Solar Energy in Uzbekistan

This month the Uzbek government and the Asian Development Bank jointly inaugurated a new solar energy research facility that will eventually enable Uzbekistan to become an international knowledge hub and solar technology exporter.

It is envisioned that the International Solar Energy Institute will become a source of expertise for solar energy education, training and technology.

The potential for solar energy in Central Asia was also recognized in Soviet times. In 1965 the Uzbek Academy of Sciences began publishing the journal Geliotekhnika (Applied Solar Energy), the Soviet Union's only scientific publication devoted to solar energy. The quarterly publication's topics covered  solar radiation, photovoltaics and solar materials to direct conversion of solar energy into electrical power.  

Geliotekhnika is still published today in Russian and English. It places a strong emphasis on applications such as solar devices for home and industrial uses, solar heating and cooling systems, solar power systems and units, and agricultural uses of solar energy.

View of the solar furnace, Tashkent

In 1981 a gigantic solar furnace was opened in Uzbekistan, about 45 kms from Tashkent. Solar furnaces use a curved mirror, or an array of mirrors, acting as a parabolic reflector to concentrate light towards a focal point which may reach temperatures of up to 3,000 degrees Celsius.

The heat produced is very clean with no pollutants. There are a variety of uses for this energy, such as hydrogen fuel production, foundry applications and high temperature materials testing.

You can view some extraordinary photos of the facility at the English Russia blog, along with a brief description of how the solar furnace works. Visits to the solar furnace can be arranged. Special approval by the Director has to be organized. Please contact me if you are interested.

Given the energy needs of Central Asia, harnessing solar energy to fuel economic development is no longer simply an option - it is a necessity.

Chess in Uzbekistan

My chess set, bought in Samarkand

Although there is scholarly disagreement about where chess originated - India, the Persian empire, and China are contenders - it is certain that the game spread along the Great Silk Road. Indeed, the earliest, recognisable chess pieces, dated to 762 AD, have been excavated at Afrosiabs, capital of the former Sogdian empire, which stood north of present-day Samarkand.

Archaeologist Yuri Buryakov's 1977 discovery of seven ivory chess pieces at Afrosiab was sensational at the time. They are heavily worn, but they include two foot soldiers with shields and short swords (pawns); a war elephant with chain armour and a rider in full battle-dress (bishop); a visier (queen) with two horses with armed rider; two mounted riders with sword and shield (knights); and the Shah, on a three-horse chariot, holding a mace-like symbol of power (king). 

Caravanserais provided an ideal setting for merchants to play, and wager on, chess. Sipping tea, discussing goods, exchanging news, and playing chess were all part of a stay at a caravanserai.

The chess pieces found in Afrosiabs

Uzbeks today are still passionate about chess.  In chaikhanas (tea houses) you often see people whiling away some hours playing chess. Merchants outside their shops will roll out a carpet and play while waiting for business. If you are invited to play a game do grab the opportunity: it's a marvellous way to meet Uzbeks  and no language skills are needed.

There is significant government support to encourage girls and boys to excel at chess. Players do well in international competitions and Rustam Kasimdzhanov is Uzbekistan's best known Grand Master: aged 25 he won the 2004 FIDE World Chess Championship.

Until recently, one of the most popular  *spots* on Uzbek television was Your Opponent is a Grand Master.  The viewing audience would watch the game, then post in their suggestions for the next move. The TV station would send the most suggested move to the Grand Master, and the game continued...

Street scene, Bukhara.

On an Uzbek Journeys tour you visit the Afrosiabs site and museum. Samarkand is also the place to pick up exquisite, wooden chess sets: the designs of the boards are based on the patterns of the tiles. And if you enjoy chess, consider including a portable set in your luggage: you will make many new friends.

Related posts:
The Ancient Site of Afrosiab, Samarkand
Uzbek Caravanserais

Materials source: Wikipedia's History of Chess

Bukhara 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.  Suzanna 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.

Following her reviews of Samarkand and Tashkent restaurants and cafés Suzanna now invites us to the magical city of Bukhara.

Bukhara…for me this city is the most charming, romantic and spiritual in Uzbekistan. In Bukhara you feel the true Orient, you dive into a different time and experience a rhythm of life like in our ancestors' days. I imagine them travelling along the Great Silk Road, enjoying tea and chatting in caravanserais, exchanging the latest news at colourful bazaars and learning about unusual and peculiar goods.

Bukhara Registan complex

Once you arrive in Bukhara you immediately sense its powerful energy: every sound, every aroma and view hypnotizes you. You might think it is random, but it is not. For centuries Bukhara served not only as one of the most important cultural and economic crossroads of the Silk Road but also as a centre for different spiritual practices known worldwide today.

