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A sightseeing and relaxing day in Bukhara, Uzbekistan.
Bukhara (also spelled Bokhara, Bukhoro, or Buxoro) in Uzbekistan historically one of the great trading cities along the Silk Road. The city is a Unesco Heritage site.
In Sanskrit the word Bukhara means "abbey". Bukhara, "The city of museums", contains more than 140 architectural monuments of the Middle Ages. Such buildings as Poi - Kalan, Kosh Madras, mausoleum of Ismail Samoni, minaret of Kalyan and others were built 2,300 years ago, and today are popular with tourists. The famous poets Narshahi, Rudaki Dakiki and others have played an important role in the development of Bukhara.
The Silk Road was an ancient network of trade routes that connected the East and West. It was central to cultural interaction between them for centuries.
Much more than just silk was traded over this route. Trade was restricted to relatively expensive goods — hauling something like rice or lumber over long distances was not economical with medieval transport — but there was quite a variety of those. Porcelain, glass work, fabrics other than silk, other fine craft items, gems, and furs were traded. So were luxury food items, in particular spices. Coffee, originally from Ethiopia , and tea, originally only from China, first reached the rest of the world via these routes. In medieval London or Paris, pepper cost more than its weight in gold.
A day spent admiring the scenery and enjoying the atmosphere. It is particularly hot however, so a lot of time is spent sipping cold drinks in the shade and watching the world go by.
All six of us eat in the square in the evening. A lovely atmosphere with many of the other tables being occupied by tourists and local families. The singer and young lad on the electric violin was there again and they even enticed a few people up to have a dance.
As always Steve and I were last to leave, finally getting to bed just before midnight.
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