Khiva, Uzbequistan

The Silk Road Fortress the Soviets Velved


pillars of faith
Young girl among the 213 carved wooden columns of the Juma Mosque.
Central Asia "Afro"
A man dressed in traditional costumes from the Turkmen steppe, including a traditional sheep's wool cap worn by local warriors to protect themselves from the intense cold.
Al-khwarizmi
The inquisitive statue of a famous native mathematician and astronomer, challenged by the cheeky presence of a city child.
In Summer Clothing
Woman in traditional Uzbek dress, protected from the scorching sun that hits Central Asia from June to late August.
Semi-Minaret
Kalta Minaret Minaret, planned to reach 80 meters high but was left halfway through by a deceased Khan and his successor who allegedly did not want to continue the work.
camel parking
A camel in the shadow of an inner wall of the ark of Khuna.
Supreme View
Family views Khiva's houses from the observation platform of Islam Khodja's madrassa minaret.
mini minaret
Detail of the top of a minaret, with the majolica of the minor minaret of Kalta in front.
little magic carpet
Mother and daughter shake a rug on a terrace on the northern edge of the walled fortress of Ichon Qala.
Freely
Young Uzbek settles comfortably in a street photographer's chair, next to winter bonnets typical of the Central Asian steppe.
Uzbek twilight
Silhouette of a minaret of an ancient mosque located in front of the western portal of the wall of Ichon Qala, the fortified area of ​​Khiva.
In the 80s, Soviet leaders renewed Khiva in a softened version that, in 1990, UNESCO declared a World Heritage Site. The USSR disintegrated the following year. Khiva has preserved its new luster.

The afternoon is drawing to a close. Bustle takes over from the square in front of the west portal of Ichon Qala, the old walled area of ​​Khiva.

A crowd armed with buckets and jugs vie for water supplied by a pump sunk in a pavement fault.

Tough teams of kids play ball.

Others challenge the inexhaustible patience of the statue of Al-Khwarizmi, a native mathematician, astronomer and geographer born in 780.

Khiva, Uzbekistan, Fortress, Silk Road, Al-Khwarizmi

The inquisitive statue of a famous native mathematician and astronomer, challenged by the cheeky presence of a city child.

In the XNUMXth century, Latin translations of his work on Indian numerals introduced the positional decimal number system to the Western World. Today, the inquisitive bronze sculpture inspires the city's children in countless games and pranks.

We went back inside the walls. We added our movement to the EARTH.

With sunset, imminent. we make the small ball of the sun fit between the battlements and the windows a little further down, positioned under two large domes.

The access to the top of the adarves ended at six o'clock in the afternoon, much earlier than it suited those who, like us, wanted to admire and register the interior of the city under a twilight light.

Khiva, Uzbekistan, Fortress, Silk Road, sunset minaret

Silhouette of a minaret of an ancient mosque located in front of the western portal of the wall of Ichon Qala, the fortified area of ​​Khiva.

The Inescapable Legacy of Soviet Corruption

In a previous contact with the person responsible for entries, we asked if there was any way she could help us, because we would also be doing it to promote her city.

The bulky woman, in a uniform of obvious Soviet heritage and hair and some matching golden teeth, pulls on her best English and responds with undisguised coldness: “I can't normally do this but… be here at 8:10.000. Ah! And it will cost you 4 SUMs (a mere €XNUMX).

We took a walk around the city and met Nilufar, the young multilingual Uzbek guide – spoke Uzbek, Russian, English, French and a little German – who would help us if any last-minute problems arose and would give us a fresh history lesson. -learned, on top of the walls.

Khiva, Uzbekistan, Fortress, Silk Road,

View of the western façade of the wall with the minor minaret of Kalta highlighted behind the main portico.

A matriosque he appeared on the other side of the square and wasted no time: “I no longer picked up my husband at home and came by taxi. I have to ask you for 5000 more SUMs.”

The Unbelief and Disillusionment of Nilufar

Nilufar had seen her come out of an old Lada led by a man, with three dwarves also following behind. It was easy for him to conclude that this was his family.

Khiva, Uzbekistan, Fortress, Silk Road, Uzbek woman

Woman in traditional Uzbek dress, protected from the scorching sun that hits Central Asia from June to late August.

And that the employee was just inflating the profit taken out of the alleged favor.

The guide, who had been born in the year the USSR had dissolved, did everything possible to avoid arguing with that more than accomplished woman who oppressed and intimidated her.

