After 8 days in Samarkand and Bukhara, where one is surrounded by buildings from the 14th to 17th centuries, Tashkent is strikingly busy and oriented toward the present and future. The handcraft items that seemed to be displayed everywhere in Samarkand and Bukhara have to be deliberately sought out in Tashkent. There is a strong […]
2015
The Supremacy of “The Lego Movie”
An unnamed member of the group told us today that she thought “The Lego Movie” was lacking “substance” and was an overrated film. I was, frankly, livid. However, now I plan to try and set emotion aside and try to prove to her, that this film, despite her grievances, is a uniquely substantial and significant […]
Odor-Xona
It’s an unfortunate consequence of Soviet engineering, architecture, and construction however, that does not change the fact that there is a noticeable stench in many of the restrooms here. At the Institute, making light of the bathroom situation, Anthony and I have dubbed one of the restrooms, “Odor-xona.” Upon walking across a decadent marble floor, […]
Blog #3: Tashkent
It’s safe to say that this trip has not been short of laughter, Anthony typically playing a central role. Jack made a brilliant suggestion that Anthony and Malik start a podcast together. It would be a hoot. I think they should.
Playing Sports in Samarkand
Over the past few days we have spent in Samarkand, Jack, Collin, and I have found a great amount of joy in playing sports with a number of the locals and students. One of our first nights in Samarkand, we played some basketball with some local kids. They were quite impressed with our hooping abilities […]
Samarqand #2
I think the most interesting thing during this second stay in Samarqand has been the interactions with different locals (although the Afrosiyob site was like another world, an awe inspiring place). We played basketball and volleyball with people, went to a cafe and icecream after hanging out in Registon, and even met plenty just walking […]
The Ballad of Personal Archives
I’ve long wondered how research can be wholly accomplished when crucial materials hidden away in a grandparent’s attic might change the course of history–an unusual poem by Whitman or Dickinson, a feisty letter from Lincoln, or a lost speech or novella by Twain. Coming to the small shops in Bukhara or Samarkand revealed a level […]
To Be a Literary City in Uzbekistan
There is a remarkable depth and breadth in the visible literary culture of Uzbekistan, at least in the cities we have seen thus far–notably Samarkand and Bukhara. While I have come across a number of libraries, the surprising amount of book stores has been a refreshing discovery which points to a number of possibilities. First, […]
Bukhara – Second City of the Uzbek-Tajik sphere
The first thing that is apparent about Bukhara regardless of prior knowledge is how much of an impact religion has had on the region. From a Zoroastrian-influenced Samanid mausoleum to the copious madrasas to the old town streets of the Jewish Quarter, religion is everywhere. Both old Persian and Timurid architecture is also prevalent throughout. […]
Bukhara after many years
Some things don’t change. The Samanid mausoleum, for example, built in the 10th century CE or so, looks exactly as it did every previous time that I’ve been to Bukhara. I just made it sound as thought I’ve been to Bukhara often. One visit in 1991, two in 1992-1993, and again in 2003. Things in […]