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As you all may know, I have this love for traveling to places off the beaten path – places that are not on most peoples’ radars. My friends often tell me that they live vicariously through my blog or Instagram posts. And today, I’m going to introduce Uzbekistan through a virtual tour of the Amir Timur Museum, in its capital, Tashkent.
Table of Contents
1. Getting to Tashkent
Living in Afghanistan provides me with potential to travel to some interesting places nearby. And as I always say,
when living in a Stan, travel to a different Stan.
Direct flights between Kabul to Tashkent (Uzbekistan) happen once a week on Kam Air. They are on random days of the week, so you mostly can’t take advantage of it, unless you’re prepared to use annual leave days. Luckily for me, there was a holiday long weekend that happened to align with Kam’s flight days, with minimal leave required.
There are also direct flights to TAS from most major airports: JFK, LHR, DXB, IST.
Upon arriving into Tashkent, I took a taxi to my hotel and dropped off my bags, and set off to meet a friend and colleague. With my headscarf off and a gorgeous spring day to freely walk the streets, I set out for a 2-3 km walk to meet my friend in central Tashkent. M also worked with me in Afghanistan, stationed in a different office. Whereas I took a flight, she took a taxi to the northern border of Afghanistan to Uzbekistan and an overnight train into Tashkent.
2. Who is Amir Timur?
Our first stop was one of Tashkent’s major sites – the Amir Timur Museum. But wait, who exactly is Amir Timur? Before I answer that question, I need to go into a mini-history lesson.
After Uzbekistan declared independence from the USSR in 1991, there was significant emphasis placed on reviving the nation’s cultural heritage. Recognizing and promoting historical figures was part of this revival.
2.1 Founder of the Timurid Empire
Amir Timur, aka Tamurlane, was a warlord and conquerer, and founder of the Timurid Empire (mid 1300s to mid 1500s). The Timurid Empire spanned across much of Central Asia and Iran. It reached as far as Turkey to the west and India and Pakistan to the east. The Timurid Empire had two capital cities: Samarkand (1370 – 1405) which we will visit in another post, and Herat (Afghanistan, 1405 – 1507).
I don’t know how much I believe this, but it’s said that Timur was an undefeated commander in battle. I think that claim may be embellished over time. This lore appears to be fed by his self-promotion as a descendent of Genghis Khan. He was not – but Timur took it upon himself to restore the greatness of the Mongol Empire. Whatever stretches of truth or self-inflated grandeur, he is actually considered a great military strategist and tactician.
In addition to being a warlord and conquerer, Timur also promoted science, education, architecture and the arts. He ushered in, what’s now known as, the Temurid Renaissance.
2.2 Links to modern day Uzbekistan
So, all of this is relevant, leading up to the creation of the Amir Timur Museum. 660 years after the birth of Timur, President Islam Karimov declared 1996 as the “Year of Timur”. And on October 18, 1996, to much fanfare, the Amir Timur Museum opened its doors. President Karimov described Amir Timur Square (the main square in Tashkent) as a ring, and “the Museum is a precious stone decorating itโ.
3. The Amir Timur Museum
Before I begin, I wanted to note – there is an entrance fee and a separate fee for taking photographs. Unfortunately, I cannot remember or confirm online how much either of these cost. However, compared to other currencies, the Uzbekistani soสปm is an affordable currency. At present, $1 USD will give you about 10,000 Som. Although I can’t provide you with exact details on the cost, just trust me that you shouldn’t worry too much about it.
Without further ado…
Under the Dome
As you can see, the level of detail is stunning. And the dome is in fact massive! You can see the relative size of the people compared to the height of the ceiling. It’s just absolutely stunning.
There was also a hallway introducing each of the leaders in the Temurids’ Dynasty, with unusual descriptions of them. Just as an example, meet Umarshayh Mirzo. The below is the actual description of his portrait, on the plaque next to him.
Umarshayh Mirzo (1456 – 1494) is the fourth son of Sultan Abusaid Mirzo. Ruler of Fergana in 1462 – 1494. He’s good natured, sincere, brave and educated person. Unexpectedly, he died falling into abyss from his pigeonry.
The museum mostly focuses on the geneaology of Amir Timur and his rise to power.
4. More photos and some parting thoughts
The rest of the post focuses on other things I found interesting in the museum, without much description or comment. As my first look into the history of Uzbekistan, it was really interesting!
The plaque under this image says:
If somebody wants to understand who the Uzbeks are, if somebody wants to comprehend all the power, might, justice and unlimited abilities of the Uzbek people, their contribution to the global development, their belief in the future, he should recall the image of Amir Temur.
President Islam Karimov
Wow. Bold words. And with those words, I bid you adieu. Hope you enjoyed this peak into what can only be described an introduction to the understanding and comprehension of Uzbeks!
Until next time, stay home and stay safe!
Heading to Samarkand? Allow me to introduce you to the Heart of the Ancient World.
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Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.ย She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!ย She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.
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The museum looks really interesting. How funny though that the dude styled himself as direct descendant of Genghis Khan without being one. I get that the Mongol was kinda cool in that he ruled the known world at the time. Then again… all that raping, murdering, and pillaging, including in the dude’s own region…quite evil and deathy.. well.. if there is any truth to what the internet says then he can’t be more than six steps removed from Mr Khan, right?
A perk of working in Afghanistan is absolutely bring able to explore some of its amazing places nearby! Uzbekistan is a a dream of mine to visit one day.
Interesting read, as always! Beautiful detail in these pictures ๐