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Tajikistan & Uzbekistan Plants & Adventures Along the Silk Road

Samarkand

All roads from the East and all roads from the West lead to Samarkand along the ancient Silk Road. To quote Alexander The Great “I heard that the city was beautiful but never thought that it could be so beautiful and majestic”. I would have to agree.

The Registan and its three Madrasahs. From left to right: Ulugh Beg Madrasah, Tilya-Kori Madrasah and Sher-Dor Madrasah.

Battling a 24 hour bug, I dragged myself to what was one of my most anticipated places of the trip. The weather couldn’t have been better as well. Today was all about seeing the ancient city and its historical madrasahs, (Islamic schools) mosques and mausoleums.

Samarkand is the second largest city of Uzbekistan and is of the same age as Rome, Athens and Babylon- more than 25 centuries old. This ancient city has had its fare share of rulers who have conquered, built and destroyed it only to rebuild it again. None are more famous than Temur who at once ruled half the world and was easily the most brutal and feared conquerors the east had ever seen. Temur is also the most celebrated ruler of Uzbekistan and much of the city is dedicated to his reign of power.

Sher-Dor Madrasah - Famous for its tigers depicted on each corner. Islam forbids depictions of living beings on religious buildings

The most famous place within Samarkand is “Registan” which means an area or public square in a city where people gather to hear speeches or watch executions. Fortunately none of the latter happens here anymore. The three madrasahs that surround the registan are famous for the turquoise blue domes and intricate patterns that coat the exterior and interior walls of these massive buildings. The three madrasahs were also built in different eras. The first was Ulugh Beg Madrasah in 1417 which was famous for its teaching of secular sciences. The last two were built in 1617 and 1640 and experienced significant damage but have been restored and protected.

Tilya-Kori Madrasah
Ulugh-Beg courtyard

Upon buying some silk scarves, we departed for several more sites within the city including the Gur-e-Amir mausoleum, built by Temur and place where Temur, his sons and grandsons tombs are located. This mausoleums interior was by far one of most decorated and beautiful buildings yet.

Gur-e-Amir in Persian means “Tomb of the King”

In the afternoon we visited the Shah-i-Zinda necropolis. This area is is comprised of many mausoleums and tombs dedicated to rulers, celebrated soldiers and the most famous one, Kussam Ibn Abbas, cousin of the prophet Muhammed. It is also famous for the 36 steps that one must count extactly to as they walk up or down or else you will not be forgiven for any sins you may have and will not make it to heaven.

We ended the day with visiting the Bibi-Khanym mosque and the famous market. The mosque was a more clear depiction of what some of these mausoleums and mosques that encompass Samarkand may have looked like without restoration. The history of this one is also very interesting as well. Bibi was the wife of Temur and the architect who built it fell in love with her while Temur was out conquering. He did not finish it in time and Temur found out about his desire for Bibi and was thrown from the tall entrance as punishment.

On a side note to this amazing day, I was approached by so many people who asked to take pictures with me and ask me questions on where I was from and who I am. American tourists are not common and the young people were very eager to talk to us and practice their English. It was a new experience while traveling that I never expected and humbled by.

Not a selfie kinda guy

The next post will be my last post of this trip. It is one that plant enthusiasts will not want to miss.

Romit Valley & Road to Samarkand

4 days in Tajikistan has felt like a week. Today was the last full day in this beautiful country. We spent it in a Romit National Preserve which is valley and gorge surrounded by tall peaks and a river that runs through it. Romit is known to have many species of wildlflowers and small villages that live remotely far from the bigger towns. Unfortunately the weather once again was on and off rain. Snow had only recently melted which made it a little early for flowers. Oron explained that last year Varzob had barely any flowers and Romit was good. Turns out things were a little different..

Every few days we go over a plant list and discuss what we saw and where we went
Avalanches are very common in the winter and are far bigger than any I’ve ever seen

Along the road we stopped several times for huge herds of sheep moving to higher ground in search of grass. We were one of the few cars on this dirt road and locals looked at us curiously. By now I was used to this and realized I may be one of the very few Americans currently travelling in this country.

A herd of 200 sheep passing through

Due to a later start from going over the plant list and long drive, we stopped for lunch. I had no idea we would eating in one of the remote villages in someone’s home. It was an experience like no other. The family hosting us prepared a feast of homemade breads, sweets, plov, butter, quince and many other dishes. It was enough to feed the entire village but we knew they would eat whatever we couldn’t. To digest, we walked around the village looking at the homes made of mud, bricks and sticks. Barns were stuffed full of hay and dried dung which is used for fuel during the winter.

