Bukhara was an ancient capital and one of the major stops for caravans along the Silk Road. The 9^th and 10^th centuries were the golden age for Bukhara and it became an important center for learning in Islam. Then in 1220 Ghengis Khan destroyed the city, and it took several centuries to again rebuild and thrive. Some buildings remain from the early times, but now most of the mosques and madrassas are from the 16^th century. It is remarkable to see the old tiles on the mosques and the huge Kalyon minaret built with bricks that used bull’s blood and camel milk instead of water: it remains standing from 1127. The mausoleum of Ismael Samani is one of the oldest structures from the 10^th century, and the last Emir’s Summer Palace was completed at the beginning of the 20^th century before the Soviets pushed him out and he fled to Afghanistan. It is an immense history that is filled with facts and legends.

What does a modern tourist do in Bukahara? Buy a carpet of course. The region is famous for its beautifully designed rugs. After a lot of bargaining, I managed to find a beautiful carpet that I can’t really afford, but could not resist.

During the soviet times, the mosques and madrassas were closed, and the beautiful Kolyon Mosque was a warehouse. Now it seems that people have moved on. The times following independence were hard, and now, finally there are some tourists here. It is hard to overcome the reputation of being a “stan” country. I had to call my bank today in the USA to let me use the cash machine, and the person thought I was in Pakistan, and had never heard of Uzbekistan (but she didn’t know Lithuania either).

Uzbekistan has a very tricky monetary system. A dollar is officially worth about 2500 Som, but on the street it is worth about 3600 Som. And nobody takes credit cards, so it is entirely a cash economy. The problem is that the largest notes are 5000 Som. So when lunch costs 36,000 Som, or about $10, it means carrying around bundles of cash. They like dollars. Time for monetary reform!

This was interesting to me: the slaves in Uzbekistan were blonde white Russians with blue eyes. Slaves were sold in Khiva well into the 19^th century. Officially the blonde taxi drivers and waitresses of Uzbekistan are descendents of Alexander the great, but I believe that they are more recent descendents of the Russian slaves. Here it is opposite from the rest of the world, and the white people were the oppressed, and their descendents still are in the menial jobs of Khorezm province.

Great vegan options at Doston House in Bukhara. My favorite was dill ravioli in vegetable soup, and samosas cooked in a tandoori oven. There are some nice Indian influences here in Uzbekistan. Next stop: Samarkand.