Samarkand: Day 2 (Shahrisabz Day Trip)

Today was the day we were supposed to be going to Tajikistan; however, Uzbekistan closed its border with Tajikistan, so we were unable to get there. So instead, we took a day trip to another town in Uzbekistan called Shahrisabz. To get there, we got in cars instead of the bus, which was a blessing for two reasons: first, we were not with the entire group (there were just three of us plus the driver in a car), and second, there was not the constant banter over the PA. It was nice to actually be able to look at where we were and process it without constant talking over the bus's microphone distracting you from being able to make your own conclusions about where you are. So, in the car with me was Dillip (pronounced like "Phillip" but with a "D" instead of a "Ph") and Brooks. The three of us are all traveling on or own, so we were happy to hop in the same car, and we had a great time! Dillip is quite a character, and Brooks is a little spitfire! We truly had a great car ride together, laughing most of the way!

The drive took about two hours, and we went over a mountain and stopped at the pass to enjoy the view and the fruit/nut market that had set up at the highest point of the mountain. (The apricot seeds were delicious!)





When we reached Shahrisabz, our first stop was the ruins of the Palace of Amir Temur. The square out front has a statue of him that was erected in 1995. You can see the ruins of the palace in the background of this picture, and you can also see a wedding in progress (they are happening all over the place, everyday!):


We took a closer look, and a few of us climbed to the top of the right portion of the ruins (all 123 steps!) and got a good birds-eye view of the other side.


After the visit to the ruins of the palace, we headed to the mausoleum of Temur, that he built for himself; however, he was not buried there because he died in China and his body was taken to Samarkand and placed there (we are going there tomorrow). The place was fairly unremarkable.


We then visited another Islamic complex, the Darus Siadat. It was built by Ulughbek (see yesterday's blog) and contains a mosque and several mausoleums.








After this visit, we headed to a local restaurant for lunch, then the ride back to the hotel. We had some free time before dinner, and then called it a night since we have to pack up and leave tomorrow! We were sorry we weren't able to make it to Tajikistan (it's ok! I'll just have to come back another time!), but it was a great day full of beautiful scenery and interesting sites. I really enjoyed the ride to and from Shahrisabz, because we got the opportunity to see local people just going about their daily lives, which was one of the things I came on this trip to see! Another great day here on the Silk Road!!!


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