The IU study abroad group survived a day of flying on Turkish airlines, and a very early morning arrival in Tashkent. After a suprisingly pleasant hotel, with some sleep and a good breakfast, we took what turned out to be a long and bumpy minibus ride from Tashkent to Samarqand. It was a good opportunity to see the countryside, where nesting storks were abundant! We stopped in the hills outside of Jizzakh for an excellent meal of shashlik and somsa, and arrived in Samarkand late in the afternoon.
Samarkand is full of color. Yesterday afternoon (Wednesday), we visited two of the key historic sites in Samarkand, Gur-i Emir, the mausoleum of the 14th century conqueror Timur, and then the Registan, with its 14th to 17th century madrasas. This photo comes from a small carpet shop housed inside one of the former classrooms in the Shirdor Madrasa: hand woven carpets, mostly silk.