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5 Colourful Central Asian Markets in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan & Kyrgyzstan

For millennia the Silk Road trade route was the meeting point between East and West. Its great bazaars exchanged all manner of goods, but also ideas and culture, shaping the paths of civilisations across the globe. Fortunately for travellers, many of the historic markets along the route are beautifully preserved and complemented by more recently set up bazaars. What fewer visitors appreciate, is that open-air markets remain the beating heart of Central Asian economies and culture. Many are the size of cities in themselves and have boomed since the fall of the Soviet Union. For any traveller wishing to experience the true spirit of Central Asia, here is a list of its must-see markets and bazaars:

https://ireneplus.com/bazaars_of_central_asia/

Poi-Kalon Complex is located in the historic part of city. Since 713, several ensembles of main mosques were built in this area, to the south of the citadel. One of these complexes, burned down by during the siege of Bukhara, was built in 1121 by the Karakhanid ruler Arslan-khan. The is the only one of the structures of Arslan-han complex that was kept safe during that siege. The minaret is the most famed part of the complex, which dominates the historical center of the city in the form of a huge vertical pillar.

Explore Bukhara with .ltd

EN: We would like to offer you to change the tourist route and go to the very heart of the many-sided Tashkent, to its residential quarters mahallas, where the passage of time, social foundations and traditions continue to flow in the same rhythm as several hundred years ago. Here, children play merrily under the supervision of old people among the narrow streets, the hypnotic quail songs sound from behind the high walls, the baker takes fresh fragrant bread from the oven, and a merry wedding is celebrated on the neighboring street.

Mahalla is worthy of attention not only for those who are interested in the traditional architecture of the cities of Uzbekistan, but also for those who want to see the real life of local residents, plunge into the daily rituals of a traditional Uzbek family, which tightly intertwine history, religion, life, traditions and social life.

Read more and book this experience by clicking the following link: https://ireneplus.com/tours/mahalla/

Welcome to Tashkent!

===

RU: Мы хотели бы предложить Вам свернуть с туристических маршрутов и отправится в самое сердце многоликого Ташкента, в жилые кварталы – махалля. Туда, где ход времени, социальные устои и традиции продолжают протекать в том же ритме, как и несколько сотен лет назад. Здесь, среди узких улиц весело играют дети под присмотром стариков, из-за высоких стен долетают гипнотические звуки песен перепелок, пекарь достает свежие ароматные лепешки из печи, а на соседней улице празднуется веселая свадьба.

Махалля достойна внимания не только тех, кто заинтересован в традиционной архитектуре городов Узбекистана, но и для тех, кто хотел бы увидеть настоящий быт местных жителей, окунуться в ежедневные ритуалы традиционной узбекской семьи, плотно сплетающие между собой историю, религию, быт, традиции и общественную жизнь.

Для большей информации и бронировании просим воспользоваться данным линком: https://ireneplus.com/tours/mahalla/

Будем рады видеть Вас в Ташкенте!

#махалля #Ташкент #СтарыйТашкент #дневнойтур #пешийтур #ТурвТашкенте #Узбекистан #культура

Starting from January 1, 2022, The Republic of Tajikistan introduces a unilateral visa-free regime for citizens of 52 countries. Citizens of the , , , countries, , and the , are allowed to stay in Tajikistan for a period of 30 days.

Complete country list and more details available at https://ireneplus.com/tajikistan-visa-free/

, , , , , , ,

Tajikistan introduces unilateral visa-free regime for citizens of 52 countries - Irene Plus Travel LLC Starting from January 1, 2022, The Republic of Tajikistan introduces a unilateral visa-free regime for citizens of 52 countries for a period of 30 days.

Happy Holidays Greetings for all our Friends! Wishing you peace, love, and joy this holiday season and throughout 2022.

#2022

Иногда, где-то в отдельном уголке мира может свести очень интересных людей одна единственная цель - сделать что-то приятное. Так одним теплым ташкентским днем, собрались под крышей лучшие специалисты своего дела, , , и .laowai

В процессе обсуждения интересностей, Лола рассказала о поездке знакомой в юртовый лагерь, что находится на самом краю Узбекистана, в бескрайних песках новой пустыни Аралкум, там, где еще плещатся волны уходящего Арала. Здесь живет удивительная семья, в туристический сезон присматривающая за лагерем. Родители и двое детей. Вдали от цивилизации и школы. Дети помогают родителям. А родители читают детям по вечерам книги, о мире, который гораздо шире привычных горизонтов.

