Samarqand

Prologue

A cloud of dust and shower of stones as the vehicle lurched to a halt. Unexpected road repairs ensured no easy exit. Quickly reversing, the taxi was soon weaving its way back through the labyrinth of narrow alleys, carefully avoiding the army and police checkpoints.

Preparation

No ...... This is not a modern spy thriller. It is just a reflection on actual events that occurred in August-September 2016, recorded without exaggeration or distortion, as witnessed by the author[1] while travelling in central Asia. [2] [3]

''Why do you want to go to Central Asia?'' This was the question we were constantly asked while we prepared to travel to western China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. The answer of course was, ''because we haven't been there yet''. But a more truthful answer would have been, ''because it was the hub of the great Silk Road connecting China with Europe for over two millennia.'' More than any other corridor of trade and conquest, this route has advanced our civilizations, both east and west. The history of the Silk Road is our history..... We are who we are because of the merchants and conquerors who traversed the road.

The term ''Silk Road'' is a modern term, first coined by Ferdinand von Rictoffen (uncle of the World War I air ace). There were actually many roads in the Silk Road network, used for intercontinental trade since the age when Han Chinese goods found their way into aristocratic Roman households. Most of the land trade routes passed through the region now encompassing western China and modern Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, and this was our intended destination.

These land routes were in constant use until finally displaced by sea trade, which increased progressively from the early sixteenth century. The sea route between India and western Europe via the Indian Ocean and southern Africa was pioneered by the Portuguese following Vasco da Gama's 1497-1499 voyage, while a competing sea route from Philippines to Europe via the Pacific, Panama (land transhipment) and the Atlantic was developed by the Spanish in the late 1500's following Ferdinand Magellan's epic 1519-1522 voyage.

To truly understand the world in which we live, it is first necessary to understand the world of our forebears and the trade routes that they traversed.

Guangzhou

So we were off…. and after a long flight we finally landed in Guangzhou. This was my third trip to China, the first many years ago as a tourist and more recently on business – six days in six cities, in and out of factories that testify political firmness, foresight, investment in modern technology and a penchant for hard work can combine to make a modern manufacturing-based prosperous society.

But enough of that – we were on holidays this time.

For us, Guangzhou was but a staging post on our journey to the Silk Road, although we lingered long enough for two nights of good sleep bookending an enlightening city tour.

I suppose all city tours are the same …… a couple of old religious buildings, (churches, temples or mosques depending on whether you travel the occident, the orient or in between), ancient forts and battlements (usually spruced up in response to a service life of hardship and a retirement of neglect) and the inevitable dose of local craft and souvenir shops.

But on closer examination, Guangzhou was more relevant to the Silk Road than it first appeared. The Silk Road comprised the land routes that connected China and Europe for almost two millennia, the trading corridors though which the camel caravans dispensed goods, wealth and ideas. When caravels[4] finally displaced the caravans, it was to sea ports such as Guangzhou that these Portuguese ships journeyed.

Guangzhou Waterfront Chinese Tea Ceremony

Since the late-fifteenth century the Chinese Ming dynasty had been in inexorable decline, the bureaucracy systematically stifling the international inquisitiveness of Chinese maritime traders. Just when Europe was expanding, China was contracting. The usurping of power by the Qing Dynasty in 1644 failed to arrest this decline, and by the time that the Europeans appeared in the area, China was ripe for exploitation.

Malacca (in present day Malaysia), which had hither-to been a Chinese vassal, had been conquered in 1511 by the Portuguese and a trading post established. In 1516, Rafael Perestrello journeyed from Malacca to Guangzhou, followed a year later by an eight-ship expedition led by Fernao Pires de Andrade. However, Andrade was defeated by the Chinese Ming forces, and it was not until 1554 that Leonel de Sousa bribed the Chinese admiral Wang Bo, facilitating the Luso-Chinese Accord. Portuguese trade was thus secured and relocated to nearby Macau, first as a trading post and then in 1887 as a colony, a status it retained until reverting to Chinese sovereignty in 1999.[5]

With the Portuguese traders diverted to Macau, Guangzhou attracted the attention of the other European powers, principally the British. The prized commodity was Chinese tea, but how could the British pay for it? The solution – wage two wars, First Opium War(1839–1842) and the Second Opium War (1856–1860), to force the Chinese to accept Indian-grown opium as payment for Chinese-grown tea[6] …… tea for free ! ……. Drug trafficking has a long pedigree.[7]

UrumqiOne sure way to combat boredom of a four hour flight is to read the in-flight magazine, …. but to an air traveller unschooled in interpreting the Chinese script, negotiating the in-flight magazine of the Chinese domestic airlines can be a challenge. Fortunately one article appeared in both Chinese and English …. a sort of modern Rosetta Stone. Look for a commonly occurring word in the English text and find the corresponding Chinese symbols. The article in question was about the great museums of the world and their role as the oracles through which the lessons of civilization are conveyed down the millennia. In the English version the words “China” and “civilization” appeared in many places, but in the Chinese version they appeared to be almost interchangeable.