Unable to hide his disappointment, he began to cry that we immediately tried to understand and stop: "but, after all, what was Nilufar?" we started by asking you.

“We always learned at school that in the Soviet Union there was no such thing as bribes or that sort of thing. Now you've come this far and I'm soon caught up in a scam like this. I feel ashamed.”

We tried to demystify the doctrine imposed by the teachers of his and previous generations as gently as possible. Nilufar seems to conform to the harshness of our version. Calm down, gain the courage to face the guardian again who is not tamed by anything in this world

"Look, you have to hurry!" alert us with outstretched finger.

Khiva, Uzbekistan, Fortress, Silk Road, Khuna's Ark

Mother and son cross an almost deserted square in front of Ichon Qala's Khuna Ark.

We paid him the required sum and crossed the ark of Khuna, the fortified inner residence of the city's secular rulers.

We proceed to the top of the western edge of the walls of Khiva. Shortly after, another couple of customers arrive after the lady's hours.

Instead of thinking about what to think, we focused on the splendid scenery.

Khiva, Uzbekistan, Fortress, Silk Road, Islam Khodja

Islam Khodja's minaret projected from one of the city's smallest madrassas.

The Majolic Elegance of the Khiva Fortress

Forward, the walls, warheads, pediments and minarets of successive madrassas were repeated.

In a predominant tone of toasted sand only broken by the elegant blues and greens of Islamic majolica typical of those parts of Central Asia.

Khiva, Uzbekistan, Fortress, Silk Road, Minaret

Detail of the top of a minaret, with the majolica of the minor minaret of Kalta in front.

Behind the last one stretched a single-storey house of the same dominant one, mixed with green vegetation that almost never surpassed it.

As we looked at it then, Khiva had little to do with what it was in its heyday.

The Grand History of Khiva on the Silk Road

According to archaeologists, it was founded in the XNUMXth or XNUMXth centuries BC

Shortly thereafter, it was already known as one of the outposts on the Silk Road that linked Rome to China, in line with other renowned emporiums cases of Samarkand and Bukhara.

In the XNUMXth century, the Arab explorer and geographer Ibn Batuta visited it, probably arriving in a camel caravan.

Khiva, Uzbekistan, Fortress, Silk Road, camel

A camel in the shadow of an inner wall of the ark of Khuna.

He praised the tireless care with which his ruler maintained law and order despite, as he recounted: "the city was so full of people that it was practically impossible to find your way in the crowd."

In the image of what would happen to most of the area, Genghis Khan has swept away the past. In the late XNUMXth century, descendants of the Mongol emperor formed a khanato.

Khiva, Uzbekistan, Fortress, Silk Road, elder

Muslim elder at the entrance to the east portal of the fortress of Ichon Qala.

They chose Khiva for their capital.

Khiva became a slave market that lasted more than three centuries in reality and in the tormented imagination of the peoples of the region.

Most of the slaves were brought by Turkmen tribal warriors from the karakum desert or by counterparts from the steppes of present-day Kazakhstan.

Some kidnapped anyone unlucky enough to live or travel in the vicinity.

Khiva, Uzbekistan, Fortress, Silk Road, carpet

Mother and daughter shake a rug on a terrace on the northern edge of the walled fortress of Ichon Qala.

The Walled Khiva of Present-day Uzbekistan

Today, Khiva is home to more than 50 free inhabitants. Of these, only 3000 live within the walls.

Some thrive on charging outsiders the privilege of photographing themselves in war clothes from that era.

Khiva, Uzbekistan, Fortress, Silk Road, photo Cussak

Man in costume from the turkish steppe, including a sheep's wool cap worn by warriors to protect themselves from the intense cold.

The business is based on wooden armchairs and khan coats, historic sabers and, the most stunning adornment, the large-volume bonnets made of sheep's wool that protected the warriors from the excruciating cold of the steppe.

Some opted for rubber or plush tigers, placed in flashy plastic rose frames with the purpose of capturing the female sector of passersby.

Khiva, Uzbekistan, Fortress, Silk Road, photo with tiger

Friends pose in a set improvised by a street photographer for visitors to Khiva.

After adhering to the traditional modality, we patiently ascend the 118 spiral steps.

We reach the 45 meter high observation platform, on top of the highest minaret in the city, which projects from one of its smallest madrassas, that of Islam Khodja.

We share this tight summit with a traditional Uzbek family.

