Walking about in Samarkand in our hats and after having downed several glasses of water the summer heat was, frankly, beginning to get to us. This Uzbek city is beautiful, no doubt, but because of its locale in the desert it gets unimaginably hot here. Thankfully, the city is literally littered with tea-houses. Escaping into one to obtain relief from the merciless sun was not at all difficult, thankfully.
Both Sue and I voted Registan (in Urdu the word means desert) as among the most impressive squares we had come across during our travels. This 15th century structure is also home to three madrasas or educational institutions hailed for their lovely architecture. We later visited the Rukhobod Mausoleum which is rumored to house a hair of Prophet Mohammad.
We also went to see Samarkand University and, once again, fell in love with the architecture. Surrounded by green lawns, the leafy glades and benches offer respite from the fierce sun. There exists a park in the south west end of the university dedicated to musician, poet, and painter of Timur’s time. There are also quite a few good restaurants close by. What deterred us from going in were the high prices.
We made our way back to the one of the best luxury hotels, Hotel Zarina which Sheena, our travel agent, had so kindly booked for us. On the way, we passed Registan once again and couldn’t help marveling at its beauty yet again. Both Sue and I quickly whipped out our cameras.
Making our way towards Zarina we stopped short opposite this rather gorgeous place called ‘Lyabi Gor’. With pleasant interiors the restaurant is pretty clean. We sat at a table and ordered the famous Uzbek green tea to be followed by chicken shaslik and stuffed peppers. The service was prompt and the staff quite courteous and pleasant. I would recommend the place any day.
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