The most common sinitic name for China is zhonggua, denoted by the characters, the symbols meaning “middle” and “state” respectively, and differentiating between the cultural central region of the Yellow River valley and the barbarous periphery. During the Zhou and Han dynasties (spanning the period 1046 BC to 220 AD), zhongguo was accepted as the "center of civilization" or "center of the world".

Pride is admirable, but arrogance is fatal ….. and there is but a fine line between the two. While China’s proud cultural heritage was (and is) the envy of the civilized world, the growing arrogance of the Ming and Qing dynasties fuelled the introspection that witnessed their decline in the 17^th to 20^th centuries. And which countries are following suit is the 21^st century?

The four hour morning flight from Guangzhou to Urumqi in the far west is a reminder of just how vast modern China is. Unlike other large countries, China has only a single time zone, resulting in long western afternoons of brilliant daylight. With plenty of time to spare, we decided to try our luck with the airport bus rather than catch a taxi to our hotel. While this may have “sounded like a good idea at the time”, the execution was less than ideal. We do not speak Mandarin and few people in the west speak English. Having failed to exit at the appropriate stop, it finally dawned on us that we should alight when the bus pulled into the terminus at the central station. That I had failed to identify the location of our hotel on a map …. any map …. resulted in four hour “walking tour” of this large modern city. Perhaps with uncharacteristic foresight, we had opted for “carry-on luggage” only, which provided some relief. After a belated lunch and some directions at a friendly fast-food chicken shop, we finally surrendered to the inevitable and summoned a taxi. Five minutes later we were at the hotel.

The north eastern Dzungaria region (inhabited by Tibetan-Buddhist Dzungar nomads) and the south-western Tarim Basin (inhabited by Turkic-speaking Muslim Uyghur sedentary farmers) existed separately before being united to form Xinjiang by the Qing dynasty in 1884. The Tarim Basin is rich in oil and gas, and China seeks to supply approximately a fifth of the country’s consumption from this region.[8] One cannot fail to be impressed by the abundance of power stations, factories and blast furnaces along the freeway.

Urumqi is a large modern city, capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, and populated mostly by Han Chinese who have migrated from the east.[9] The demographic data is telling – In Urumqi 75% of the 3 million population is Han Chinese while only 13% is indigenous Uyghur. However, in the Xinjiang as a whole, only 41% of the 22 million population is Han Chinese while 44% is Uyghur.[10] This, with the presence of the vast energy resources, has given rise to an acute separatist problem - the police, army and security are omnipresent.

The Uyghur separatist movement claims that the region was invaded by China in 1949 and has been under subsequent Chinese occupation. While the Uyghurs of Xinjiang are linguistically and culturally Turkic and Muslim, the Han Chinese speak Mandarin and mainly adhere to Buddhism, Confucianism or Taoism. Although religious practice is tolerated, the government of the People's Republic of China does not formally endorse or support any religions.

Although movement around Urumqi was not restricted, one does become conscious of the military convoys moving down the highway, the police post in front of the hotel and the groups of police wandering through the hotel lobby. As if to reflect the security concerns in the city, airport security at Urumqi was the strictest that we encountered. Not only must you remove all items from your pockets, your belt and your shoes; but you must also expose the soles of you feet to the metal detector. And this is not without justification. While we did not witness any violence in China, we were in Bishkek (capital of Kyrgyzstan) a week later when the Chinese embassy was bombed (allegedly) by Uyghur separatists.

The 2005 Kyrgyzstan Tulip Revolution ushered in a period of political instability in the region with Xinjiang suffering increasing Uyghur militancy and terrorism. Chinese authorities have clamped down, as witness by the decree that men with long beards and women wearing veils be discouraged.[11] [12]

We were not part of any organised tour (you could say we were quite disorganised), and we believe that this attracted the attention (“assistance”), of the security service. A well dressed gentleman (claiming to be part of the hotel management … but we are not so sure) insisted on “helping” us to join an organised day-trip to Heavenly Lake.

This excursion is the highlight of any visit to Urumqi, popular with the many tourists from eastern China. The spectacular natural scenery of the eastern Tien Shan Range and the serene glacial lake was augmented by a spectacular open-air show of cultural and gymnastic prowess that only the Chinese can perfect …. a most enjoyable day.

Heavenly Lake As only the Chinese could do …!

Urumqi (from the hotel)

The following morning the same gentleman kindly organised our trip to the Xinjiang Regional Museum, accompanied by a young man (“companion” or “minder” ….. what is the difference?) who (while clearly not a guide) kept a close eye on us to ensure that we did not stray too far and that we returned safely to our hotel.