Narrow bridge crossing to the village
The spread
Gagea gageoides
Pseudosedum longidentatum
We still managed to find plenty of flowers
Prunus sp. There are hundreds of species which makes it hard to ID

The next day we departed for Uzbekistan. I became good friends with our guides and got to know Muhammad Ali (seriously his real name). They went all out in making Tajikistan an unforgettable part of this trip. I highly recommend Pamir Mountain Travel if you’re looking to visit. I hope this has inspired some of you to consider traveling to Tajikistan. The people are amazing, it’s safe and very affordable and 93% of the country is mountainous. (You have to go through a tour company to get anywhere. Tourists are not allowed to rent cars and English is not commonly spoken)

Jaksmed, Muhammed and Zepher

Road to Samarkand

A bit late on posting due to a 24 hour bug & no WiFi

At the boarder I ran into a little trouble. For some reason my visa was dated to start the next day. I had heard they were very strict and while waiting for a long time, thought I was going to have to spend an extra night before I could enter. Fortunately they let me through and the big Uzbek checking my bag noticed my book on Tamerlane which seemed to help my cause.

The landscape soon changed to a dry and arid place. There wasn’t much to stop for and we had hundreds of miles to our next destination. However we did stop at one site and found Tulipa montana, Ajuga laxmannii and Eminium korolkowii. We arrived in Shakraszob around midnight after eating at a suspicious truck stop which is probably where I picked up food poisoning.

Western Uzbekistan landscape
Erinium korolkowii
Ajuga laxmannii
Ajuga laxmannii white form
Tulipa montana grows in very arid, harsh locations and is one of the smallest tulip species
Ixilirion tataricum

The next day morning we drove over a pass to Amankutan and stopped at several locations. Oron expected it may still have snow but spring had come early in this area. It took some searching but we found some great plants including Gentiana olivieri ( a pink form as well) Amygdalus spinostissima, Iris warleyensis, Iris magnifica, Tulipa fosteriana, Tragypogon malypus, several Astragalus species and Anemone tschaernjawii. On the top of the pass we stopped at a market selling every type of dried fruit, nuts as well as dehydrated yogurt balls. I opted out of the yogurt balls and bought a bag of almonds.

Gentiana olivieri
Gentiana olivieri pink form
Iris warleyensis
Amygdalus spinosissima
Tragopogon
Tulipa fosteriana & Iris magnifica
Amankutan market

We reached Samarkand that night and then the 24 hour sickness began. I survived to see the one of the greatest cities of the world. Stay tuned.

Nurek

Today felt like a typical Monday. Not too smooth at first but better as the day went on. Rain was pouring down so we decided to go to Nurek instead of Romit. Along the way, the van had some issues but with the help of several, we were back on the road in no time. The place where we fixed the van was also a sight to see. Trucks and cars in this country are usually Mercedes and Opel and most are 25-40 years old. We saw many people pushing their cars or crammed full of people. Driving is also a whole other subject. At any time you feel like you’re about to hit a car head on from people passing each other like its a video game.

Monday

Nurek is about 1.5 hours from Dushanbe. A large reservoir and dam sits nearby that generates much of the electricity for Tajikistan. The hills/mountains are much different. Landslides are common due to heavy rain and clay soils. Like most of the country, the hills are heavily grazed and grass barely has a chance to reach more than a few inches. Subsequently plants have adapted to this such as Iris which grows on steep edges where animals can’t reach them. Some are even poisonous such as Eremurus.

This Benz has been through hell and back and the driver, Jaskmed, is one smooth operator
End of the road

We took a backroad to Nurek which winded up and down a mountain. The fog was so thick we could barely see. As went further down the other side things started to let up but eventually we hit a dead end due to a recent landslide. It didn’t stop us from finding some great plants however. A few highlights included Iris stolonifera, Eremurus olgae, Tulipa fosteriana, Ferula tadshikorum, Arnebia caerulea, Onosma setosa, Anemone bucharica, Cercis griffithii, Astragalus, Eeremostachys laciniata and much more.

Iris stolonifera
Astragalus sewersianus
Onosma setosa
Anemone bucharica
Cercis griffithii
Eremostachys laciniata

Eventually we made our way into the city of Nurek. We had a traditional Tajik lunch which consists of patyr (a round bread) pickled vegetable salad, lagman (soup with noodles and meat) and plov (rice, carrots and meat). After lunch we went back out to find more plants and found a hillside of Eremurus olgae. The day ended on a good note and we were content with what we saw despite the muddy and wet conditions.

Ferula tadshikorum can grow very tall and parts of it are edible
Eremurus olgae
Eremurus olgae (foxtail lily)
Arnebia caerulea
Anethum graveolens (Dill) is commonly found and used in many Tajik dishes

Current Status: I am in Samarkand, Uzbekistan and will post again tomorrow about Romit and journey across the border. Let’s just say I am grateful I made it...