In Bukhara you understand why writers and poets admired the Orient, why their eyes and hearts were directed to that world that seemed so far away. Bukhara has atmosphere, it opens its soul to everyone. Talk to any person in Bukhara and you feel as if this person is your relative or the friend you have known since childhood. You speak the same language, think, joke and dream in the same way. The hospitality of Bukharan people is legendary: after being a guest with a Bukharan family be ready to gain 5-7 extra kilos!

An important feature of Bukhara is that there are not only beautiful mosques, madrassahs and impressive minarets but also authentic merchants' houses: these are not museums. They are alive. People live in them, take care of the amazing interiors and iwans; they preserve the special spirit of the old courtyards. Families proudly show all the beauty of their houses to travellers and guests; they happily invite you for a piala (traditional small bowl) of tea along with sweet local raisins, delicious almonds, pistachios and halva.

Mr. Ubaydov

It seems unusual to start with talking of dessert first, however, it has been a centuries-old tradition to serve tea and fresh and dried fruits first, before the main meal. Today, influenced by European culture, this custom has changed. However, I recommend you follow the old custom and visit the Silk Road Tea House and Spice Shop the day you arrive in Bukhara This wonderful chaikhana is very close to the Second Trade Dome, at 5 Halim Ibodov St. (tel. +998 65 224 2268, +998 65 306 2520). The tea house not only serves excellent teas with ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, and saffron but also excellent coffee and the best halva in the world.

The hospitable Ubaydov family that runs the tea house can prepare Bukhara plov for you, if you order in advance. It is much lighter than the one you tried in Tashkent and Samarkand, but substantial enough to give you the energy for walks around the city.  The distinguishing  feature of Bukhara plov is that it contains red carrots (in Samarkand we use yellow). Moreover, people frequently add dried apricots and raisins to it. So everything depends on the region, the preferences of family members and the mood of the chef!

Believe me, in Bukhara you can walk for hours and never weary of the place. Located almost in a desert, Bukhara does not have the turquoise of Samarkand. Instead a sandy colour prevails in its architecture. Gazing at the city you immediately imagine camels loaded with spices, gold, lapis lazuli and of course precious silks…..Intoxicated with so many impressions and emotions you should stop for a while to absorb everything your guide may have told you and everything you have seen.

Minzifa restaurant terrace, Bukhara

A good place for such a stop is a little restaurant in the old quarter of the city, also rather close to the Second Trade dome, called Minzifa, at 6 Hudjarushnoy St. (tel. +99865-224-61-75). Minzifa serves both European and Uzbek cuisine, wonderful Turkish coffee and homemade cakes.

But it is not just the kitchen that attracts me to this restaurant. Minzifa has a roof terrace from which you have a splendid view. I suggest you visit Minzifa for dinner and I encourage you to reserve a table in advance because terrace seats are very popular. That said, the ground floor is also nice because Minzifa is located in a private house.

Chor Bakr complex, near Bukhara

Bukhara's rich cultural heritage extends beyond the old city's walls. Chor Bakr is a necropolis about 7 kms west of the city. Should you visit, I recommend the chaikhana Chor Bakr.  Although the place is very modest, it is always crowded. People come from far and wide to taste the delicious lamb served there at lunch time. The shashlyks and kebabs go well with local non (bread) and masterly sliced onions.

Another highly recommended chaikhana is located between the Bakhauddin Naqshbandi memorial complex and Sitora –I Mohi Khosa, the summer palace of the last Emir of Bukhara. This spot is known among local people as Obi Samarkand, because it is close to the water supply system bringing water from Samarkand. Obi Samarkand has a big choice of traditional specialities, but one of them deserves special mention. We call it manty. Manty is a steamed dough filled with tender sliced or minced lamb and onions. It goes very well with chakka (suzma in Tashkent), which is a very delicious local yogurt, rather like Greek tzatziki.

Preparing manty

Returning to the old city of Bukhara where once again the trade domes and caravanserais impress  you with fine miniatures, small wooden boxes, silks, and jewellery. Again you do not notice the time...suddenly you feel exhausted and realize it is getting dark but you would like to continue socializing with Bukhara people!

Entrance, Dolon

So today you may visit another popular spot among locals and tourists -  Dolon restaurant. Dolon specializes in Uzbek cuisine, but also has some European dishes. It offers shashlyks, shurpa, and a good choice of fresh salads. The place is very popular for birthdays and other celebrations and can get very crowded and a little noisy.  Dolon is located between the Second and Third Trade Domes, at 27 Haqiqat St. (tel. +99890-274-53-66).

