A bit more sightseeing today. It is certainly cooler weather here than we had in Bukhara.
First up was the Bibi-Khanym Mosque. This was once the biggest mosque in the Islamic world. The cupola of the main mosque is 41m high. Apparently it partially collapsed in an earthquake in 1897 and wasn’t rebuilt until the 1970’s.
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| Bibi Khanym Mosque |
Bibi-Khanym was Timur’s wife who requested the building works whilst he was away. Legend has it that the architect fell in love with her & refused to finish the works unless he could give her a kiss. The kiss left a mark, Timur had the architect executed & decreed that henceforth all women would wear veils so as not to tempt other men.
In the courtyard of this complex there is a large stone Koran and locals believe that any woman who crawls under the stand will have lots of children.
From Bibi-Khanym to the Siob Bazaar. As with other bazaars in this part of the world ,this one is also a riot of colour. The ladies wear bright full length dresses with non-matching scarves in different hues. Many have gold front teeth. The bazaar had all types of vegetables, fruits, spice , dried fruits & even snuff.
Finally we went to the Shah-I-Zinda. This is a revered place & has the most stunning tilework in the complex of mausoleums. Wandering into the holiest shrine the call to prayer sounded & we were immediately surrounded by locals crowding in. After 5 minutes of chanting & hand gestures, everyone filed out.
For dinner Dina & Bernard found a local restaurant which did suckling pig.
It was served with salads, breads & pilaf.
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