BUKHARA, UZBEKISTAN: THE ROYAL PALACE, A SUFI TEMPLE AND MAUSOLEUM, AND LEAVING UZBEKISTAN

On our way out of Bukhara, we stopped at two historical sites: a royal summer palace and a Sufi mausoleum.

In the mid-19th century, the Emir of Bukhara (a descendant of Genghis Khan) decided he needed a place to escape the heat, to he asked his wise men where to build. They told him to kill and quarter a lamb, and then to put each quarter in a different location. Build where the meat stays fresh the longest. He did exactly that.

While his summer palace did not survive, a second one was built on the same site later in the 19th century. The Emir at the time had a beloved wife Sitora who died, so he named the palace after her: Sitorai Mokhi Khosa, translated as "Star, like the Moon."  The front gate, a fusion of central Asian and Russian design, still stands:

Apparently it wasn't fancy enough for the grandson of that emir, because when he inherited the throne, he built a third palace next to the old one. It was finished in 1917. Unfortunately, Russia took over Bukhara in 1920, and the emir fled to Afghanistan, where he lived out the rest of his life and died in 1944.

These days the palace serves as a museum of fine arts. As in days past, peacocks roam freely around the grounds:

There were many handmade items on display and for sale, including the ubiquitous suzanis, or embroidered tablecloths/wall hangings. In fact, there were quite a number of desperate artisans there, trying to sell their creations, but there were few if any buyers. We had been exposed to these products for days and had already filled our luggage with similar items. However, I think the quality and prices at the palace were as good and probably better than in the city.

This rundown, U-shaped white building fronted by unimaginative concrete tiles is the palace. It didn't seem like much:

However, it looked like some serious restoration work was happening on the right-hand leg:

There were a few appealing exterior features:

Nearby is the bust of a man who might be The Last Emir, the architect, a national hero--I don't know:

Because of the tired appearance of the exterior, we weren't expecting much from the inside, but boy, were we wrong. It was spectacular. It reminded me of the sparking crystals of a geode hidden inside an ugly, bumpy, gray exterior.

This is the Uzbek Palace of Versailles, room after room of over-the-top ornate decor and lavish furnishings, Islamic-style:

The "White Hall" draws from the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles:

Here is the golden Palace of Versailles version:

Picture from here

Here is the gleaming white Bukhara Palace version:

The White Hall provides a sensory contrast to the rest of the palace, decorated in chaotic color:

Now an art museum, there are many lovely pieces, such as this bronze statue of Peter I from the 19th century (and with such a lovely white dehumidifier in the background), and a photograph of the Cossack conqueror of Kazahkstan, Ataman Ermak, ensconced in a colorful frame:

Ataman shows up again in this silver statue. For someone I've never heard of, I was quite impressed:

They do ceilings so well:

They walls, covered with the same complex geometry, aren't bad either:

There is a light-filled sunroom for cooler days. Here is our group inside:

And here is the outside:

More skilled (and desperate) artisans were working outside the palace:

Yeah, NOW I wish I had bought one of these brass plates:

Another fascinating building housed the emir's harem. It was built in 1917-1918:

He had a tower strategically built to overlook the pool:

These days the harem building houses the Embroidery Museum. Apparently that is how the emir's women spent their time. Information at the site says that "from childhood girls started to embroider and prepare their dowry suzana (wall-hanging was used to decorate the room of the newly married couple, bed-spreads, pillow-covers and so on)." There were actually schools of embroidery in Bukhara and other cities that taught this important skill.

Samples of different patterns and motifs used in the suzani are on display:

Hundreds of embroidered items were on display and for sale. (Yes, those are peacocks in the foreground.)

Our second and final site in Uzbekistan was the Memorial Complex of Bakhouddin Naqshbandi, a well-known (at least to Uzbek's) Islamic theologian if the 14th century and founder of the largest and most influential Sufi order in the world. This site, where he is buried, is one of the most important Muslim shrines in the region. Naqshbandi was the spiritual teacher of Amir Temur and made the hajj to Mecca 32 times. This site in Uzbekistan is considered to be the Central Asian Mecca and as such is a significant pilgrimage site. Some believe that walking three times from Bukhara to the mausoleum is equal to one hajj:

During the Soviet period, this complex was turned into a "museum of atheism" and pilgrims were forbidden. In 1989 it was reopened and meticulously restored.

SO MANY stunning settings. It's hard to wrap my head around what these places were like in their heyday:

I am obsessed with all the beautiful ceilings, inviting visitors to look upwards:

The tomb of Naqshbandi is a six- or seven-foot-tall stone box with an engraved stone in front of it that I assume gives information about him. Our guide Yulia told us that the legend is that Naqshbandi's followers tried to build a proper indoor mausoleum covered by a dome for Naqshbandi's body. However, the dome collapsed. They tried again and the dome collapsed. They tried again, and it collapsed. They finally decided this was a sign that he wanted his mausoleum to be in the open air.

There is a small cavity on one side that has been cemented up that holds a piece of the black kaabah stone from Mecca. Our guide said she saw it herself before it was sealed up for safety's sake:

A tall post next to the tomb indicates his status and serves as a talisman to protect the tomb.

 The tomb is a place for contemplation:

Restoration work is being done on the adjacent structure:

Several small free-standing minarets surround the tomb area:

I love this contrast--an old, beautiful door in a peaked entryway with an ugly, boxy humidifier standing as sentry:

Lots of pilgrims:

This looks like a fairly new building:

They really know how to use ponds as part of the landscaping:

The great gathering hall, or khankah:

This dead trunk of a mulberry tree is enclosed in a fence, as if it is something special. It is. When Naqshband stuck his stick into the earth on the spot, the gree grew.  If you walk around it counterclockwise three times, your wish will come true:

The "Call to Prayer" sign on the mosque:

For us, however, it was time to go. We were leaving Yulia behind at the Bukhara train station. She had been the guide for our third of the larger group for a good part of the trip. She speaks amazing English and has an encyclopedic knowledge of her material, never using notes and rattling off names and dates like nobody's business. Only 28 years old, she studied English and literature at the university, writing her final thesis on George Bernard Shaw. She has a delightful sense of humor and clearly loves what she is doing. She called us "my beauties" and learned all of our names. I was sad to say good-by to her, knowing I will never see her again. She is one of those amazing people who breeze in and out of my life, leaving a mark, shaping my perceptions. I love Uzbekistan--her country--largely because of her.

ALL ABOARD!

Next stop, Mary (or Merv), Turkmenistan!