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Travel Pictures - UZBEKISTAN & GEORGIA - 1991
I visited the Soviet republics of Uzbekistan and Georgia during the
attempted August
Coup. Although my first trip into a Muslim
society (Uzbekistan) was eye opening, it was
my exposure to the inadequate, and sometimes
non-existent, Soviet tourist infrastructure
that was most memorable.
Group photo of the members of my tour group and fellow
survivalists of the Soviet Union's dysfunctional tourist infrastructure;
Registan means "sandy place" in Persian, and the square is
surrounded by three Madrasahs, the oldest dating back to
the 13th century. A Madrasah is a medieval Moslem clergy academy and,
during the 15th century, Registan Square
was one of the top clergy universities in all of the Moslem Orient. In
spite of the dogmatic curriculums of many
Madrasah's today, Madrasah's were the world's first institutes of higher learning
(universities).
The very first university was in Fez, Morocco.
(L to R) Toru, Kay, Yosh, and John -
Registan Square; Samarkand, Uzbekistan
The Silk Road basically came into being during the first century B.C. but flourished with the Roman Empire due to its desire for silk.
In addition to silk, some of the goods exchanged along this route included rubies, diamonds, pearls, porcelain, and spices.
The Venetian explorer Marco Polo was one of the first Europeans to travel the Silk Road all the way to China -
(L to R - John, Toru, Kay, and our guide who is a survivor of the 900-day siege of Leningrad) -
Samarkand, Uzbekistan
Samarkand, Uzbekistan
Me posing in front of the fortifications of the Ark
Fortress on a windy and dusty afternoon -
Buchara,
Uzbekistan
These friendly Uzbeks were the managers of this
rickety observation tower (and cafe) atop a former water tower.
The warmth with which they reached out to me hinted to the possibility
that our common humanity can trump ideology -
Buchara, Uzbekistan
Prior to arriving in Tashkent, I eagerly awaited a swim in the hotel's pool - that is, until witnessing the murky, green color! -
Tashkent, Uzbekistan
had already been renamed "Niagara Falls." This statue of Lenin was the largest ever erected, and it has since been replaced with a globe -
Tashkent, Uzbekistan
The old city's buildings reveal the pre-Soviet, Eurasian character of
this special Georgian city -
Tbilisi, Georgia
the lack of service, we finally received what we decided to call bone soup. Even after offering hard currency, we were unable
to obtain a decent meal. We couldn't determine whether the restaurant was lacking food or if the restaurant staff was
too lazy and unwilling to serve us. One thing is clear, communism destroyed Tbilisi's restaurant industry -
Tbilisi, Georgia
of the Georgian Kingdom of Iberia way back in 500 B.C. It was enlightening to see the entrepreneurial spirit of our
driver and how the free market was at work even within the Soviet Union (although not in our hotel restaurant!).
Svetitskhoveli Cathedral (foreground) is one of the most venerated places of worship for Georgia's
Orthodox Christians. The Jvari Monastery is beautifully situated on the distant hill -
near Tbilisi, Georgia
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For authorized use of these photos, please contact Ron Miller at TheHappyCannibal@gmail.com