Tashkent's Open Air Railway Museum

A red-starred locomotive at the museum

Tashkent's Museum of Railway Engineering is a very cool, open air museum. Its appeal reaches beyond trainspotters' obsessions: it is here, among these huge locomotives, that the scale of the Soviet Union's empire is palpable. These behemoths plied across Central Asia from the Caspian Sea to the borders of China.

Located not far from Tashkent's main station, the museum was opened in 1989 in honour of the trunk railway centenary in Uzbekistan. The collection is one of the largest in the world: there are 13 steam engines, 18 diesel and 3 electrical locomotives as well as carriages and cars. And you can climb all over them.

The 'Tsar's Carriage' is a sleeper carriage of Nikolai II's era. It is full of exhibits that tell the fascinating tale of the development and history of Central Asian railways, including images of Mrs. Bashorat Mirboboeva, Uzbekistan's first woman train driver.

The oldest steam locomotive  is the 'OB', nicknamed 'The Lamb' by railway workers, because of its accommodating nature. It weighed 53 tonnes and could travel at 55 km/hr. It appeared in many films, including Neulovimye Mstiteli (The Elusive Avenger), a Soviet children's propaganda film.

Another marvellous exhibit at Tashkent's railway museum.

 'The Victory', pride of the Soviet steam locomotives produced from 1949-1956, is staggering: 178 tonnes, 5.1 metres high with wheel diameters of 1.85 metres and capable of speeds up to 125 km/hr. Another steam locomotive is the TE5-200, which was captured from the Fascists in 1943 and then put to use in Uzbekistan.

Diesel and electrical locomotives gradually replaced steam: the huge TEP-70 of 1973 weighed 126 tonnes and could reach up to 175 km/hr.

Soviet history also resonates in the names of these machines: the BL-Vladimir Lenin and the FD-20, for Felix Dzerjinski, a communist revolutionary hero who became the first director of Cheka, the Bolshevik's secret police.

The museum is open daily from 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., however, the Tsar's carriage with railway artifacts is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Entrance fee is 1,000 soums per adult (about 60 cents). The telephone number is +998712997040. A two-carriage sight-seeing train on the mini-diesel TU 7-A locomotive runs through the park to the delight of visitors, especially children. You can view more images of the trains in the museum at  the International Steam pages website.

Update July 2012: When I visited in April, the Tsar's carriage was no longer open. Tatiana, a former train conductor, is available for guided tours if you speak Russian, French or you are with a guide. This is definitely worth doing as Tatiana brings alive the museum displays.

Related posts: Travelling by Rail in Uzbekistan
Steppe Magazine: Images of Tashkent's Metro 

Source materials:  Thanks to Marat Akhmedjanov, publisher of Discovery Central Asia Travel Magazine, for permission to use materials from a 2007 article. Mr. Akhmedjanov also runs the Discovery Bookshop, the largest online source for books, maps, DVDs etc about Central Asia. It's a fabulous resource and I regularly buy titles there.

Uzbek-Korean Connections

Kimchi sold at an Uzbek market

On first visiting Uzbekistan you will be struck by the Korean faces in the streets, in banks, in hotels and in markets. Although South Korea is the second largest investor country in Uzbekistan, the estimated 200,000 ethnic Koreans have been there for several generations. What's the back story?

Russia annexed the Maritime Province (Primorsky Krai) on the Pacific coast in 1860, following the signing of a treaty with Peking. As Korea's Joseon dynasty declined, thousands of Koreans, driven by poverty and opportunities in the resource-rich, sparsely-populated Russian Far East, moved to this area, just south of Vladivostok, the administrative capital. 

When Japan annexed Korea in 1910, thousands more Koreans fled to Russia. By the time of the October revolution in 1917, there were over 100,000 Koreans living in the region and in the 1920s the community had almost 400 Korean-language schools and seven Korean newspapers. Although these were heavily subsidized, requests for an autonomous Korean province within the USSR were rejected.

Soviet Koreans in uniform

After Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931, Koreans in the Maritime Province allied themselves with the USSR and did not oppose Stalin's decree of compulsory Soviet citizenship in 1932.

However, following an agreement in 1935 between Moscow and Tokyo, which included a provision for Korean political activities to be curbed, a mass deportation of Soviet Koreans began. Stalin regarded large ethnic communities as threats to the state: he viewed the Koreans as Japanese spies! Over 170,000 Soviet Koreans were transported by rail, in appalling conditions over 40 days, to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. Often the deportees were left in isolated locations in the open steppe or forced to work on collective farms.

In 1956 Khrushchev permitted Soviet Koreans the right to live where they wished and pursue whatever work they chose. Many moved to cities to study and take up professions such as medicine, engineering and teaching that were hitherto denied. Just as they had succeeded in farming, Soviet Koreans enjoyed professional success. Now, 80% of Uzbek Koreans are urban dwellers. In 1994 an Uzbek Korean was elected to parliament.

