Apartment Hunting In Qarshi

Looking for apartments in Uzbekistan is so much fun. Who can forget this gem? In Qarshi, the peculiar layouts and always, err, interesting decors were abundant.

A room in a typical apartment. Dining? Living? Porch? Op-Art happening?

Decor details. Well armed wall and glorious, equine clocks. You gotta have two.

The green room. Multipurpose.

More masculine artwork. The bathroom, not much more than a sea of tile and some pipes.

Bedroom with view to... another room?

Random Details Of Qarshi

A little wander, a little harvesting of interesting sights. Or not.

All dried up. A swimming pool (fountain?) next to a military helicopter. Interesting park.

Mini landmarks. A 3D "map" of Uzbekistan, crammed under a pedestrian bridge. Blue trees during a hot summer.

Butcher cash register.

Paint ball set. Back to looking at trees. White paint for pest control.

Where the road stops. Or begins.

Memorable Memorials In Qarshi

First up, the Great Patriotic War. Throughout former Soviet Central Asia, there are many tributes to the fallen folks from WWII, The Great Patriotic War. The monument in Qarshi is one of the more impressive examples. Big and powerful, fitting.

The monument, a sort of semi enclosed, pyramid, octagon, stained glass sculpture thingy.

Step inside and admire the series of stained glass panels. Mostly, eerie soldier scenes.

Giant gold wreath and an eternal flame. Alas, eternity must have passed and the flame is now out.

More stained glass, a depiction of home front grief. A sculpture in another part of Qarshi, the suave miner.

Another area, another memorial. An heroic piece, dedicated to the all powerful Uzbek family unit.

Wandering Around Qarshi

Taking a look at some of the quieter parts of Qarshi, places not in their top 10 tourist list.

The landscaping crew in front of the Kok Gumbaz mosque. Motley.

Classic, old building tucked in a residential neighborhood, the Chaqar mosque. Mosque details, whitewashed walls, a nice portico for cooling and iconic, carved wood columns.

An old neighborhood, no straight lines, house compounds hidden behind walls. And piles of stone and sand.

Sharafboy madrasa, so old, repaving the surrounding area over the centuries has half buried the place. Peeking through the down doorway at the leaf covered courtyard. Quiet.

Meat means big business. Qarshi is known for its cooked meat and people visiting stock up on the good cuts before heading back to their home towns. They place big orders that are then put in boxes, and then the boxes are crammed in plane and train luggage racks. A heifer haul, ribs for the road.

Seeing The Bazaar In Qarshi

Uzbekistan has the best local markets and Qarshi's main shopping area is a fine example of the crossroads of a city all crammed together, selling anything and everything.

View of one section of the market. The usual rows of vendors under a little bit of weather protection.

Fresh loaves of bread, still in the delivery truck. And in old cardboard boxes, way to upcycle. Chick pea display, tenderly art directed. Humble.

Uzbek staples. Bales of cotton, brooms, and cooking oil.

Entertaining piles of toys. Babies bursting and a soldier, creeping up on some farm animals.

The Charmin of the East, bear toilet paper. That's rough. Not the best selling approach?

Mincing the meat. Hard to tell the photo ads from the real thing. Parts of the market look a little abandoned during a slow day.

The Egg Room.

 

Big Toys In Qarshi

Right next to the Bunker museum is a collection of planes, tanks, boats. Basically, if it could get there, a parking space was found. Theme? Nah.

Big green with a big gun.

Jet fighter, putting on its mean face. Random helicopter in the background. Tiny green boat, lonely in its impromptu dry dock. So much for the fountain setting.

Early Uzbek Airways jet age. Probably 2016.

Plane interior, spartan for passengers, lots of gauges for the pilots.

More green stuff, ready for an invasion. No climbing!

WWII Bunker Museum In Qarshi

Time to go underground for a little WWII, Great Patriotic War glory. A curious way to present a museum, building a bunker. Look at it and live it.

Heading in. And out. The "bunker" is a U-shaped trench design.

Exhibits are mostly small objects and one, life-size diorama of Russian life in a bunker on the Eastern front. "Comrade, fire up the samovar!" Radio man, living up to the classic, nerdy stereotype.

Tools of war, big rifle, big bullets.

Foods of war, dry goods and big loaf. An army travels on its stomach.

Back in the bunker, sestra comrade is ready to defend the motherland. And staying warm.