Bella Italia interior

Another place I recommend for dinner is Bella Italia. This cozy Italian- style restaurant is not far from the old quarter and popular with local people. The restaurant offers pizzas, good salads and a warm atmosphere. Located at 125 B. Naqshbandi St. (tel.+998 65 224-58-21), Bella Italia is very easy to find.

When visiting Bukhara it is important to experience its tandyr: lamb prepared in a traditional tandyr oven. I have already mentioned this wonderful dish in my previous articles. People who come for tandyr usually forget about their work and problems, and headaches disappear.  This is because tandyr is something really very special. Ismail chaikhana, at 23 Sultan Djuraev St, is one of the spots where you can try this speciality!

Bukhara is an ancient city. But it is always interested in changing its face, like a beautiful woman who uses different make up every evening. One place showing another face of Bukhara is the Golden Dragon restaurant at Muhammad Iqbol St. (tel. +998 90 712 88 85), very close to the Rendezvous café. If you suddenly feel like Chinese food, this is the place in Bukhara. It also serves European and Uzbek meals.

Bon appetit!

Related posts:
Uzbekistan for Vegetarians
Celebrating Nowruz - Spring New Year in Uzbekistan
Samarkand Restaurants and Cafés
Tashkent Restaurants and Cafés

Contact Suzanna via email:              

  

Uzbekistan's Circus Traditions

A rope walker in Khiva, late 19th century

Uzbekistan has a long and rich circus tradition. Wandering actors, travelling along the Silk Road, performed in towns and settlements and were especially welcomed during festivals. They usually performed on central squares adjacent to the market area.

In the centre of the improvised stage they set up a dor - a construction of ropes and the trunks of poplar trees - designed for the dorboz, or rope walkers. Then the performance was announced by loud playing of karnays and sunrayas, the Uzbek wind instruments, accompanied by drums and tambourines.

The rope walker appeared on a thin rope, high above the spectators' heads, doing difficult and risky acrobatic stunts. At a height of up to 25 metres and without safety equipment, the dorboz, sometimes blindfolded, walked, ran, and did the splits. As the crowds gasped, the performance continued with jugglers, stilt walkers and 'wisecrackers', who entertained the crowds with jokes and poems. As these performances evolved, animal trainers and illusionists joined the shows and, drawing on superb horsemanship honed for centuries on the Central Asian steppe, equestrian events were added.

Soyuza Zaripova, the first Uzbek female clown

The modern Uzbek circus emerged in the early 20th century. In 1904 the first professional troupe was created in Uzbekistan, and the first permanent building was constructed in Tashkent in 1914. Later, in 1976, the blue-domed Circus was built and then fully renovated in 1999. Tashkent is host to the State Circus College, whose mission is to train performers, promote the centuries-old history and rich traditions of the  Uzbek circus and to organize tours around the world.

Several dynasties dominate the circus profession in Uzbekistan: the Tashkenbaevs, the Zaripovs, and the  Khojaevs.  While continuing to innovate, these families ensure that the secrets of the ancient and original arts are not lost.

Thrilling horsemanship at the Tashkent Circus

The Uzbek circus has become a full member of the world circus community: the artists have carried the flag of independent Uzbekistan through the arenas of more than thirty countries. In March 2011, the extraordinary rope walkers of the Tashkenbayev dynasty took part  for the fist time in the prestigious Golden Circus festival in Rome and won the Grand Prix, the Golden Coliseum.

Uzbek circus performers are so respected for their skills, that they are frequently invited to join other circuses. There was a recent article in the Bangalore Mirror about Khamarshah Mostov and Elnur Imomnazarov, two graduates of the four-year degree course in acting and circus arts at Tashkent's Circus College; they  graduated in juggling and acrobatics and are now under contract to India's Gemini Circus. They were inspired by the film Mera Naam Joker, in which the Indian actor, Raj Kappor (who was wildly popular in the USSR) played the clown.

Uzbek clowns Khamarshah Mostov and Elnur Imomnazarov

In Khiva there is generally a chance to watch a breathtaking rope walking performance in the courtyard of Mohammed Rakhim Khan Madrasa. And if the circus is one of your passions, perhaps you will spend an extra day or two in Tashkent to catch a show? Generally performances are only on Saturdays and Sundays. Visit the website (Russian only).

Related posts:
The Jabborov Rope Walking Family of Khiva
Bukhara's Puppet Theatre 
Tashkent's Soviet Buildings (to view the circus building)


Materials source: Many thanks to Uzbek writer Nigora Abdukayumova, who is now based in Manila, Philippines.