stop at the artwork collection? The Applied Arts Museum in Tashkent is partly housed in an old, rich merchant house, which has been wonderfully preserved. The house looks like suzani embroidery come to life.

Outside facade. A broad hint of more embellishment to come.

Wow. Seriously? The hardwood floor is the only surface not heavily touched by craftsmen. One of the wall details, looking a bit like that annoying game, Operation.

Another room, super trippy.

Details. All the raised decorative work is hand painted.

The intricate painting of gold trim on a wood column on the front porch.

Terrific Textiles At The Applied Arts Museum In Tashkent

Great weaving. The Applied Arts Museum has all sorts of stuff: rugs, clothing, woodwork, metalwork, anything to which one can, well, apply some artistry. The textile work is the highlight of the place.

Too lovely to throw on a bed or table, the impressive embroidered design work known as suzani.

From nothing to special something, a rug being weaved. Decked out in iconic ikat. Why stop at one layer?

A room full of ikat strips and an example of the loom used for ikat weaving.

Psychedelica, put together. A nice variety of the traditional Uzbek cap, the topi or doppi.

Taking a closer look at the dizzying detail of the suzani handiwork.

Seeing The Writers On The Wall At The Literature Museum

Writing is not a visual medium. If you open a museum dedicated to local literature, what do you do once you've crammed every case with open books? Fill the wall space with portraits of the greats. At the Literature Museum in Tashkent, get to know your moody writers.

Traditional wardrobe and props are good features to have in your portrait. Here's Xayrulloh Xo'Qandiy, all decked out in his chapan robe, sitting on a tapchan, having tea.

Looking all stately with your medals and big desk is a good look, Sadriddin Ayni. A different take, the writer as relaxed, causal man. Enjoy that book, Turob To'la.

Women are not represented in the same numbers as the men. Oydin gets the formal treatment, fancy in her red suit in front of the rich tapestry.

Writer Shukrullo strikes the pensive, it's so hard to write, pose. Here's Oynek. Did someone just burn his toast?

For Mirtemir, writing is a reclining, casual sport.

Mausoleum Of Bakhauddin Naqshbandi

About 10 kilometers outside of Bukhara is a nice complex, centered on a mausoleum for Bakhauddin Naqshbandi. There's also a mosque and an extensive, well-kept cemetery. Pilgrims throng to the area to pay homage and soak up the holy aura.

Heading in.

Minaret and the courtyard that contains the mausoleum.

Bird pond for a little diversion. Fowl.

The amazing woodwork in the courtyard.

Beyond the mosque, the graveyard. 

The Char Bakr Necropolis

An understated beauty, a final resting place for Sayid Abu Bakr, family members and some Sufi dervishes. Throw in later additions of a mosque, madrasa and khanagha and you have a full-blown pilgrimage complex. The place is reminiscent of the similar Shah-i Zinda in Samarkand, minus a bunch of blue tile and crowds.

Clean lines, blue skies and no one around.

Tombs and tile work.

Twin mosques. And a cute, short minaret.

The view inside a newly-restored mosque. Prayer lantern.

More tombs, craggy trees and the mosques in the background, a nice, moody mix.

Around The Lyabi Hauz Resevoir Square

The central meeting place in old Bukhara is Lyabi Hauz square, a plaza area surrounding a manmade reservoir of sorts. Think jugglers, storytellers, snake charmers, skateboarders, and Gameboy enthusiasts. All are welcome to come hang.

At either side of the square are nice, Silk Road era, offerings of classic madrasa architecture. To the West, Khanagha.

Inside, some nice paintwork. Sufi dervishes were welcome there. Maybe they like bright colors.

To the East of the square, the blue tile bling of Nadir Divan Beghi. 

So blingy. Nice peacocks above the entrance, endless tile on the various dorm rooms inside the courtyard.

The madrasa is now being used as a crafts-souvenir center. Fitting, as its original use was to be a sort of Silk Road hotel, a caravanserai, not a religious school and mosque.