Today, apart from the strong economic linkages between South Korean and Uzbekistan, South Korean popular culture has swept through Central Asia. As the Korean ambassador to Uzbekistan stated: “Young people in Uzbekistan dream of driving a Daewoo car, and watch Korean television shows on an LG TV set hooked up to a Samsung DVD player".

Update July 2012: Korean-Uzbek director Ruslan Pak won the grand prize in the best international new talent category at the 2012 Taipei Film Festival on Wednesday for his film about third generation Koreans in Uzbekistan. Hanaan is about a Korean-Uzbek detective who tries to avenge the drug-fueled death of his friend.

In 2007 a documentary Koryo Saram - the Unreliable People was made by Y. David Chung and Matt Dibble. It tells the harrowing story of the 1937 deportation through the eyes of survivors. How these Koreans integrated with Soviet society while maintaining their traditional identity is a fascinating testament to the power of cultural heritage.

Listen to some stories and see rare archival footage in the 4-minute video clip below.



Related posts:
The Greek Community of Uzbekistan
Mennonites in Khiva 1880 -1935
Langston Hughes: An African American Writer in Central Asia in the 1930s

Samarkand Restaurants and Cafés: An Insider's View

 Suzanna Fatyan

Suzanna Fatyan, one of Uzbekistan's finest tour guides, is also an obsessive foodie. She hunts down seasonal foods, and visits markets and restaurants all over Uzbekistan. She will contribute regular articles recommending the best places to eat in the cities visited on Uzbek Journeys tours, as well as pieces about Uzbek cuisine. Here Suzanna describes where to eat well in her home town, Samarkand.

Uzbekistan is the land of famous melons, the sweetest fruit, excellent raisins and the tenderest lamb in the world. For centuries Uzbekistan was famed for its gastronomy: Omar Khayam admired Samarkand wines, gourmets of China appreciated the sweetness of Samarkand peaches, merchants, exhausted after long, dusty trips along the Great Silk Road enjoyed Samarkand plov, lamb, non and other specialties.

Samarkand remains a centre of fine food today and I would like to share with you several places that Samarkand people really like.  Plov is Uzbekistan’s famous specialty: it is prepared for the most important events and for the most respected guests. Every region of Uzbekistan offers its own recipe of this fabulous course.

At the Bedonali Kazi Palov restaurant at 33 Makhtumkuli St. (near Busygina) you will find very special plov. It contains not only common lamb and beef but also quails stuffed with fatty tail  and spices.  (Fatty tail is prized in Central Asia and the Middle East. Some sheep are bred to store fat in their tails. A mature ram’s tail can carry up to 12 kgs of prized fat, which is softer and more delicately-flavoured than fat stored inside the body). Another unusual feature of Samarkand plov is yellow carrot, a vegetable only found in Central Asia. Red carrot is also widely used in Uzbekistan but not for Samarkand plov. Bedonali Kazi Palov is not open on Sundays. Tel: +998 66 2225318 or +998 66 2627717.

Uzbek samsa

 Another  “must try” for every visitor is samsa!  Hot, just taken out of the tandoor puff pastry, filled with a mixture of lamb, beef and juicy onions makes you forget your name and want stay in Uzbekistan forever.

One of the best samsa spots is a little chaikhana at the crossroads of Dagbitskaya and Vohid Abdullaev Streets. It may be hard to find: it has no name and the only immediately noticeable hint is a line of cars near a big white gate that looks like a private house. But experts know. Here you not only eat the best samsa but also see samsa baking in the tandoor. Time your visit carefully as it is closed on Sundays.

Sign post for the nearby nuhat shurpa restaurant

Chickpeas are generally known as the key ingredient of hummus. In Uzbekistan they are cooked along with meat. Nuhat shurpa is a dish that attracts Uzbeks to Samarkand and the best place for trying is situated at the start of the road leading to Tashkent. It is very easy to find: right before Ulugbek’s statue at the observatory, there is a small street. The restaurant is not visible from the road but any local person will point the way to it with great pleasure. Again, the number of cars nearby is a significant clue. Look for the sign on the street pole!

Should you find a vacant table you will first be served a wonderful bullion, followed by fresh salad and then most importantly, chickpeas and tender lamb that has simmered for a long, long time, served in a traditional dish.

Courtyard of the nuhat sherpa restaurant

Generally, authentic Uzbek cuisine is available at lunchtime. Especially plov and samsa.

Evening is the best time for shashlyks and kebabs. I recommend the Karimbek and Standart restaurants. Karimbek is situated at A.Timur St. and designed in both traditional and European styles.

Standard is an Armenian restaurant, located at Papanin St. near Busygina. It is renowned for pork shashlyk, gijduvanskiy, and fish shashlyk (seasonal). Moreover it serves excellent fried vegetables, salads and good homemade red wine (seasonal). Standard's gijduvanskiy is minced shashlik combining lamb and beef. The portions at Standard are  large: one stick has two pieces, easily  enough for one person. It is very popular and reservations are a must. Tel: +998 66 2224515

Zlata Praha restaurant

If you suddenly hanker after European cuisine I highly recommend the Zlata Praha, a Czech Restaurant in Samarkand.  Besides traditional Czech sausages and good local beer, the restaurant offers a choice of vegetarian courses, desserts and coffee. Situated at 59 M. Ulughbek St. (former K.Marx)  near Korzinka. Tel: +998 66 233 66 39.