На легкой ноте разговоров было решено, что и юртовый лагерь и эти дети будут найдены, что им будут переданы книги с самыми ближайшими туристами. Сказано, сделано. Самолетом, авто, и руками греческих туристов маленькая посылка с книгами и верблюдом от была доставлена маленькому адресату.

Делать приятные вещи совершенно не сложно, и совсем не дорого. Здесь нужна только человеческая любовь и немного внимания.

#любовь #арал #каракалпакстан #книги

Within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding signed with Teikyo University (Japan), and based on the partnership relations with the Kyrgyz colleagues (the National Academy of Sciences), IICAS announces the publication of a book titled "Ak Beshim (Suyab) 2019".
The archaeological monument of Ak-Beshim, located in the north of the Kyrgyz Republic, is the remains of a trading town that existed in the 5th-11th centuries. This site is one of the most famous archaeological monuments of Central Asia, and in 2014 it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List as one of the valued cultural sites of the Chang'an-Tian-shan Silk Roads Corridor.
The site is located approximately 45 km east of Bishkek, the capital of the Kyrgyz Republic. This vast area is located in the east of the Chui Valley, which stretches from east to west, concentrating around the Chui River, near Tokmok. Xuanzang wrote that he visited this place in 630, and the Tang dynasty built the "Suyab Garrison" here as a stronghold for its advancing westwards in the second half of the 7th century.
This archaeological site has been under investigation by Russian and Kyrgyz archaeologists since 1939. Joint research between the National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Teikyo University's Silk Road Scientific Investigation Team has been conducted since 2016.
The publication covers a report on joint research. The research group carried out excavations, GPR surveying, work on classification and conservation of artifacts, analysis of animal bones and seeds. Apart from these activities, radiocarbon dating of the wood coal has was performed.
The artifacts discovered at the Ak-Beshim archaeological site are documented and collected at the National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic. The drawings, photographs and other materials are stored at the Silk Road Academic Research Center, Teikyo University Research Institute of Cultural Properties.
The publication will be of interest to a wide range of individuals interested in archeology and history, as well as science in general.
The electronic version of the book is available for download at the following link: https://www.unesco-iicas.org/book/135

В рамках заключенного с Университетом Тейкио (Япония) меморандума о взаимопонимании, а также партнерских отношений с кыргызскими коллегами (Национальная Академия Наук) МИЦАИ анонсирует публикацию книги «Ак Бешим (Суяб) 2019».
Археологический памятник Ак-Бешим, расположенный на севере Кыргызской Республики, представляет собой остатки торгового города, существовавшего в V-XI вв. Этот объект является одним из самых известных археологических объектов в в Центральной Азии и в 2014г. был включен в список объектов Всемирного наследия ЮНЕСКО как один из культурных ценностей "Шелкового пути": Сеть маршрутов коридора Чанъань-Тяньшань.
Объект расположен примерно в 45 км к востоку от Бишкека, столицы Кыргызской Республики. Этот обширный участок расположен на востоке долины Чуй, которая простирается с востока на запад, концентрируясь вокруг реки Чуй, недалеко от Токмака. Сюаньцзан писал, что он посетил это место в 630г. и династия Тан построила здесь "Гарнизон Суяб"в качестве опорного пункта для продвижения на запад во второй половине VIIв.
На этом археологическом участке с 1939 года проводились исследования российскими и киргизскими археологами. Совместные исследования с Национальной академией наук Кыргызской Республики и Группой научных исследований Шелкового пути Университета Тейкё проводятся с 2016 года.
Публикация освещает отчет о совместных исследованиях: проведены раскопки, георадарная съемка, работы по упорядочиванию и консервации артефактов, проведены анализ костей животных и семян. Кроме того, было проведено радиоуглеродное датирование древесного угля.
Обнаруженные артефакты из археологического памятника Ак-Бешим архивируются и собираются в Национальной академии наук Кыргызской Республики. Рисунки, фотографии и другие материалы хранятся в архиве в Академическом исследовательском центре "Шелковый путь", Научно-исследовательском институте культурных ценностей Университета Тейкё.
Публикация будет интересна широкому кругу лиц, интересующихся археологией и историей, а также наукой, в целом.
Электронная версия книги представлена по следующей ссылке: https://www.unesco-iicas.org/ru/book/135

What Makes Uzbekistan The Most Popular Country In Central Asia (And Why It's Worth Visiting Once). Uzbekistan is arguably one of the easiest countries to visit, and there's plenty to see and do once you're there.

