July 22 One of the Oldest Qur’ans and More of Tashkent

7/22

First agenda item for my morning was a run/walk to and around the Ecopark in Tashkent. This is an open space where there are areas for yoga and calisthenics and a walking/running trail. There is also a small lake. I enjoyed getting out early, and it is very safe for solo women travelers. 

Back with the group, we toured different parts of Tashkent. The first visit was the Khast Imam Complex, which is one of the few “old” sites remaining in the city. The highlight of the complex is the Samarkand Kufic Qur’an, housed in a special building in the complex. The Kufic (an old Arabic script) Qur'an was originally housed in Samarkand and, at the order of Vladimir Lenin in 1923, was brought to Tashkent. It is believed to be one of the two remaining copies of the original seven copies of the Qur’an written at the order of the third khalifa ‘Uthman (Osman in Turkish) in 651 AD. This was the first time that the verses were compiled into a written volume, 19 years after the Prophet Muhammad’s death. According to tradition, seven copies were made and disseminated to the kingdoms that had accepted Islam by that time. The other original volume is housed at Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. Photos were not allowed in there, but there were a lot of pilgrims there taking photos anyway and kissing the glass that housed the Qur’an, which I found ironic because of the one way they respected it and the other they did not. It was very large and made of deer skin. 

Women’s area is shown in the photo above in the mosque that is part of this complex. The partitions separate the men and women during prayer time. 

Some of the wall art and woodwork in this mosque. 

This is a copy of the old Qur’an. The old one is much more worn though. 

We also stopped at the Chorsu Bazaar. Chorsu mean’s crossroads. We saw how they made the bread with the stamps, and I purchased a stamp. I also bought Persian saffron and a spice mix. 

We went to the subway/metro, which the first line was finished in 1977 after taking five years to build. It is known for being perhaps the most beautiful metro in the world. You can see some of the photos here from the different lines we took. 

Then we went to an area of the city known as Independence Square. Erkin told us the following information:

There were approximately 300,000 children adopted by Uzbeks during WWWII. Children from all backgrounds were adopted, Jewish, Tartars, etc. Many Uzbeks were eager to adopt children. One blacksmith family from Tashkent adopted 15 children. 

Mothers are important in this region and in Islam. The above monument signifies the importance of Uzbekistan being the mother to the nation and the one below shows a mother of WWII waiting for her son’s return. Most sons did not. Seeing these, I feel connected to humanity as a whole. Mothers love their children across the world in every conflict. Sending young people to war impacts all humanity. 

Also many factories moved here because it was far from the front of the war.  Tashkent received large inflow of population and industrial structure. Some things brought from Ukraine to Uzbekistan. 

Some other random facts:

Uzbekistan has improved many aspects of life here. 

Tashkent is known as the city of bread and the city of stone. 

From here is a 15th century poet Ali Sher Navoi who changed to use old Uzbek language and not Persian or Arabic. 

The Mausoleum of Abu Bakhur Kaffol from 10th century was another site we visited. 

He translated the Quran and was a renowned scholar. 

From there we drove almost five hours to Samarkand, a jewel of a city I have wanted to see for years. It is the second-largest city in Uzbekistan, with a population of just over 500,000 people. 

Samarkand is known for its position on the Silk Road. Extending 4,000 miles (6,437 km), the Silk Road gets its name from the lucrative Chinese silk trade which was carried out along its length and began during the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD). One of the oldest cities in the world, Samarkand remains one of the most attractive in Central Asia despite a turbulent history of war and earthquakes. The city blossomed under Amir Timur (known in the West as "Tamerlane"), a tyrannical 14th-century ruler. A lover of art, Timur was responsible for the colorful domes and exquisite minarets that now form the city's evocative skyline. While Samarkand fell into disrepair during its Soviet days, restoration is slowly progressing. 

We went for another delicious dinner and to see the Registan (see this history on the following day’s blog) lit up at night.