Khiva, Uzbekistan, Fortress, Silk Road, Islam Khodja

Family views Khiva's houses from the observation platform of Islam Khodja's madrassa minaret.

The City of Islamic Genesis on the Path to Recover Islam

In the process of the formation of the USSR, shortly after the October Revolution, the integration of Khiva into the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic represented an annihilation of any and all forms of religious expression.

Mainly from the predominant Islam

As we walked through the streets of the fortress, almost stripped of any ordinary form of life, it would have been unthinkable not to notice.

Missing are masses of young apprentices of the faith in Allah, such as those in Pakistan or neighboring Afghanistan. Of the sixteen madrassas and many mosques, only one or the other functioned as such.

Khiva, Uzbekistan, Fortress, Silk Road, Juma Mosque

Young girl among the 213 carved wooden columns of the Juma Mosque.

The rest, the palaces, mausoleums and other historic buildings formed an open-air museum to which the few inhabitants and visitors and merchants from Uzbek and other parts of Central Asia lend as genuineness as possible.

Even so, we were housed in a “East Star” which is neither more nor less than a big madrassa adapted to a hotel.

Tired of walking the streets and alleys under the intense heat of the early summer of this continental Asia, we retire to our rooms with the stars already in the firmament.

We went out to the courtyard in the center of the madrassa. There, we are left to contemplate the starry sky with the spatial alienation of an Al-Khwarizmi in full study.

Until we got tired of the inaction and went out to investigate a beam of bluish light that towered over the structure of the building.

On the main façade, we see a blue semi-tower that received the base of the lighting. We asked an employee on duty at the hotel entrance what this strange work was all about.

To which he replies: “Ah, that lights up Kalta's minaret.

Khiva, Uzbekistan, Fortress, Silk Road, Kalta Minor

Kalta Minaret Minaret, planned to reach 80 meters high but was left halfway through by a deceased Khan and his successor who allegedly did not want to continue the work.

It was supposed to be the biggest in Khiva at about 80 meters but the Khan died and what followed didn't want to complete it.

It is said that he realized that the muezzins would be able to see the women of his harem from the top and that, therefore, he did not proceed with the construction. Believe it or not.”

Uzbekistan

Journey through the Uzbekistan Pseudo-Roads

Centuries passed. Old and run-down Soviet roads ply deserts and oases once traversed by caravans from the Silk RoadSubject to their yoke for a week, we experience every stop and incursion into Uzbek places, into scenic and historic road rewards.
Castles and Fortresses

The World to Defense - Castles and Fortresses that Resist

Under threat from enemies from the end of time, the leaders of villages and nations built castles and fortresses. All over the place, military monuments like these continue to resist.
Tbilisi, Georgia

Georgia still Perfumed by the Rose Revolution

In 2003, a popular political uprising made the sphere of power in Georgia tilt from East to West. Since then, the capital Tbilisi has not renounced its centuries of Soviet history, nor the revolutionary assumption of integrating into Europe. When we visit, we are dazzled by the fascinating mix of their past lives.
Sigiriya, Sri Lanka

The Capital Fortress of a Parricide King

Kashyapa I came to power after walling up his father's monarch. Afraid of a probable attack by his brother heir to the throne, he moved the main city of the kingdom to the top of a granite peak. Today, his eccentric haven is more accessible than ever and has allowed us to explore the Machiavellian plot of this Sri Lankan drama.
Samarkand, Uzbekistan

The Astronomer Sultan

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Margilan, Uzbekistan

An Uzbekistan's Breadwinner

In one of the many bakeries in Margilan, worn out by the intense heat of the tandyr oven, the baker Maruf'Jon works half-baked like the distinctive traditional breads sold throughout Uzbekistan
Fergana Valley, Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan, The Nation That Does Not Lack Bread

Few countries employ cereals like Uzbekistan. In this republic of Central Asia, bread plays a vital and social role. The Uzbeks produce it and consume it with devotion and in abundance.
Samarkand, Uzbequistan

A Monumental Legacy of the Silk Road

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Aral Sea, Uzbequistan

The Lake that Cotton Absorbed

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Saint John of Acre, Israel

The Fortress That Withstood Everything

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The Life Withstanding in the Golden Fort of Jaisalmer

