Taking A Trip To The Tashkent Planetarium

Big city, big city attractions. Yes, Tashkent has a planetarium. It's about the size of Pluto.

Looking classic space age out front, complete with giant telescope, zodiac signs, stars, and a space capsule frieze.

The planetarium itself played some sort of intro to space video, complete with throwback space junk.

Not much else going on in terms of displays. One cool diorama, classic Soviet cosmonauts floating around to greet you. "Hi, orangemen!"

And those trusty space dog heroes, Belka and Strelka. They went up in Sputnik 5 and safely returned to earth, the first living beings to go and return from space. Don't ask about what happened to the first dog in space, Laika. Portrait of a cosmonaut, looking a little, er, spacey.

Going way back in planetary time to the Silk Road era in Uzbekistan, a diorama featuring the famous local astronomer wizard, Ulugbek. He's on the right, rocking the green robe.

Looking At The Ulugh Beg Observatory In Samarkand

Mirzo Ulugh Beg was a famous astronomer and mathematician in Uzbekistan who did his ground-breaking work in the early 15th century. Many of his discoveries and calculations were not matched in the West until almost 100 years later.

Ulugh Beg built an observatory in Samarkand, a building that featured a large arc apparatus, called a quadrant principle device. Sounds complicated.

There's now a museum devoted to the work of Ulugh Beg at the archeological site of the arc.

The museum has a wide variety of astronomy buff gear, from measuring devices to star notes.

The famous quadrant principle device. The only section still intact is this underground piece, buried and preserved long after the building above it was left to ruin.

Now, the arc section is restored and housed in a throwback madrasa-resembling cover. The reverse view of the arc.

The man, the mathematician, the astronomer, the legend. He gets the big sculpture treatment all over Uzbekistan.

Dazzling Details Of The Registan

While the scale of the Registan's three madrasas is impressive, it's the intricate tile work and details that blow the mind. Icing on the cakes.

A view of one of the courtyards, where the blue mosaic tile work is in full bloom on all the angles.

Moving in for a closer look. You get borders, column work, flower mosaics, all sorts of wonders. A window can't just be a window. Lattice with tile, please. Oh boy. One of the madrasas has a mosque and the interior of that mosque is pure blue and gold fantasia.

Getting 3D. An alcove, of course tile covered, also features a stalactite pattern. More is more is great! Why stop at the madrasas? Exterior walls also get tile bling.

Back inside, a nice re-creation of the man responsible for the oldest madrasa, astronomer Mirzo Ulugbek, sporting his fancy chapan.

The Amir Timur Museum In Tashkent

Amir Timur was Uzbekistan's greatest conquerer and leader, ruling Central Asia from about 1370 until his death in 1405. Since its independence from Russia in 1991, Uzbekistan has promoted Amir Timur - Tamerlane - as a sort of most famous historical figure-hero of the country. Statues and other tributes abound.

In Tashkent, there's a museum dedicated to the life of Amir Timur. Cool architecture.

Inside, a meandering layout of artifacts, reproductions, miniature versions of significant buildings from his time of rule. Plenty of paintings, many of other famous folks with whom Timor was hanging. Here's the noted astronomer, Mirzo Ulugbek.

This highlight of the museum is its expansive, richly-decorated atrium.

There's a corridor of fancy swinging sultans. Here's Ali Mirzo. On another wall, a painting looking a bit like a gift from Bob Ross. With appropriate yurts.

A big painting, depicting a busy, bustling bazaar. Change the wardrobe a little, add a zillion smartphones and the work would look current.