The highlight of this museum is its display of 21 ancient mummies[13] dating back approximately 4,000 years. Preserved by the extremely dry conditions of the Tarim Basin, the mummies, their burial practices and their woven clothing point to an origin quite unexpected in this region. The evidence suggests that these Tokharian people were Indo-European (not Asian), related to the Celts who settled in Western Europe. A related Indo-European nomadic people, the Yuezhi, were pushed westward into the Tarim Basin following the defeat in 170 BC by the Xiongnu (Altaic nomads)[14]. Subsequent invasions by Han Chinese were followed by the Uyghurs (a Turkic people) in the 7^th century AD and more recently by the Chinese Tang, Ming and Qing dynasties.[15] That these peoples were successively victorious and then displaced testifies to the volatility of the region and to the historical fragility of land claims in general. Perhaps none of us can legitimately claim exclusive land rights ….. Is history simply telling us to use it or lose it?

Coffee is the life-blood of the modern traveller; but in a region where tea is ubiquitous, coffee must be considered a luxury. In days of old, Silk Road traders would pay enormous sums for luxury items; in our case each coffee at Urumqi International Airport cost the same as the taxi fare from the city!

Farewell China ….. Hello Kazakhstan.

Almaty Almaty – largest city and former capital of Kazakhstan. Here we joined our formal three-week tour of three of the “stans” (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan), here we met our travelling companions and here we met the first of our two delightful guides. Travel in the company of friendly and adventurous companions is always fun, and we were blessed with the best.

Almaty is a modern clean city with an impressive mountain backdrop on the northern edge of the Tien Shan range. What impresses most is the unexpected modernity of the city, the tall buildings, the moderate but well disciplined traffic and the apparent affluence of the people. The wealthy have homes nestling above the city in northern slopes of the Tien Shan, while the less affluent have homes below the city on the edge of the vast central Asian steppe.

Tien Shan of the Almaty hinterland World War II

As a tourist, there are some aspects of a country that are difficult to gauge. For example, Kazakhstan is considered by the World Bank and the World Economic forum to have a severe corruption problem, although, as tourists, we were oblivious to such concerns.[16]

The city boasts a diversity of attractions, the Green Market, the renovated Russian Orthodox cathedral, the historical museum, the music museum and the war memorial …. No ex-soviet republic would be complete without one. The highlights of this introductory tour include the skating rink enfolded within the Tien Shan slopes and the lookout and entertainment area overlooking the city. A timely reminder of the cultural diversity and richness of this region was an open-air opera rehearsal being conducted as the sun set over the city below.

Leaving Almaty, we headed north-east skirting the edge of the Tien Shan along the old Northern Silk Road. Although a geographically the simplest route, this road was the least favoured by the traders of old, because it exposed the travellers to the onslaughts of marauding nomadic Mongols, sweeping down from the north across the broad Asian steppe. To avoid these attacks, the caravans often turned south, crossing the Tien Shan though a series of passes such as that at the head Charyn Canyon. This canyon is an 80 kilometre long series of slashes of spectacular grandeur in red sandstone plateau. Today the grasslands of the steppe are peaceful, and the northern corridor is favoured for the east-west rail and road trade between Europe and China rather than this shortcut into the remote mountain region of north-eastern Kyrgyzstan.

Charyn Canyon Kazakh Steppe

Kara Kol

Entry into Kyrgyzstan from the north-east is illuminating, a gentle reminder that this mountainous republic is still very much a rural-based society, in which pastoralists venture into the hills each summer to tend their flocks. While modern caravans and trucks are in evidence, the yurt (the antecedent of the modern dome tent) is still the preferred accommodation option and the horse is still the most effective means of managing the flocks.

Yurts, bee hives and droving in rural Kyrgyzstan

But it would be wrong to assume that all rural activities are stuck in the past. We were warmly welcomed to dinner at a modern horse stud, owned and operated by a very proud husband and wife team, who have built a flourishing business during the last 25 years. With three horses entered in the second World Nomad Games (to be held within a week in nearby Cholpon-Atawithinon on the edge Issyk Kul Lake) this couple have much justification for pride.

The history of Karakol is the history of Russian penetration of the region. Founded in 1869, it grew steadily with the arrival of Chinese Muslim Dungan refugees. On the shores of nearby Issyk Kul Lake is a memorial to the Russian explorer, Nicholay Przhevalsky, who died here of typhoid in 1888. Przhevalsky was renowned for his journeys through northern, eastern and central Asia, but he failed in his ultimate goal of reaching Tibet.[17] Instead, the first European penetration of Tibet was accomplished by the 1903-1904 British invasion led by Francis Younghusband, which resulted in between 2,000 and 3,000 Tibetan deaths .... a stark reminder of the brutality of the so-called “Great Game” played out in central Asia between Britain and Russia over a century ago.[18]

The attractions of northern Kyrgyzstan are many – Jeti Oguz Valley, Issyk Kul Lake and Chon Kemin National Park; and a couple of laid-back days of sight-seeing, walking and horse riding were very enjoyable.