Article by Aaron Spray

What Makes Uzbekistan The Most Popular Country In Central Asia (And Why It's Worth Visiting Once) Uzbekistan is arguably one of the easiest countries to visit, and there's plenty to see and do once you're there.

Shakh-i Zinda Memorial Complex, Samarkand.

#中亚之行

Happy Spring Festival to everyone!

祝愿你在新的一年里，所有的希望都能如愿，所有的梦想都能实现，所有的期待都能出现，所有的付出都能兑现！

#春节快乐 #中亚之行

Uzbekistan has expanded its visa-free regime for citizens of , , , and , including the special administrative regions of and of the PRC (People's Republic of China). It is reported that starting from March 1, a visa-free regime is established for a period of 10 days from the date of entry into the territory of Uzbekistan, subject to the presentation of air tickets for departure to their own or to a third country.

#中亚之行

The Guardian: As we enter 2021 with unbridled hope and optimism for a better year filled with limitless freedom and a vaccinated global population, never have I wanted more to return to completing my journey of the Silk Road, started in 2019. Beginning in Xi’an and Kashgar, China, I headed west to Almaty, Kazakhstan, before crossing over into Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. My trip allowed just enough time to reach dazzling Samarkand in Uzbekistan. My trip ended at the Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, a breathtaking marvel from which I hope to restart my adventure in 2021. My aim is to reach Tehran, from where I will return to Baku, one of my favourite cities, for a deserved cup of coffee. -- Scott Strachan

#中亚之行

My travel dream for 2021: top 12 readers’ tips Making travel plans is keeping many of us going through winter. Our tipsters yearn to visit UK coasts, cities and countryside, plus exotic journeys on the Silk Road and a Sahara freight train

Dear Friends, Partners and Colleagues,

This year has been like no other. Coronavirus has affected our lives in untold ways including keeping up with friends and family to share family updates, mostly online. We have worked from home, became teachers, and stay at home parents. Most importantly, we stayed safe and enjoyed quality time!

May you & yours have a very Merry Christmas! Hope your holidays are full of health, joy and all the things you wished for. And, we wished for a better New Year!

Happiness and health to you and yours in the year ahead. Do hope to see you in person in upcoming 2021.

Sending all our love and wishes for better days ahead,

Mikhail and Irene Plus Travel Team

#2021

During the pandemic lockdown not everyone faced hard time of self isolation. Ethnic style artist Elena Ladik and her team in Happy Bird Art Gallery took this time as a great opportunity for creation of new wonderful collection - "The Sheltering Sky".

Innocent angels, weightless clouds and mysterious fairies are waiting for you in , ).

The Guardian: The British Museum is to help repatriate six glazed tiles from a medieval memorial complex on the edge of Samarkand, which were brought into Heathrow in a suitcase.

The man who smuggled them in after a flight from Dubai in January even forged paperwork declaring them as replicas that were “made to look old”. He produced a receipt that claimed they had been bought in Sharjah the previous day for 315 dirham, about £70.

In fact, the tiles are worth many tens of thousands of pounds and are culturally important to their original country of origin, Uzbekistan.

#中亚之行

British Museum to repatriate ancient tiles smuggled into UK in a suitcase Ancient artefacts from Samarkand will go on display in London before being returned

Trade linked China and the Roman world along the , fostering not only commerce but a robust exchange of wisdom and beliefs.

Traditionally, production was entrusted to Chinese women and carefully guarded as a state secret. Revealing the confidential methods of sericulture was punishable by death. Centuries later, it would be these silken threads that would weave together a vast trade network, linking the lands of China to Rome.

In the 19th century German geographer Ferdinand von Richthofen looked for a term to describe the trade routes that shuttled silks and other luxury goods between the Far East and the Mediterranean from the first century B.C. until the Middle Ages. It seemed appropriate to name it for the item most associated with Eastern opulence, and Richthofen’s term, “Silk Road,” has stuck ever since.

Read more in Carles Buenacasa Pérez article for

#中亚之行 #爱林中亚之行 #丝绸之路

Trading Silk for Horses: The Surprisingly Simple Origins of the Silk Road - Irene Plus Travel National Geographic: Trade linked China and the Roman world along the Silk Road, fostering not only commerce but a robust exchange of wisdom and beliefs.

