Day 5

The group got into 4 cars and started a drive towards the mountains (part of Pamir). The destination was the city of Shakhrisabz to see the summer (white) palace of Tamerlane.  The countryside is beautiful and we saw several vineyards and many orchards. The villages looked quite prosperous and very clean. We saw tractors, but also several donkey carts. We stopped at the mountain pass at 5000 ft with a large market full of dried fruits, nuts, herbs and the local snack called kurut. Kurut is dried yogurt balls, which come in different sizes and flavors. We tried some with basil. They are quite tasty – salty and chewy. Then we toured the palace (or what’s left of it) and an empty tomb that Tamerlane had built for himself, but since he died far away, his sons buried him in Samarkand. We had a delicious lunch in a local restaurant and headed back to Samarkand. There we visited a “silk” paper factory where they make paper from twigs of mulberry tree – in a traditional way and all by hand. Then on to two more mausoleum sites – Daniel’s (empty) and a spectacular series of mausoleums with the most prominent being that of prophet Mohammed’s favorite cousin’s. All of these mausoleums are covered with exquisite tiles in all shades of blue – truly breathtaking. The place was quite crowded, but surprisingly more with Uzbeks than with foreign tourists.