Bishkek

From Shabdan in the Chon Kemin National Park to Bishkek, the road is significantly improved compared to the pot-holed rural roads elsewhere in the country.

Burana Tower – Chuy Valley Near Bishkek

Like other large cities of central Asia, Bishkek is clean and tidy, complete with monuments and museums to commemorate the last 25 years since independence from the Soviet Union. Although we were not in the city for the 25^th year celebrations, we were fortunate to witness the rehearsal …. bands playing stirring martial music, precision marching and the salute taken from a couple of aged convertible automobiles.

Byubyusara Beyshenalieva Vladimir Lenin – Bishkek Aykol Manas - Bishkek

25 Years of Independence from the Soviet Union - Bishkek

Tashkent

Despite an early morning dash to the airport and the unsettling news that the Chinese embassy in Bishkek have been bombed, our departure for Tashkent went smoothly, with impressive views to the south of the snow-capped Tien Shan. Clearing Tashkent airport, we met our new guide who proved over the next couple of days to be a most resourceful and caring travelling companion.

First impressions of Tashkent are the broad tree-lined streets with hardly a trace of litter, for reasons that would become apparent in the next couple of days. For the time being, we settled down to a walking tour of the usual sights, the immaculate metro stations, the Monument of Courage commemorating the victims of the devastating 1966 earthquake, the memorial to the sacrifices of the Second World War (celebrated here as 1941, not 1939, to 1945). And then it got interesting.

Monument of Courage – Tashkent Independence Square – Tashkent

Due to a succession of Independence Day wreath-laying ceremonies, our access to the Independence Monument via the main entrance in was restricted, but we were advised that we could gain entry from the side. Undeterred, we skirted the official activities, only to be accosted, not by the police (as expected), but by a couple of television crews. “What do you think of Uzbekistan? What do you like about Tashkent? What would you like to say to the people?” and so on. Never the shrinking-violets and undeterred by the fact the we had been in the country a whole four hours, we both rose to the occasion. “Thank you for the warm welcome. What a beautiful city. Congratulations on 25 years of independence …. blah, blah, blah ….”. While we know roughly what we said, to this day we have no idea how the voice-over translated it. Presumably, because there were no adverse repercussions, it must have been okay. The date was 31 August 2016.[19] [20]

Rod and Robyn on Uzbek National Television Independence Monument (25 Year’s Independence)

Like all truly modern countries, Uzbekistan enjoys the luxury of a fast train service …. the new way to travel the Silk Road. The quick journey through the flat farmlands from modern Tashkent to historic Samarkand was both relaxing and interesting.

Fast train from Tashkent to Samarkand

Samarqand

For nearly three millennia, Samarkand has endured invasion after invasion. Most likely founded between the 8th and 7th centuries BC, the city was incorporated into the Achaemenid (Persian) Empire (550 to 330 BC) as the Sogdian Satrapy.

Next came Alexander (Greek) in 329 BC, and his Hellenistic successors, the Seleucid Empire, the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom and Kushan Empire.

The Sassanians conquered Samarkand around 260 AD, then the Hephtalites and the Turks, who were obliged to pay tribute to the Chinese Tang Dynasty. During this period a number of religions flourished in Samarkand, including Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, Manichaeism, Judaism, and Nestorian Christianity.

Eventually the Arab Muslim armies of the Baghdad Umayyad Caliphate defeated the Turks to capture Samarkand around 710 AD. Ruled successively by the Abbasids (750 to 861 AD) and then the Samanids (862 to 999 AD), Samarkand eventually succumbed to the Turkic Karakhanids, who were followed by other Turkic peoples, the Seljuqs and the Khwarazm-Shahs.

In 1220, Genghis Khan (the Mongol, Temujin) conquered and pillaged Samarkand, which suffered a further Mongol sack by Khan Baraq. During this period it was part of the Mongol Chagatai Khanate.

In 1370, Timur (a.k.a. Tamerlane) expelled the Mongols and made Samarkand the capital of his empire. Following in the footsteps of Alexander and Genghis Khan, Timur set out to expand his empire from modern day Turkey in the west to China in the east. While Timur went close to this goal, his achievements were ephemeral. On Timur’s death in 1405 the empire fractured, to be finally supplanted in 1505 by the Shaybanid Uzbec warriors, who relocated their capital to Bukhara.

Attacked by Nadir Shah the city was abandoned in the 1720’s, to be ruled by the Ashtarkhanids and then the Manghyt emirs of Bukhara.