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Masada, Israel

Masada: The Last Jewish Fortress

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Margilan, Uzbequistan

A Tour of Uzbekistan's Handicraft Fabrics

Located in the far east of Uzbekistan, in the Fergana Valley, Margilan was one of the essential stops on the Silk Road. Since the 10th century, the silk products produced there have made it stand out on maps; today, haute couture brands compete for its fabrics. More than just a prodigious center of artisanal creation, Margilan values ​​and cherishes an ancient Uzbek way of life.
Residents walk along the trail that runs through plantations above the UP4
City
Gurué, Mozambique, Part 1

Through the Mozambican Lands of Tea

The Portuguese founded Gurué in the 1930th century and, from XNUMX onwards, flooded it with camellia sinensis the foothills of the Namuli Mountains. Later, they renamed it Vila Junqueiro, in honor of its main promoter. With the independence of Mozambique and the civil war, the town regressed. It continues to stand out for the lush green imposing mountains and teak landscapes.
Host Wezi points out something in the distance
Beach
Cobue; Nkwichi Lodge, Mozambique

The Hidden Mozambique of the Creaking Sands

During a tour from the bottom to the top of Lake Malawi, we find ourselves on the island of Likoma, an hour by boat from Nkwichi Lodge, the solitary base of this inland coast of Mozambique. On the Mozambican side, the lake is known as Niassa. Whatever its name, there we discover some of the most stunning and unspoilt scenery in south-east Africa.
Okavango Delta, Not all rivers reach the sea, Mokoros
safari
Okavango Delta, Botswana

Not all rivers reach the sea

Third longest river in southern Africa, the Okavango rises in the Angolan Bié plateau and runs 1600km to the southeast. It gets lost in the Kalahari Desert where it irrigates a dazzling wetland teeming with wildlife.
Hikers on the Ice Lake Trail, Annapurna Circuit, Nepal
Annapurna (circuit)
Annapurna Circuit: 7th - Braga - Ice Lake, Nepal

Annapurna Circuit – The Painful Acclimatization of the Ice Lake

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Bay Watch cabin, Miami beach, beach, Florida, United States,
Architecture & Design
Miami beach, USA

The Beach of All Vanities

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Full Dog Mushing
Aventura
Seward, Alaska

The Alaskan Dog Mushing Summer

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MassKara Festival, Bacolod City, Philippines
Ceremonies and Festivities
Bacolod, Philippines

A Festival to Laugh at Tragedy

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Perth Lonely City Australia, CBD
Cities
Perth, Australia

the lonely city

More 2000km away from a worthy counterpart, Perth is considered the most remote city on the face of the Earth. Despite being isolated between the Indian Ocean and the vast Outback, few people complain.
Tsukiji fish market, Tokyo, Japan
Lunch time
Tokyo, Japan

The Fish Market That Lost its Freshness

In a year, each Japanese eats more than their weight in fish and shellfish. Since 1935, a considerable part was processed and sold in the largest fish market in the world. Tsukiji was terminated in October 2018, and replaced by Toyosu's.
Vairocana Buddha, Todai ji Temple, Nara, Japan
Culture
Nara, Japan

The Colossal Cradle of the Japanese Buddhism

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Reindeer Racing, Kings Cup, Inari, Finland
Sport
Inari, Finland

The Wackiest Race on the Top of the World

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Prayer flags in Ghyaru, Nepal
Traveling
Annapurna Circuit: 4th – Upper Banana to Ngawal, Nepal

From Nightmare to Dazzle

Unbeknownst to us, we are faced with an ascent that leads us to despair. We pulled our strength as far as possible and reached Ghyaru where we felt closer than ever to the Annapurnas. The rest of the way to Ngawal felt like a kind of extension of the reward.
Tabatô, Guinea Bissau, tabanca Mandingo musicians. Baidi
Ethnic
Tabato, Guinea Bissau

The Tabanca of Mandinga Poets Musicians

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View of Fa Island, Tonga, Last Polynesian Monarchy
Got2Globe Photo Portfolio
Got2Globe Portfolio

Exotic Signs of Life

Boat owners at the Trou d'Eau Douce pier
History
Island Mauritius

East Mauritius, South in Sight

The east coast of Mauritius has established itself as one of the seaside paradises of the Indian Ocean. As we explore it, we discover places that are also important strongholds of its history. These include Pointe du Diable, Mahebourg, Île-aux-Aigrettes and other stunning tropical locations.
Camiguin, Philippines, Katungan mangrove.
Islands
Camiguin, Philippines