Rising between the and Aral seas and stretching across , and , the plateau is an ultra-remote expanse of scorched clay-desert valleys that surge into rust-red pinnacles and mesas. This otherworldly 200,000 sq km expanse is roughly the size of England and Scotland combined, but with fewer than 13cm of annual rainfall and extreme seasonal temperatures that swing between 40°C and −40°C, the arid region is only home to a few sparsely populated semi-nomadic tribes.

Yet, a deeper look at this seemingly desolate land reveals a series of mysterious, ancient fortifications – suggesting that people have survived and even thrived in this harsh climate against all odds.

Read more in Matthew Traver's article for

#中亚之行 #爱林中亚之行

The mystery of Central Asia’s ‘desert kites’ - Irene Plus Travel BBC: In one of the world’s least-visited corners, thousands of ancient stone dwellings dot the landscape, baffling archaeologists.

For all our we will make live broadcast today, on August, 31st. at 15:00 (Beijing), and will introduce the most iconic spots of . In case if you fluent in , join us! Scan QR with your and join the broadcast, welcome!

#疫情过后 去中亚都玩什么呢？今天，8月31号下午3:00 (北京时间)， #爱林中亚之行地接社 带你解锁 #中亚五国 的神秘景点，中亚的历史文化、餐饮美食会一会面，不见不散。我们的 #直播 间等你们来 ~

#中亚之行 #国际旅游

BBC: The Forum Podcast (Audio): Silk Routes, 2000 years of trading.

China, Iran, Afghanistan, Syria, Uzbekistan and India: if you went to any of these places a thousand years ago, you would find goods and produce from the others. But how did they get there and why? This week’s Forum explores the ancient pattern of trading networks which criss-crossed the plains, deserts and mountains of China, Central Asia and points further West, and which encouraged not just the exchange of commodities such as silk, paper and horses but ideas and people too. Bridget Kendall talks to Valerie Hansen, professor of history at Yale University who has a particular interest in trade and exchanges across Eurasia; historian Dr. Susan Whitfield, former curator of the Central Asian collections at the British Library in London; and Tamara Chin, professor of comparative literature at Brown University whose work focuses on ancient China.

(Photo: A man rides a horse at Band-e-Amir lake, central Afghanistan, on a former Silk Route that once linked China with Central Asia and beyond.

#中亚之行

The Forum - Silk routes: 2000 years of trading - BBC Sounds Luxuries and everyday goods that travelled West and East

你可能认为你在乌兹别克斯坦结束的唯一方法就是在地图上进行一次投掷。再想想，未来几年将成为中亚地区的热门目的地。很容易理解为什么：穿着蓝绿色瓷砖的伊斯兰建筑在千年古城的沙质历史中心上升，曾经是丝绸之路的皇冠上的宝石。开始探索乌兹别克斯坦与这七个不容错过的景点一起探索的清真寺，尖塔和陵墓。

7个景点使乌兹别克斯坦成为必看的中亚目的地 - Irene Plus Travel wu zi bie ke si tan 7 ge jing dian

Fionn Davenport, Lonely Planet Writer: Why I believe we need to start traveling internationally again.

"Here’s the rub: the virus isn’t going anywhere soon. We have made huge efforts to flatten the curve, but there’s no sign of a vaccine to eliminate it altogether, so we will have to live with COVID-19 for the foreseeable future."

#中亚之行

Why I believe we need to start travelling internationally again Should I stay or should I go? Lonely Planet provides an argument in favor of traveling abroad.

Next stop, was one of the most important cities in . Its remnants are located south of the Chui river and south of present day city of , 50 km to the East of . According to Chinese and Arab-Persian sources the town is identified as well-known Town.

The city displayed 3 areas. The was nearly rectangular, surrounded by massive walls and measured 35 ha. The southwest corner was marked by the . In the east was a suburb, the area with less massive walls, covering 60ha. An even wider area to the south and the west was protected by a minor wall.

Famous Chinese poet ( #李白, 701–762), also known as , was born here. He and his friend (712–770) were the two most prominent figures in the flourishing of in the , which is often called the "Golden Age of Chinese Poetry".

Picture shows work on a statue of the in Nirvana at the second Buddhist temple (seventh-eighth century, 11 m), which was excavated in 1970. This remains now stored in Hermitage (Государственный Эрмитаж. The State Hermitage museum. Official page.) without display, and someday, when will decide how to take it back, statue could be displayed for public.

