Details Of Samarkand, Part Three

Several trips were made to Samarkand during the three years Sarah and James were posted to Tashkent. They were hosting visitors, going to conferences, enjoying the quick, two-hour train ride. Twist their arms.

More trips, more details. Apologies for some overlap images from older posts. Sometimes new juxtapositions breathe new life to photographs.

Big statue, small people.

In a sleeper train car, your own, sealed in plastic, linens. Silk Road slow reveal.

Precious cargo on a small bike. A little color in the grey.

Political posters for an upcoming election. Spoiler alert, the guy on the right wins. He always wins. Leftovers.

Pressure washing the past. Cleaning a new interpretation of Silk Road architecture near a convention center campus. 

The Wonderful Variety Of Paintings At The Islam Karimov Museum

The Republic of Uzbekistan's first President after Soviet independence in 1991 was Islam Karimov. He's kind of the father of the country, honored everywhere with statues, street names, buildings, bird baths. Maybe not a bird bath. Yet.

His former office, residence has been turned into a museum, containing a room of historical photographs and a gallery with a collection of paintings depicting the president.

Here's Karimov, meeting a group of Uzbek elders in the beautiful countryside.

Karimov in front of historically significant backgrounds. The tiger motif is a detail of one of the mosaics at the Registan in Samarkand. In the other painting, speaking at the UN.

Working hard, listening to translations, pondering the world, from the Aral Sea drying out to birds and planets. That's a big plate.

Make time for holding children.

Family time in the mountains with his wife. Flowers are good.

Karimov gets the smoothing, photoshop treatment. Concentrating hands.

Return of the tiger, a good motif for evoking leadership and power. 

Details Of Samarkand, Part One

Sure, the Registan registers on the memory and awe scale. How about some more humble things?

Speaking of Registan, there's part of it in the background. Alas, the mighty parking lot may be modern civilization's lasting contribution to culture.

King cotton for sale, the major crop in Uzbekistan. Monochrome bike scene with a splash of bags of color.

Islam Karimov, the first president of independent Uzbekistan. Looming.

Wardrobe department for Silk Road wear for photo ops at a monument. Classic modern USSR architecture.

In a park, a little fantasy flora, trying to blend. More a salad bowl?