An Island of Fire Surrended to Water

With more than twenty cones above 100 meters, the abrupt and lush, Camiguin has the highest concentration of volcanoes of any other of the 7641 islands in the Philippines or on the planet. But, in recent times, not even the fact that one of these volcanoes is active has disturbed the peace of its rural, fishing and, to the delight of outsiders, heavily bathed life.
coast, fjord, Seydisfjordur, Iceland
Winter White
Seydisfjordur, Iceland

From the Art of Fishing to the Fishing of Art

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Baie d'Oro, Île des Pins, New Caledonia
Literature
Île-des-Pins, New Caledonia

The Island that Leaned against Paradise

In 1964, Katsura Morimura delighted the Japan with a turquoise novel set in Ouvéa. But the neighboring Île-des-Pins has taken over the title "The Nearest Island to Paradise" and thrills its visitors.
Guest, Michaelmas Cay, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Nature
Michaelmas Cay, Australia

Miles from Christmas (Part XNUMX)

In Australia, we live the most uncharacteristic of the 24th of December. We set sail for the Coral Sea and disembark on an idyllic islet that we share with orange-billed terns and other birds.
Sheki, Autumn in the Caucasus, Azerbaijan, Autumn Homes
Autumn
Sheki, Azerbaijan

autumn in the caucasus

Lost among the snowy mountains that separate Europe from Asia, Sheki is one of Azerbaijan's most iconic towns. Its largely silky history includes periods of great harshness. When we visited it, autumn pastels added color to a peculiar post-Soviet and Muslim life.
Chapada dos Guimarães, Mato Grosso, Brazil, Véu de Noiva waterfall
Natural Parks
Chapada dos Guimarães, Mato Grosso, Brazil

In the Burning Heart of South America

It was only in 1909 that the South American geodesic center was established by Cândido Rondon, a Brazilian marshal. Today, it is located in the city of Cuiabá. It has the stunning but overly combustible scenery of Chapada dos Guimarães nearby.
Conflicted Way
UNESCO World Heritage
Jerusalem, Israel

Through the Belicious Streets of Via Dolorosa

In Jerusalem, while traveling the Via Dolorosa, the most sensitive believers realize how difficult the peace of the Lord is to achieve in the most disputed streets on the face of the earth.
Visitors to Ernest Hemingway's Home, Key West, Florida, United States
Characters
Key West, United States

Hemingway's Caribbean Playground

Effusive as ever, Ernest Hemingway called Key West "the best place I've ever been...". In the tropical depths of the contiguous US, he found evasion and crazy, drunken fun. And the inspiration to write with intensity to match.
Martinique island, French Antilles, Caribbean Monument Cap 110
Beaches
Martinique, French Antilles

The Armpit Baguette Caribbean

We move around Martinique as freely as the Euro and the tricolor flags fly supreme. But this piece of France is volcanic and lush. Lies in the insular heart of the Americas and has a delicious taste of Africa.
Pilgrims at the top, Mount Sinai, Egypt
Religion
Mount Sinai, Egypt

Strength in the Legs, Faith in God

Moses received the Ten Commandments on the summit of Mount Sinai and revealed them to the people of Israel. Today, hundreds of pilgrims climb, every night, the 4000 steps of that painful but mystical ascent.
Chepe Express, Chihuahua Al Pacifico Railway
On Rails
Creel to Los Mochis, Mexico

The Barrancas del Cobre & the CHEPE Iron Horse

The Sierra Madre Occidental's relief turned the dream into a construction nightmare that lasted six decades. In 1961, at last, the prodigious Chihuahua al Pacifico Railroad was opened. Its 643km cross some of the most dramatic scenery in Mexico.
Street Bar, Fremont Street, Las Vegas, United States
Society
Las Vegas, USA

The Sin City Cradle

The famous Strip has not always focused the attention of Las Vegas. Many of its hotels and casinos replicated the neon glamor of the street that once stood out, Fremont Street.
Coin return
Daily life
Dawki, India

Dawki, Dawki, Bangladesh on sight

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savuti, botswana, elephant-eating lions
Wildlife
Savuti, Botswana

Savuti's Elephant-Eating Lions

A patch of the Kalahari Desert dries up or is irrigated depending on the region's tectonic whims. In Savuti, lions have become used to depending on themselves and prey on the largest animals in the savannah.
Bungee jumping, Queenstown, New Zealand
Scenic Flights
Queenstown, New Zealand

Queenstown, the Queen of Extreme Sports

In the century. XVIII, the Kiwi government proclaimed a mining village on the South Island "fit for a queen".Today's extreme scenery and activities reinforce the majestic status of ever-challenging Queenstown.