Ancient Samarkand was known for both its high quality silk weaving and papermaking – two artisan craft industries that are alive and well today given their importance to Uzbeki culture. Both crafts came to Samarkand via the Silk Road from China, paper in the 7th century, silk weaving a few centuries later, were embraced by local merchants and became important sources of commerce for the city. We only had time to tour one artisan center. Not a hard choice, we opted for papermaking since we’d already seen silk weaving in China and India.
Enroute to the paper making ‘mill’ we stopped to visit one additional mosque. Construction on the Bibi Khanum Mosque began in 1399. Legend has it that the mosque was commissioned by Timur’s Chinese wife, Bibi-Khanym to surprise him while he was away on campaign. Shortly after work started, the architect designing the building fell in love with Bib-Khanym and refused to complete the job unless she allowed him a kiss. She initially refused, but he was persitent and she wanted the work to continue, so she kissed his cheek. This kiss left a mark and when Timur returned and learned what had happened, the architect was executed.
Whether the legend is true or not, what is known is that the architect designed a structure that could not accommodate its own weight, especially in an area prone to earthquakes. Construction of the mosque was completed in 1405, the same year Timur died of illness during his attack on China. Very soon after its completion, the mosque began showing sings of instability; the dome began to crumble and masonry fell on worshippers. Different attempts were made to reinforce the structure over the ensuing decades but by the 17th century the mosque was abandoned. The structure was further damaged in the 1897 earthquake. In 1974, the Uzbeki government began significant reconstruction on the complex; the restoration was controversial as the building that emerged from the reconstruction was not authentic. Nontheless, today the mosque with its vibrant crenolated aqua patterned dome and its surrounding courtyard and arched gate, is a major place of worship as well as a well visited tourist attraction.
During Bibi-Khanyn’s time, merchant stalls lined the road alongside the mosque. Today in this same location, is the Siyob Bazaar, the largest market in Samarkand. Conveniently close to the mosque, all daily necessities are sold here.
We entered under the brick and tiled archway of Siyob Bazaar and immediately were enveloped by the sights, sounds and smells of the market. Every foodstuff imaginable was on display – mounds of dried dates, apricots, grapes and other fruits in red baskets alongside heaping bins of assorted nuts.
We took the steps to the second floor for a topside view of the market. Tables of produce went on and on. The far side of the market sold everyday appliances, utensils as well as assorted clothing. Not just for locals, there were handicraft shops selling ceramics, embroidered linens, scarves and stationary for tourists.
We ended the afternoon with a visit to Koni Ghil Artisan Village to observe the resurrected art of papermaking. For centuries Samarkand was renowed for its paper – made from mulberry bark it was famous for its strength, smoothness and longevity. In fact documents, printed centuries earlier, still retain their integrity. Papermaking was a key industry in Samarkand until the 18th century when internal conflicts disrupted the economy, scattering craftsmen along with their knowledge of their craft. In 1995, UNESCO agreed to support local efforts to revive production, providing support to brothers Islam and Zarif Mukhtarovs to open a small workshop, ‘Meros’, which means “heritage”, in Koni Gil village.
Waiting to begin our tour, we saw heaps of mulberry branches piled along the side of the building – the feedstock for the papermaking process. Much to our delight, we watched a young boy practice his archery skills using a bow and arrow fashioned from mulberry branches. Like a mini ninja, headbanded, he loaded his arrow, drew back the bowstring and sent the arrow sailing skyward.
Then hand over forehead, shading his eyes from the imagined brightness, he peered skyward to watch the trajectory of his arrow, waiting as it crashed to the ground.
The archer was joined by a friend who clattered down a metal spiral staircase near a rotating water wheel. As the boys took turns shooting arrows, we started our tour and immediately learned that the water wheel was not for show but was an instrumental tool in the papermaking process.
The raw material for Samarkand papermaking is mulberry tree bark. We watched as a woman stripped the bark from moistened branches with a sharp knife, throwing the long ribbons into a large aluminum tub filled with water.
The strips of bark are cooked in a large tub,occassionally being stirred and lifted from the pot for consistency checks. Starting as a stringy glob, the bark eventually softens into a pulpy mass.
This pulp requires more pounding and processing; this is a job for the water wheel. The streaming river rotates the wheel that, in turn, drives wooden rods (similar to pistons in an engine) to continuosly pound the pulp, mashing it into a homogenous blob of dough.
With sufficient pounding, this dough, thick and pulpy, is ready for papermaking.
The dough is placed in a tub of water to be mixed and filtered. The artisan uses a special sieve to strain the pulp.
This strained mass is then pressed onto flazelin sheets. The paper is removed from the sheets and dried in an upright position for a day.
Once dry, the paper is very strong and water resistant. The final process is to smooth the paper. The craftman removes the roughness from the sheet, by polishing it on a marble table with a rock or piece of bone. Samarkand paper is distinguished by its unique yellowish tint. Chemical free, its shelf life is ten times longer than ordinary white paper, lasting 300-400 years, making it an important source for the restoration of ancient manuscripts.
Perusing the gift shop post tour, we saw quite an assortment of Samarkand paper goods for sale – not only postcards, notebooks and stationery, but masks, dolls, handbags and even dresses! We finished our tour with Uzbek tea and an assortment of fruits, nuts and sweets spread out in the pavilion near the gift shop.
Leaving the paper mill later than planned, we reached our hotel with just enough time to change and catch the shuttle for dinner. Traffic was heavy and looking out the bus window, I gazed down on a sea of Chevys. No surprise – General Motors has a joint venture with an Uzbeki partner that produces 350,000 Chevys a year in the country!
Our dining destination was the Istiqlol, a large restaurant and event hall beautifully festooned with lights. We were greeted warmly by the maitre d’ and escorted to the second floor private dining room for our farewell dinner.
An Uzbek musical troupe entertained us as we dined on heaping platters of warm bread, sauces, vegetables and grilled meats. Given its Silk Road heritage, it is not surprising that Uzbek’s musical heritage is both ancient and diverse. Its music is characterized by complicted rythmns and beats, so not unexpected, the instruments used to make this Uzbek music – the doira, tanbur, dutor, nay and surnay to name a few, are unique. Like a combination drum and tamborine, the doira is a large wooden ring with one side covered in tigthly stretched leather and the other affixed with over sixty metal rings, allowing the musician to beat out rhythmic notes accompanied by the melodic chime of the rings. Stringed instruments accompanying the doira are the tanbur, a bowed instrument with a small pear shaped body dating back for at least a thousand years and the dutor, a long two stringed instrument with a pear shaped resonator and long neck with fingerboard. Finally the wind instruments, the nay, similar to a flute and surnay, a pipe like instrument with a unique and powerful sound quality complete the ensemble.
After dinner, we were treated to Uzbek traditional and folk dancing. Troupes of four to five young women performed a series of beautifully choreographed dances from different regions and time periods of the area, each uniquely and authentically costumed. The dancing was unique and diverse reminiscent of at time of Eastern Europe, Asia and Arabia.
Before heading back to the hotel, we made an impromptu stop at Registan Square for the evening light show. Music played as the buildings surrounding the square were bathed in multi-colored lights, colors changing with the tempo of the music. Dramatic and impressive, it was a lovely and fitting end to our time in Uzbekistan. Watching the display of colors, I knew that it would only be a matter of time before I return to this historically and culturally rich country. Tomorrow is a long travel day as we head to Bangkok, Thailand – the halfway point of our Ancient Crossroads trip.