Samarqand passed to Russian control in 1886, Soviet control in 1925 and finally became part of independent Uzbekistan in 1991.[21]

Of these invaders, it was Timur who has had the most lasting effect on Samarqand. Although the ravages of subsequent invasions and the natural elements have not been kind to his magnificent buildings, many have now been restored and serve as the symbols linking modern Uzbekistan with its Timurid past. These include Timur’s Mausoleum, the Registan madrasahs of Ulugh Beg, Sher-Dor and Tilya Kori and the Mosque of Bibi Khonym, Timur’s favourite wife.

Registan Square – Samarkand Ulug Beg and Observatory - Samarkand

Of religious significance, the Shah-i-Zindah avenue of mausoleums (constructed from the 9^th to the 14^th centuries, and then the 19^th century) includes a mausoleum commemorating Kussam ibn Abbas, cousin of the prophet Muhammad.[22]

On the death of Timur in 1405, his son, Shah Rukh, became ruler based in Herat, with his sixteen-year-old son, Ulugh Beg, installed in 1409 as governor in Samarkand. By 1411, Ulugh Beg was the sovereign ruler of the whole Mavarannahr khanate.

Ulugh Beg was no ordinary ruler; he was also a prominent scientist and an astronomer of note. Without the aid of telescopes, and working with a 36 metre radius sextant built within his Samarkand observatory, he achieved truly remarkable results. In 1437, Ulugh Beg compiled the accurate Zij-i-Sultani star catalogue of 994 stars, and determined the length of the sidereal year as 365^d 6^h 10^m 8^s (an error of only 58 seconds). This he later corrected to 365^d 5^h 49^m 15^s (an error of only 25 seconds), making it more accurate than Copernicus' estimate, which had an error of 30 seconds. He also calculated the tilt of the Earth's axis to be 23.52 degrees, more accurate than later measurements by both Copernicus and Tycho Brahe.[23]

From modern Uzbekistan’s perspective, 15^th century Timur is a hero. With a fearsome reputation for cruelty, he was ruthlessly efficient in achieving his goals. For him, the ends always justify the means. The enormous and beautiful mausoleums, madrasahs and mosques testify to the wealth and prestige generated during Timur’s lifetime.

Timur – Tashkent Timur’s Mausoleum – Samarkand

It is said that Timur was the role model for Uzbekistan President, Islam Karimov. First as Communist Party boss during the Soviet era, and then as President during the 25 years of independence, Karimov ruthlessly quashed all opposition to mould his country into a modern efficient state..... and not without some considerable success. Uzbekistan, with a population of 31.6 million and a GDP of $ 5,939 per-capita is ranked 125^th in the world. But this has not been achieved without considerable pain. The IHF, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, United States Department of State and Council of the European Union define Uzbekistan as "an authoritarian state with limited civil rights" and express profound concern about "wide-scale violation of virtually all basic human rights".[24] In spite of (or perhaps because of) this fearsome reputation, Karimov appears to be loved by a substantial proportion of the population.

The national fetish for urban cleanliness is achieved by mobilizing (coercing ??) large teams of cleaners (mainly women) to assiduously apply their labour-intensive sweeping skills to this task. Perhaps there is but a fine line between civic pride and mindless obedience.

Our second day in Samarkand, 2 September 2016, was somewhat disrupted. From mid morning, we were amazed to see an incredible cleaning frenzy under way. Teams of women, some well dressed with high heels and others in more functional clothing, were quite literally hand-washing the pavements, sweeping and removing rubbish. And on a more robust scale, asphalt was being laid and concrete poured, all under the watchful eye and supervision by the police and civil guards. Clearly something had been afoot from quite early in the day.

As early as 27 August, there had been internet whispers that President Karimov was gravely ill, no … he had died, no … he was recovering, no …. he was in perfect health. But still the government would not clarify the situation. It was fascinating to follow the internet speculation as to whether he had …. or had not …. died.

President Karimov's 25th anniversary speech was read on television on 1 September by a presenter who stated that public support was helping him recover. According to a government report, on 2 September President Karimov “…was in stable neurological condition in a coma .....He suffered another cardiac arrest at 20:15 UZT on 2 September and attempts to resuscitate him failed, and he was pronounced dead at 20:55 UZT”.[25] [26]

But we had witnessed, a good 10 hours earlier, the well-advanced program in Samarkand of concrete construction at the funeral site, the frenzied cleaning the city, the laying of asphalt in access roads and the incredible build up in security. While I have great respect for project managers, to have mobilized this level of activity even before the official death announcement represents great forward planning. Where was the media scrutiny of this sequence of events?