In the fields south of , located our final spot - the Tower, the 24m-high stump of a huge brick minaret, supposedly 11th-century though what you see dates predominantly from a 1950s Soviet restoration. This is all that’s left of the ancient citadel of , founded by the and later a capital of the , excavated in the 1970s by archaeologists.

The Buddhist monuments of the Chui Valley are of special historical and cultural value, having been built in these countries' Turk-Sogdian towns under Chinese rule and representing the confluence of Eastern (Chinese and Eastern Turkic) and Southern ( and ) Buddhist traditions.

The last point of our in will be of , the main gates to China for all who traveled via northern routes. Here, gathered the main towns of the valley, (today Krasnaya Rechka), ( ) and ( ), were founded during the 6th century AD.

Peoples from , , , , and the northern settled in the towns, each bringing with them their own religious and cultural traditions. Navikat, and the other towns of the Chui Valley, are mentioned in records left by the pilgrim , who visited the area in around 620 AD.

We start with the town of ( ), that has long been one of the most important of all the urban settlements in the Chui Valley and in the Tien-Shan region. Archaeological excavations in and around the town have revealed a fire altar and grave site in the western suburbs, Christian votive stones in the citadel and two temples south of the town walls.

Blend of , , and cultures can be seen in the materials used in both the religious and civil buildings, constituting a fascinating expression of regional cultural dialogue. Among the early medieval Buddhist buildings that have been excavated in the , the second Buddhist temple of Navikat (Krasnaya Rechka) is the only one that has been well preserved.

In 2011 a team of archaeologists working in an excavation site at Krasnaya Rechka discovered a 1.5 m high remains of sitting . They believe the statue dates back to a time between the 8th to 10th centuries, though further tests are needed to pinpoint its exact age.

Buddha will be available for public after on-site museum will be completed.

Our next stop will be The , located less than 20 km east from the , at the area of . One of the Kazakhstan’s most iconic artifact was discovered here.

In the spring of 1969, a farmer from the Issyk collective farm, was preparing the soil for planting when he noticed something glinting in the furrow left by his plow. Pushing the soil aside with his boot, he exposed a small gold plaque--treasure from a burial in a large kurgan, one of several that broke the flatness of the field.

The central in the kurgan had been plundered in antiquity, but the robbers had missed a rich burial hidden in the side of the mound. The farmer reported it immediately, and Kemal Akishev of the Kazakh Institute of History, Ethnography, and Archaeology hurried to Issyk and began systematic excavation of the kurgan.

Akishev and his colleagues soon uncovered a sarcophagus constructed from large fir logs, within which they found a skeleton covered with 4,000 gold ornaments. Although the s*x of the skeleton is uncertain, it may have been an 18-year-old Saka (Scythian) prince or princess. Burial date to around the 2nd to 3rd century BC.

The richness of the burial items led the skeleton to be dubbed the Golden Man. The , also referred to as the Golden Warrior, or in academic circles as ‘Kazakhstan’s ’. The most complete history and artifacts collections you could find in Issyk reserve Museum Заповедник-музей "Иссык" / "Есік" қорық-мұражайы, close to , .

B/W Pic: (c) VOXPOPULI, other pic: open media and (c) Issyk Reserve Museum

Our next stop will be the medieval settlement ( ), situated 25 km to the east of , , at the foot of Zailiyskoe Ala Tau, in the outskirts of Talgar town. This medieval city laying on the – Corridor.

Talkhiz for sure corresponds to Talhir which is mentioned in anonymous geographical writing of the end of X century, called “Hudud al-Alem”. “Its citizens are warlike, brave and valorous”, - mentioned the medieval geographer.

With time Talkhiz settlement became popular with merchants and craftspeople. First they served the owner of the settlement and his court, but later they started producing goods for nomads and surrounding settlements. Such city development was common in at that time.

By the beginning of the 10th century Talkhiz had become a city. It was a time of political and economic change in Kazakhstan history, since the country got controlled by the feudal . The territory of Kazakhstan was conditionally divided into several appanges governed by deputies. Talkhiz developed rapidly in this period and, like other cities of the Ili river valley it became the capital of an economically and geographically important territory.

Collections of inscriptions on ceramics, stone and metal crafts were gathered. Besides, ancient-Turkic writings, alphabet, and writings, writings were found.

Pictures used: (c) Larisa Shtoppel/Express-K; (c) Issyk Reserve Museum Заповедник-музей "Иссык" / "Есік" қорық-мұражайы & (c) Kazrestavratsiya