If you are looking for a quiet evening, coupled with a beautiful view and cup of refreshing green tea, head over to Anargis Art Café, at 12 Tashkent Street near Bibi Khanum mosque. (This restaurant is run by designer Nargis Bekmuhamedova). Here, you can also enjoy lunch or dinner consisting of traditional Uzbek dishes like lagman (noodles, vegetable and meat) and manty (steamed dough filled with meat and onions) and borscht.

Platan restaurant, Samarkand

Platan is also recommended for evenings out.  The restaurant offers a synthesis of Uzbek, Russian and Armenian cuisine. It has a good choice of light salads and very delicious lamb and prunes.  It is located in the 19th century part of Samarkand at A. Pushkin St. There are outdoor tables, a non-smoking room (usually quiet and suitable for dates and chats), and a general room – nice but noisy in the evenings. Telephone for reservations: +998 66 2338049.

Often locals and visitors alike are in a rush at lunchtime. Should you find yourself in the 19th century part of Samarkand and in a hurry, stop by a Turkish eatery called Istanbul Kebab. It offers both buffet and a la carte menus. The sweets are wonderful and so too the real Turkish coffee. Istanbul Kebab always has a choice of vegetarian dishes, light soups, kebabs, Turkish pies and many other things to keep you happy and strong for the rest of the day. It is in an easy-to-find spot at Navoi Street (formerly Mustakillik, formerly Lenin Street – the street names vary according to how old your map is).

Entrance to Fratelli cafe, Samarkand

Within walking distance from there is another fast food stop, Fratelli. Located at 31 Amir Timur St, Fratelli offers pizzas, salads, sweets and coffee. It is a popular destination among students and young couples although can become noisy.

You can relax after a long day in Blues Café, 66 Amir Timur St, one of the oldest drinking spots of Samarkand. It also offers good food and a special atmosphere: posters of blues legends adorn the walls. If you play piano you can play some melodies when Eddie, the regular player takes a break!  Blues Cafe is a very small café, and you should reserve in advance. Tel. +998 66 2336296.

The Orient was always famous for its luxury, and Samarkand restaurant will help you feel it. Designed like a Sultan’s palace, Samarkand is a true melting pot of cultures, traditions, and styles. It offers both Uzbek and European cuisine and is an excellent venue for a farewell dinner. On the second floor is a lovely Russian-style room, where you can also dine. It is situated near the wine factory at 54 M. Koshgari St. Tel: +998 95 5005559 or +998 66 2601339.

Bon appetit!

Related posts:
Uzbekistan for Vegetarians
Celebrating Nowruz - Spring New Year in Uzbekistan 
Tashkent Restaurants and Cafés: An Insider's View 
Bukhara Restaurants and Cafés: An Insider's View

              You can contact Suzanna at

Islamic Galleries Reopen at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art

14th century tile from a squinch, Samarkand

After an eight-year renovation, the Met's  Department of Islamic Art reopened its fifteen galleries on November 1st.

Known as the New Galleries for the Art of the Arab Lands, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia and Later South Asia, the rooms consist of some 1,200 objects from a rotating collection of 12,000. The organization of the galleries by geographical area aims to emphasize the rich diversity of the Islamic world by underscoring the many distinct cultures within its fold and its interconnectedness with other cultures.

They boast architectural splendours, including a Moroccan courtyard, a room dedicated entirely to carpets (it evidently holds so many carpets that it muffles sound), as well as objects ranging from the most intimate to the most monumental.

The Damascus Room was a room in a big Syrian house in the early 1700s. Workers took it apart and shipped it to New York, then rebuilt the room inside the museum. Experts repaired and restored each element of the carved and painted wood and the splendid tiles in the room.
 

10th century bowl, Samarkand

As well as precious manuscripts, calligraphy and pottery there are paintings with images  of animals, of dragons, of flowers, and realistic paintings of people.

Navina Haida, one of the curators, says "the images are surprising because of the common notion that Islam forbids imagery — but that's not quite true. Yes, images of living things are discouraged in the religious sphere. But, they appear widely outside that context, especially when it comes to the illustrations of books and poetry and literature."

There are over 140 Uzbek objects in this collection: tiles, carpets, textiles, manuscripts, paintings, and jewellery.

The New York Times has an excellent back story about the galleries and of course the Met's web materials are outstanding.


Related post: Turkmen Jewellery at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art
Afghan Art - Tradition and Continuity at the Museum of Islamic Art, Doha

Early 19th century suzani from Nurata, Uzbekistan

Images source: http://www.metmuseum.org/