President Karimov’s mausoleum and street cleaning – Samarkand – Midday 2 September 2016

The news late on 2 September that the President had died and would be buried the next day in Samarkand ….. barely three kilometres from our hotel …. was not necessarily welcome news. The funeral would be a huge international event. On the night of 2 September, Samarkand went into virtual lockdown. Police and guards were bussed in from other cities and stationed every 50 metres along the roads. Unauthorised persons were not allowed in and there were severe restrictions on the movement out. The main problem was that there was no indication how long the lockdown would remain. With travel commitments elsewhere, we decided it was time to break out.

Once again blessing our foresight in bringing only carry-on baggage, we trudged 4 kilometres to where we could hire taxis (at inordinately inflated rates) to drive us (at high speed) through the maze that is Samarkand’s back streets to where our on-going transport would be waiting.

And finally, after two hours, when we had almost circumnavigated the city, we escaped the cordon and were free.

At no time were we in any danger and the inconvenience was fully compensated by the experience, but this incident was never-the-less disconcerting. That an entire people could be mobilized to such demonstrations of “affection” was something reminiscent of Europe in the 1930’s. Was the entire population still being manipulated from the grave?

Bukhara

After the excitement of Samarkand, the trip returned to what one would expect of a reasonably conventional tour. The road trip over the mountains to Timur’s birthplace Shakhrisabz, and then on through the steppe to Bukhara was long and uneventful.

Like Samarkand, the ancient city of Bukhara was a major trading centre of the Silk Road. Highlights are the Ismail Samini Mausoleum, Khiva Gate, Friday Mosque, the Fortress, Kaylan Minaret, Kukeldash and Abdul Aziz Khan Madrasahs, the Char Minar and the Labiyabi Hauz Pool.

Labiyabi Hauz Pool, Kaylan Minaret, Kukeldash and Abdul Aziz Khan Madrasahs - Bukhara

It was here that one of the grizzly incidents of the Great Game was played out. The Great Game is the name given to the British and Russian intrigues and espionage as they vied for control of Central Asia in the 19^th century, over 100 years before the similar American-British and Russian rivalry poisoned international cooperation. In 1844 after a lengthy imprisonment, two British officers Charles Stoddard and Arthur Conolly accused of spying were beheaded in the main square of Bukhara.[27]

Fortress Ark – Bukhara

Khiva

Between Bukhara and Khiva, the traveller becomes painfully aware of the hardships that faced the trading caravans of yester-year. Thanks to a partially built new highway, the Kara Kum (Black Desert) and the Qisel Kum (Red Desert) are traversed in less than a day. But such a journey would previously take three months by camel across the deserts with oases providing periodic respite along the way. To the south you see Turkmenistan across the mighty Oxus River, once the “Rubicon” of Alexander’s central Asian foray.

Amu Darya (Oxus River) in the Qisel Kum (Red Desert) looking towards Turkmenistan

With a history stretching back millennia, the walled city of Khiva was once a key trading centre on the Silk Road. Substantially rebuilt in the last few centuries, Khiva presents the tourist with a smorgasbord of mausoleums, madrasahs, mosques and minarets …… Kunya-Ark Palace, the Madrasah of Muhammad Amin-Khan, the Juma Mosque with its ornately carved forest of timber columns, the iconic unfinished Kalta Minar minaret, the 19^th century soaring Islam Khoja Minaret and so on.[28]

Khiva

Here also is the Mausoleum of Pakhlavani Mahmoud (1247-1326), the 13^th century Sufi teacher and professional wrestler who reputedly never suffered a defeat during his 79 year career in Iran, Khorasan, India and other countries. A man of both strong body and principle, Pakhlavani Mahmoud once disputed with the Emir of Samarkand and was imprisoned for his stand, stating in a quatrain written for the occasion, “….. to be left for ages in a dungeon is better than to have talks with immature.”[29] [30]

It is worth pondering that this region spawned so many poets, teachers, thinkers and scientists, a fact that we tend to ignore in our focus on modernity.

Tashkent ….. again

As our formal tour approached its conclusion, we flew back to Tashkent where we farewelled our travelling companions. After a fortnight of “full on” travelling, it was good to “chill out” for a couple of days …. riding the metro, exploring the shops and simply walking the leafy streets.

Tashkent

We had thoroughly enjoyed our central Asian trip. We had witnessed the unfolding of some political drama and learned a lot about people and their place in history. Above all, we had enjoyed the friendly and stimulating company of travelling companions and guides, and had been warmly welcomed by the friendly people of the region.

As if to footnote to this wonderful experience, we were waiting in the crowd to be admitted to Tashkent International Airport when we witnessed a man plucked from the crowd by the police and dragged away. We have no idea why …. whether he was a terrorist or a tout …. but we could hear him still screaming as he was taken away.

