Action! In Uzbekistan

What do you get when an East German movie production company in the 1970s wants to do a movie about Apache Indians living in northern Mexico? Obviously, you shoot on location in Uzbekistan.

To be specific, you shoot in a mountain pass area between Samarkand and Shahrisabz. Plenty of rocks, looks perfect!

The location is now a cheesy stop along the main road. Get out, stretch your legs and enjoy the random objects placed in the landscape.

Low tech. There's not much information about the filming location except for some posters and a big Apache figure on the top of a rock. If you know, you know.

Looking to draw a wider audience, romantic "love" swings for the Instagram crowd.

Fierce objects, a stabbing sword and a concerned cobra. Must have been plot points in the movie epic.

Exit through the gift shack. A faded movie still over random souvenirs for sale. "Buy that guy a shirt!"

Restoring Gur-i Amir

You think those Silk Road treasures just stay all bling-y by themselves? Ask the Soviet archeologists, who took buildings in a state of ruin and "restored" the complexes to their imagined glory. Now, Uzbekistan is busy keeping up the condition of perfection.

Time for a little face lift at Gur-i Amir. Scaffolding goes up, old tiles come down.

Signs of distress. Time for a patch. Molds are good for making panels of carvings or multiple tiles.

No need to worry about the inside, the bling is already the thing!

Poured panels, lined up for drying. Piles of tiles. Some tiles may be reused; some tiles are new.

Scaffolding off, facelift finished, the place now shines (again).

Back To Shah-i Zinda

One of the nice things about being posted in a country with certain treasures is that you can go visit them multiple times. Why look at a masterpiece once?

Shah-i Zinda in Samarkand is a masterpiece. A necropolis, a collection of small mausoleums, most of the buildings covered in a riot of blue tile. Gaze and then gaze again.

The complex is within a large cemetery. Most people only see Shah-i Zinda and never venture out for other views. Go repeatedly, go find other angles.

The big reveal. A hint of color when heading up the entrance stairs. Fun with perspective. A different view from the neighboring cemetery, a green lawn frames well at the correct angle.

Timing things right is also a benefit of a repeat visit. Here's a view of the three mausoleums that make up the back section of Shah-i Zinda, photographed at the minute the sun creates no shadow between the buildings.

Dome views.

A quiet moment, a little duck behind the complex. 

Checking Out A Carpet Factory In Samarkand

There's nothing more iconic about being on the Silk Road than a fancy silk carpet. The place to go to see carpets being made and a good place for shopping is the Samarkand Bukhara Silk Carpet Factory. Big name, big business.

The loom room. A good job for women, a skill learned and heirloom carpets created.

How do they do it, hours, days, years crouched in front of the rig? By watching shows on their mobile phones. Clever.

A showroom.

Weaving details. A pattern guide and loose thread. Cutting, weaving tools, looking a little Silk Road medieval.

Another showroom. If they don't have it, you didn't want it. Pick color.

Shopping At The Siyob Bazaar, Part Two

More shopping at the big Siyob Bazaar.

You want eggs? You gotta face the egg lady.

Naswar, green chewing tobacco. Looks good. Tastes? Well...

A huge amount of cleaning supplies. And two blue buckets.

A variety of chekiches for sale. They're stamps used in baking non, to provide a flat, embossed center to the round bread. Metal versions are made from old gears. A vendor lunch. Grand.

Presentation is everything. Clever use of construction fence covering as lush stall background.

Shopping At The Siyob Bazaar, Part One

Every city in Uzbekistan has one central shopping market and the place to go in Samarkand is the big Siyob Bazaar. It's all there, from meat, vegetables, bread, clothing, and candy, to hardware and tobacco. If a house might use it, they sell it.

Overview. The bazaar is a mix of outdoor, covered stalls and indoor shops.

Babushkas, on the march. Better come with your best price. The iconic broom design in Uzbekistan.

Delivering watermelons.

Bread is big. Round loaves are called non. Sometimes decorated for special occasions, mostly hot and fresh and bought in bulk for today's meals. Nice recycled bag.

Corn is ready.

Seeing The Sadriddin Ayni House Museum

Sadriddin Ayni was born in 1878, wrote poetry, fiction, history, and a dictionary. So says Wikipedia. Mad props on the dictionary inclusion. Ayni is famous for being Tajik and is buried in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. No matter, his pad in Samarkand is where he lived and worked for 30+ years and it's now a nice house museum.

Fancy. One could hold luxurious literary throw downs in a room like this one.

Nice oasis back courtyard. Writing desk. Gotta preserve everything under a clear case. No dust!

G&T? No, T&T: tea and a typewriter.

Getting personal (effects). Ayni's wardrobe and shaving kit and toothbrush.

The end and the death mask to prove it.

A Hospital In Samarkand

Sarah had a chance to visit a client in a local Samarkand hospital. Care was amazing. For James, the facilities were also amazing to photograph.

Mighty exterior.

Patient room and off to imaging.

A little foyer decoration.

White kitchen. Another patient room.

Down a hallway.