Varzob

Side note: I am fortunate to have a place where WiFi is available and will continue posting based on places and not days. I may not have it once I leave Tajikistan on Wednesday. All photos shot on Sony A7 (thanks Laura)

Just a short drive outside of the city, we followed a road that lead us past riverside homes and the enormous summer palace of the president. The mountains were finally visible and the peaks went straight up like the Tetons or Alps. I had a good feeling about todays adventure.

Our first stop was off the side of the busy mountain road where a very sketchy bridge crossed a river. The best part was climbing around the locked gates and not falling into the class 3 rapids below. We all made it.

Our local guides

Across the river we saw some of the locals harvesting and processing Rhubarb. Everywhere along the road we saw people selling it as well as the unforunate site of Tulips by the hundreds that were no doubt wild picked. As I previously mentioned in my last post, wild picking is not regulated or even frowned upon. Many make their income from it and a means to live. Fortunately both plants regenerate and are tough but how long can they withstand from over picking?

Rheubarb and Tulip season across of all Tajikistan

We found many flowers across the river including Iris vicaria, Tulipa praestans, Fritillaria bucharica, Corydalis ledobouriana, Pedicularis olgae and many Prunus. The views weren’t bad either.

Fritillaria bucharica
Iris vicaria
Prunus sp.

As we continued on, Oron nearly jumped out of the car when he spotted what all of us were hoping to see on this trip; Fritillaria eduardii. We ate a picnic lunch nearby and I climbed a bit higher for some better views and discovered a hillside in full bloom.

Fritillaria eduardii

Later on, we saw hundreds of Fritillaria eduardii perched on steep cliff shelves all in full bloom. I definitely want to grow this species in the garden.

Fritillaria eduardii growing on steep cliff shelves
Corydalis ledebouriana & Puschkinia scilloides

When we reached the crossroads to where the the road continues under a very long dangerous tunnel or turns towards Anzob pass which is still closed from snow, we stopped at our best site yet.

Iris rosenbachia

Snow had just recently melted from this area and Iris rosenbachia was in full flower. The gentleman who let us roam his yard looked on curiously and seemed proud with our interest in this plant blooming everywhere among his property. Bumble bees hummed around Corydalis and Gymnospemium. It looked and felt surreal. As we walked further we looked for Eranthis but it wasn’t up yet. Two local boys followed us with a wheelbarrow of wood they had collected from high up on the steep cliffs. The way of life is very foreign for people like us and makes you appreciate the small things even more.

Corydalis ledebouriana
Gymnospermium albertii
Shelter for local shepherds
Collecting firewood
Primula olgae

Day 1 - Karatag Valley

After travelling 30 hours half way around the world, I landed in Dushanbe, Tajikistan 4:00am local time. Fresh off a 2 hour nap in the Taj Palace hotel, I was back in an SUV driving through the busy streets enroute to a valley full of flowers and dramatic cliffs. Along the way I studied the city, countryside and it’s people. There were teenagers dressed in formal suits on their way to class or work. Women in colorful dresses and head scarfs, smiling as they worked and the men conversating and enjoying a cool overcast Saturday. The enourmous width of the main road was a reminder of the soviet era times when military marches were common shows. Every mile we were also reminded who the leader was based on a colorful billboard depicting president Emomali Rahmon as man of the common people showing his love for agriculture and flowers (his graphic artist team must be busy, there are thousands of these). This is common in some Central Asian countries as I’ve learned.

As we drove further into the country, we passed fields of blooming fruit trees, chestnuts and trellised grape vines. Agriculture is the main economy outside of the cities and fruit and nut trees do well in this climate.

Trip leader, Oron Peri, spotted several plants along the road including the very rare Eremurus albertii which was just beginning to finish but had a few decent flowers left. We also spotted Eminium albertii near a grave by the side of a busy road. Locals looked at us curiously as we jumped out the van and took turns photographing.

Roadside attraction
Eremurus albertii
Eminium albertii
Astragalus sp.

Pavement soon ended and the road became muddy and rocky which also hugged a raging river. The drivers of each vehicle are absolute pros and didn’t seem concerned. As we drove further up Karatag Valley, Iris bucharica made it’s first appearance. Hillsides were covered in Iris but many were just finishing so we had to climb higher to see better ones. As we climbed, the river became closer to the road and the hills turned to cliffs. The rain and mist made it that much more dramatic. We soon spotted Tulipa fosteriana growing tucked away in an inconvenient spot for humans to see. As I’ve come to learn, many of the wild tulips are picked by locals and sold on the streets. There is no regulation or fines for picking. I will discuss this more in my next post.

Iris bucharica
Tulipa fosteriana

Finally the rain won and we turned around though none of us were disappointed for our first day in Tajikistan. This country is already like no where I have travelled before.

Created By
Nick Courtens
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