Seoul

New friendships are the most treasured outcomes on any travel. We had planned a couple of days of recreation in Seoul, South Korea, and were not disappointed. In Bishkek I had briefly met a fellow traveller from Seoul, who had offered to show us around when we reached his home country. The intensity of the hospitality and generosity extended by him and his wife was truly humbling. In a world where there is so much fear and suspicion, it is refreshing to find that openness, hospitality and friendship will blossom whenever the seed is planted and the flower nurtured. After two days of exploring Seoul, the shops of Insadong, Changdeokgung Palace and the metro to Soyosan in the outer suburbs, we were ready for home ….. a long flight at the end of a most rewarding holiday.

Seoul

Reflection

A long plane trip is the ideal opportunity for reflection on recent experiences.

Central Asia is at the crossroads of the world, and the Silk Road is the artery that flows through it. Here have passed the Persians, Greeks, Arabs, Mongols, Turks, Chinese, Russians, Uzbeks, Kazakhs and Kyrgyz… and many others. Conquerors, traders, nomads and farmers … they have all passed this way, and our modernity is their legacy. People cannot ignore their history.

Making new friends requires a leap of faith, particularly when you meet in a strange and foreign place. For over four decades we have travelled six continents, living on three of them and visiting over 70 countries[31]. Although blessed with international friendships that span two-thirds of a lifetime, we highly value the hospitality and generosity of our new Korean friends. People should offer friendship when they can and accept hospitality when it is offered.

Instead of wasting valuable air time screening trivial interviews with a couple of ill-informed tourists, the Uzbekistan television media could have provided a much more valuable public service by investigating and reporting issues such as the power struggle likely to follow the death of the president and its implications for national security and wellbeing. Media laziness and bias should be at the forefront of our concerns… People must not be brainwashed by a biased media.

The excesses of the Central Asian authoritarian regimes are a stark reminder of the fragility of liberal democracy. While vote rigging, intimidation and torture are the most obvious abuses inflicted by governments, the ordinary people must also accept responsibility for compliant obedience as their freedom of independent thought is stripped away. People get the government that they deserve, and people must guard against the abuse of liberal democracy.

Following the death of Uzbekistan’s President Karimov, it is feared that a new leader may incite ethnic violence as a means of rallying the country. If so, the flashpoints would be the Kyrgyzstan / Uzbekistan border and the Fergana Valley. In many parts of the world, ethnic and religious differences are the trigger for violence and repression…. individual fears and selfishness are reflected in national paranoia and national selfishness.

Terrorism is now rife throughout the world, but it is born of (and feeds on) the intrigues and wars prosecuted by countries. Our closest brush with terrorism has been the tension of Xinjiang and the subsequent bombing of the Chinese embassy in Bishkek. However, it should not go unnoticed that in the 1980s China (like the western countries) trained and armed Uyghur fighters for Afghan resistance to Russian occupation[32] … and China now has a major problem with armed Uyghurs. The greatest threat to world security is war and state sponsorship of international violence.

Who will prevail, the poet Pakhlavani Mahmoud or the tyrant Emir of Samarkand?

Epilogue

A gentle bump and a puff of tyre smoke as the A330-300 touched down. Unexpected airport renovations ensured no easy exit. Quickly redirected, we were soon weaving our way back through the labyrinth of narrow corridors to immigration and customs.

It is good to be home ..... so different, yet perhaps strangely ....... so similar

We are irresponsibly ignorant of our own history, the genome of our culture. The world was not created in 1066 on the beaches of a remote island on the fringe of the Atlantic. Nor did it commence with a maritime conquest of the New World in 1492, the landing of a boatload of religious refugees in 1620 at Plymouth Rock or the arrival of a convoy of criminals in the antipodes in 1788. Rather, we are the product of a series of long intertwined cultures stretching back over five millennia of recoded Asian and North African history ... and even further into the mists of prehistory. Modern genetic fingerprinting is revealing remarkable surprises. Put simply, we are not who we think we are. And the cultural links are even more illuminating.

Even worse than failing to recognise our own pedigree, we ignore and fear our seven billion neighbours. People are the same around the world...... We all love our children, we all respect our parents, and we all strive for a peaceful world. But we also fear anyone who speaks another language, dresses differently or holds religious view not quite the same as our own. Travel is one of the most important ways to combat bigotry and xenophobia. Unfortunately, we are often so mentally isolated that we equate world travel with lazy week on a tropical beach sucking down beers. It is our responsibility to traverse the entire planet, meeting and encouraging others to do the same. Rather than seeking out our fellow countrymen when travelling, we should make an effort to befriend locals..... Learn and practice a little vernacular, it is the effort that counts. Liberally dispense hospitality, open your home and hearts to travellers. And graciously accept reciprocal displays of kindness and hospitality when they are offered. This is how lasting international friendship and understanding are born and nurtured.

