Column: A trip to Uzbekistan

Venturing into the Muslim realm of Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan Republic, fall 1991

This is a continuing narrative from Keatts’ visit to her son , Ken Keatts, who worked at the U.S. Embassy in Russia in the 1990s. Earlier installments can be found at lmtribune. com by clicking the “Special Pubs” tab and viewing back issues of Golden Times.

Two days after I arrived (in Moscow, USSR), Ken and I went with a tour group to the Uzbekistan Republic in Central Asia, just north of Afghanistan. Not only did we have an enjoyable trip, but we got to know quite a few people, and that has made the rest of my trip pleasant. About the time

I got here, Ken’s workload increased and he is having to work a lot of overtime; so knowing other people has made it easier for both of us. Our flight, scheduled to leave at T R AV E L O G U E 9 p.m., was delayed for several hours Jeanne by a snow storm. We flew to Bukhara Keatts (pronounced Bookhar-a), a flight of several thousand miles. We flew over some large cities and I noticed that they were the same color as the surrounding countryside. If the soil was gray, the town was a matching shade of gray. All the buildings were the same color. It tended to make the towns nondescript and appear lifeless. I’m told this is a part of Stalin’s plan for uniformity. We arrived in the middle of the afternoon. After settling into the hotel, we walked through the town. Both Bukhara and Samarkand (Sam-are-kand — rhymes with wand) are medieval Muslim camel caravan trading centers. Samarkand is over 2,500 years old and has a present population of 1 million, while Bukhara can date its beginnings back over 1,000 years and has a population of 200,000. Both were totally destroyed by Ghengis Khan in the 1300s. In the old parts of town, the buildings are crudely made of adobe so, again, they are the same color as the surrounding soil. I saw no Christian churches or Jewish synagogues anywhere in this area. It is very conservative Muslim, and a part of their history they tell is how they killed off all those who opposed Islam. We also went to Urgench and Khiva (Kee-va). The distinguishing buildings here are mosques, minarets and madrassahes (madras-ses, where the A’s sound like father), which are usually located together. A mosque is the Muslim worship center and often contains tombs of local

Is someone you love experiencing memor y loss? We can help.

Is your loved one in need of memory care? We can help you with this challenging transition. • Caregivers around the clock • Respite, short-term care and long-term care Call us today at (208) 816-4387

S E N I O R L I V I N G AT L E W I S T O N

Be�er Hearing Opens New Worlds

Living with untreated hearing loss is like trying to take in a sweeping vista from a keyhole. Trea�ng your hearing loss doesn’t just open the door, it can enrich your rela�onships. New worlds open for your loved ones as they are heard by you. A once locked door is opened. Walls disappear.

Wh ha at t n ne ew w w wo or rl ld ds s w wi il ll l be e� �e er r he ea ar ri in ng g o op pe en n f fo or r y yo ou u? ?

Anne Simon, AuD An nn ne e Si im mo on n, , A AuD D

208-746-7022

1022 Bryden Ave

SimonAudiology.com

former rulers. A minaret is a tall tower from which a crier called the faithful to worship, but apparently they no longer do this.

A madrassah is a large building built to glorify Allah and to provide cells where men can go to study the faith. They functioned as primitive universities. Each madrassah was always built by one person as his glory to Allah, named for the builder and served as his burial place. Once the builder died, the building was no longer used and fell into disrepair. If he died before it was finished, it remained unfinished. No one was ever interested in completing or using another man’s madrassah. The concept of family and lineage never entered into this.

These buildings, erected from the 1400s on, were elaborately decorated with tiles in intricate designs. The Muslim faith forbids the depiction of man or animals, so the designs often contain stars, flowers and geometric patterns. The buildings stand hundreds of feet high and dominate the landscape. Mosques and madrassahes feature large domes on top, often tiled in blue. They are elaborately decorated inside also. Extensive work is now being done to restore these old buildings, but much remains to be done. Since each piece of tile is about one square inch, it takes many to cover a building 100 feet tall.

Keatts is a retired Clarkston businesswoman who ran an accounting offi ce for many years. She loves to travel and shares excerpts from notes sent to loved ones detailing her adventures.