It was getting dark. Finally, we got to Registan.
And it turned out there is no entrance to the square - it was fenced.
All because now you have to pay for the entrance.
Price - $4 pro person.
"Registan" translates as "sandy place", "sandy area".
Sure thing - the East, deserts, sand, but there is a theory, that until the 20th century here were carried out executions, sometimes even mass executions.
Blood was covered with sand. Nothing reminds about it now.
On the contrary, standing in the center of the square or walking through it, you experience only positive emotions.
And of course it is a favorite place for wedding photo shoots.
There are 3 madrasas on the square.
The oldest one was constructed by already known to us Ulugh Beg.
Ans it was named after him.
The other two, Sher-Dor and Tilya-Kori, are not less impressive.
Sher-Dor, the abode of lions, is crowned with the image of them, and the brightest of all three - the Tilya-Kori translates as "decorated with gold".
That's really luxurious!
Be sure to go inside, wander through the courtyards and halls.
It is incredibly beautiful there!
I also recommend to see the Registan in the evening, when the lights turn on and the building looks exactly like an illustration of a tale "One Thousand and one nights".
The samarkand voyage is coming to the end, we have seen only a small part of the beauty of this wonderful city.
I hope, someday we will come back here, but it's time to move on.
Amazing Khiva is waiting for us.
It turned out you can't reach the city by train or by plane.
But we'll still visit the former capital of the Kharezm Khanate, wander through the well-preserved wall of the fortress "Itchan Kala", get on top of a minaret, taste the unusual "vareniki" and of course the Khiva pilaf.
To get to Khiva isn't easy at all. There is no airport in the city. Everyone who wants to visit it must first arrive in Urgench.
The train ticket from Samarkand to Urgench cost 132 thousand so'm, it is about $16.
In the morning before arrival you can enjoy the view of this desert.
My attention was drawn to these constructions - straw, that was stuck in the sand.
As it turned out, it saves the railroad from the sand.
Urgench is a small nice city. Obviously it was renovated not long ago.
From Urgench to Khiva we will get a taxi of course. The trip costed $5, including route changes, even the unexpected ones.
I think, i should buy a plane ticket to Tashkent in advance, and at the airport I also can change dollars for so'm.
- That's how you become a millionaire when you travel.
- I gave $200.
- Now I will be given a million six hundred sixteen thousand so'm.
(Price for the air ticket Urgench-Tashkent: $60)
Tickets are bought, now it's time to relax and chat with the taxi driver.
He claims that the most beautiful girls of Uzbekistan live in Khiva, and that there still exists such rite as the payment of "kalym".
- 3 million so'm
- A cow - "kalym", a lamb.
- One lamb?
- Yeah, one lamb.
- A bag of rice?
- Yes, a bag of rice, a bag of flour, carrots, potatoes.
A friendly driver tells where in Urgench you can grab a snack.б Because of the proximity of the Amu Darya River in the local cafes are quite a lot of fish dishes.
After he heard that I was more interested in samsa, the taxi driver brought me to the place, where it was the best in Urgench, according to him.
There are two tandoor on the street, you can watch the cooking process.
The tandoor is covered with a cloth on the top to keep warm inside.
Cloth is watered in order not to catch a fire.
The salsa is here very classic and really tasty (the price: $0,6).
By the way, it is difficult to find samsa in Khiva.
Why is that?
I'll tell you later.
That's another enjoyable trip from you. You could live there and be a billionaire :D Those structures are amazing. I'm always amazed by the details.