Failure to critically analyse the current events swirling about us magnifies our ignorance. We wallow in the trivia fed to us by so-called media moguls who would sell their own citizenship for a couple more of column inches in the global network of fear and misinformation. Instead of the monochrome bias of the popular media, we should seek out a kaleidoscope of information from multiple media outlets, critiquing their sources and demanding balance.

If you are fed enough garbage you can grow to like it - one of the more sinister outcomes of media bias being the dumbing down of political discrimination. No longer do we seek out sustainable long term policies that secure a stable and prosperous future for our progeny. Rather we crave hard uncompromising leadership as the substitute for visionary policies based on flexibility and compassion. Mediocrity always trumps vision. Add to this a combative two-party bicameral parliamentary system, in which national governments risk dismissal every few years on the whim of a handful of swinging voters in a couple of marginal electorates. The case for a meaningful overhaul of the political system has never been stronger, but fear of the unknown paralyses initiative.

We are told that we cannot develop our own manufacturing industries because our population is too small and we cannot increase our population because there is not enough wealth to go around. This is simply a ridiculous circular argument fed by xenophobia and racism. History is littered with societies extinguished by their failure to grow, failure to change and failure to learn. Stagnation is death. Our country has a wealth of natural resources..... more than we can use ....... and certainly more than we deserve. There are many who are not so fortunate who would love to become citizens with us, and it is in our mutual interest to share with them. Failure to do so will inevitably result in our conquest, not militarily but economically. More progressive societies seeking our resources simply tempt us with a few beads and trinkets ....... and will then discard us. At best, our great grandchildren will become an ignorant unskilled underclass of exploited local labourers subservient to foreign-owned multinationals. We are a country of immigrants, each new wave stimulating our economy and revitalising our society. Now is the time to welcome new migrants.... our future depends on it.

History tells of the cruel and indifferent exploitation by nations who believed themselves to be culturally or religiously superior..... Egyptian, Persian, Greek, Chinese, Roman, Arab, Mongol, Turk, Scandinavian, Venetian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, British, Russian, German, Japanese and American ...... to name just a few. These, and many more, have justified appalling atrocities committed in the name of civilisation or religion.... really just a smoke screen for self interest. Surely the 21st century, the second millennium of the current era, is the time to initiate a paradigm shift, a recognition that self interest is best served by mutual interest. It is a time to renounce state-promoted violence and promote respect, cooperation and assistance as the only sustainable means of international interaction.

So ….. When will we learn our history; when will we befriend our neighbours; when will we seek a balanced media; when will we reform our political institutions; when will we act compassionately and when will we refuse to partake of international violence?

In short, when will we grow up?

[1] The author, Rod Johnston, has travelled to over seventy countries on six continents during a period spanning in excess of four decades. An engineer by profession (but hopefully not a typically boring one), he seeks to understand and explain contemporary societies through a rational consideration of past events.

[2] This travel diary is not intended to be an academic treatise on the political history of central Asia, but rather a simple tourist’s observations of history, current events and the involvement of ordinary people. References drawn from other publications are acknowledged. The author unashamedly draws information from, and refers to Wikipedia …… This is a fantastic resource for any traveller and amateur historian.

[3] The author acknowledges that, where practical, travellers should adhere to local spelling and pronunciation of place names and historical persons. However, because this travel diary is intended to be read by English speakers who are unfamiliar with the region and cultures, the spelling and pronunciation adopted here is generally that which would be most familiar to the reader. The following assistance is offered to the reader: Samarqand pronounced Samarkand; Toshkent pronounced Tashkent; Urumqi pronounced Urumchi; Xinjiang pronounced Shinjiang; Qing pronounced Ching; Uighur pronounced Wega.

[4] Caravels were small sea-going fighting and trading ships developed in about 1451, and in use by Portuguese explorers and traders from the mid fifteenth century to the early seventeenth century.

[5] Guangzhou https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guangzhou

[6] Pratt, J.N., http://www.teamuse.com/article_010502.html

[7] Guangzhou https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guangzhou

[8] Xinjiang https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xinjiang

[9] Urumqi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%9Cr%C3%BCmqi

[10] Xinjiang https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xinjiang

[11] Frankopan, P., “The Silk Roads – A New History of the World”, Bloomsbury, 2015.

[12] Oresman, M., “Assessing China’s Reaction to Kyrgystan’s ‘Tulip Revolution’ ”, Analytical Articles, 2005 https://www.bing.com/search?q=tulip+revolution+uyghur&FORM=EDGENN

[13] Barber, E.W., The Mummies of Urumchi, Macmillan, 1999

[14] McEvedy, C., The New Penguin Atlas of Ancient History, Penguin Travel diarys, Second edition 2002

[15] Tarim Basin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarim_Basin

[16] Kasakhstan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazakhstan

[17] Karakol https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karakol