- 5 weeks ago
Great Central Asian Railway Journeys - Season 1 Episode 1 - Tashkent
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00:01I'm embarking on a thrilling new railway adventure in Central Asia.
00:06Exploring the ancient Silk Road.
00:08This really is for me a dream come true.
00:11At a crossroads of civilizations.
00:13Amazing aromas.
00:15Where East met West.
00:17It is extraordinarily beautiful.
00:21I'll explore ancient cities.
00:23What splendor.
00:26Encounter breathtaking Islamic art.
00:29Brutalist Soviet architecture.
00:32And the doors begin to open.
00:35And magnificent railways.
00:37A legendary city deserves a great railway station.
00:41On my journey I'll see how since independence.
00:44Uzbekistan is shaping a modern identity.
00:48What a pleasure to meet you.
01:05On this journey I'm in Uzbekistan.
01:10My beautiful Afrosyob train has brought me in great comfort to a gleaming terminal in Tashkent.
01:19I'm following the route of the old Silk Road.
01:22Which for centuries ran from China in the east to Europe in the west.
01:30Located in the middle of Central Asia.
01:32Uzbekistan is a landlocked country.
01:34Bordered by Kazakhstan.
01:36Turkmenistan.
01:37Afghanistan.
01:39Tajikistan.
01:40And Kyrgyzstan.
01:41And at just under 450,000 square kilometers.
01:44It's almost twice the size of the United Kingdom.
01:49Originally populated by nomadic tribes.
01:51It's been the seat of great empires.
01:54From the silk trading Sogdians.
01:56To the Mongols under Genghis Khan.
01:59And the Timurids under the conqueror we know as Tamerlane.
02:02It was part of the Russian Empire.
02:05Then the Soviet Union.
02:06Finally gaining independence in 1991.
02:10Today it's the most populous country of Central Asia.
02:13With 37 million inhabitants.
02:16Ethnic Uzbeks make up 80% of the population.
02:19With mostly Tajiks, Kazakhs and Russians making up the rest.
02:24I'm beginning in the capital.
02:26Tashkent.
02:27And will then travel on the high speed railway to Samarkand.
02:31A city filled with UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
02:35And Silk Road treasures.
02:36I'll travel on to one of the best preserved medieval Islamic cities in the world.
02:41Bukhara.
02:42And end in Navoy.
02:44Surrounded by the vast desert of Kizilkum.
02:50I start at the magnificent Northern Station in Tashkent.
02:55The speed of railway terminus here since 1899.
02:59And this building was put up in the 1950s.
03:02It has that Soviet touch.
03:04But with very important Asian details.
03:07Notice the pointed arches and the beautiful mosaics.
03:10And I arrive in a city of broad avenues and roaring traffic.
03:14For this is the capital of Uzbekistan.
03:28To start my tour of Tashkent, I'm making a beeline for a place which is the heart of the city.
03:35Housed in a striking building constructed in 1980, this is Chorsu Bazaar.
03:55A market is often a great place to start a city tour.
03:59And this one is just so vibrant, so completely full of life.
04:08The stores are supplied by a never-ending stream of trolleys.
04:13Like a supply chain manned by fresh fruits.
04:17Mark it. Forces.
04:30Tashkent is not only the capital of Uzbekistan, it's also the biggest city.
04:35With a population of three million officially and perhaps many, many more.
04:40And in antiquity, it stood on the Silk Road.
04:45This market is called Chorsu, which means confluence.
04:49And that is a reminder of all the cultures and peoples that flowed into here
04:55when this was a meeting point of trade.
04:58And there has been a market on this spot for 800 years or more.
05:04And in the Soviet era, it was given this flying saucer-like dome
05:11decorated with traditional Uzbek art.
05:14And it's one of the principal architectural statements
05:18of the Soviet Union in Central Asia.
05:21And so it's a marriage of the ancient and the modern.
05:25And I must say I am impressed.
05:31To help me navigate through this overwhelming place,
05:34I'm joined by Camilla Jalalova, a Tashkent resident and city guide.
05:39Camilla, this marvellous, bustling market,
05:42it feels like a great place to understand Tashkent.
05:46Is that right?
05:47It is. That is the soul of the city.
05:50That is one of the main parts of the city
05:52where different cultures, different religions
05:55could combine and meet each other.
05:59Tashkent was on the Silk Road.
06:02Maybe it wasn't a single road.
06:03It was a number of different possible routes.
06:05What is your definition of the Silk Road?
06:08Silk Road, from our point of view, was the network of caravans
06:15which started from Xi'an in the territory of Central Asia.
06:18The longest part of Great Silk Road was exactly in the territory of Central Asia.
06:24There was no real one caravan which started from one part of the Great Silk Road
06:29and finished on the other side.
06:31So there was intersection and there were numbers of groups
06:34which exchanged with the goods in different places.
06:39Yes. So all the way along the route, people were doing deals all the time.
06:44Of course, priority was the Silk.
06:48But throughout the whole Silk Road we have different goods, spices, jewelers, weapons
06:55and lots of religions, lots of cultures and traditions and habits
06:59being introduced at that period of time.
07:03It's exciting, isn't it, because we think of globalisation as a very modern concept.
07:07But here you're describing a world where goods really move all the way around the globe,
07:12where ideas move around the globe, where religions are at least exposed around the globe.
07:18Extraordinary.
07:18It is.
07:20The Silk Road operated for over 1,500 years until the Ottoman Empire closed off trade with the West
07:27in the mid-15th century.
07:29The flow of people and goods through this land has left Uzbekistan with a diverse population and cuisine.
07:38Everything is so beautifully presented, isn't it?
07:41Yes, and very fresh and very delicious.
07:45Hello, hello.
07:46Hello, Zofranu.
07:47Saffron?
07:48Saffron is Iran.
07:50From Iran.
07:50From Iran.
07:51Very good.
07:51Very good.
07:53Cardamon.
07:54Very, very good.
07:56Such an aroma.
07:57Beautiful.
07:59And these are things, I guess, that would have been traded along the Silk Road.
08:02Can you imagine?
08:03These things were completely unknown in Europe.
08:06They must have seemed so exotic, so fabulous.
08:09I thought I knew these fragrances, but these are so fresh, so perfect.
08:13It's as though I'm sampling them for the first time in my life.
08:20It's as though I'm sampling them for the first time in my life.
08:20Agriculture makes up a quarter of Uzbekistan's economy.
08:23And I find locally grown lemons, grapes, figs, and one of my favourite fruits, pomegranates.
08:31Is it possible to have a...
08:32A juice?
08:38A very effective press.
08:41That is like one of the fruit of the paradise.
08:51My goodness.
08:52Isn't that the most amazing colour?
08:54It is.
08:58Oh.
08:59It's so delicious.
09:01It's so sweet.
09:02So healthy.
09:03No wonder it's a fruit of paradise.
09:10It's advised to visit the market on an empty stomach, especially to indulge at the street food strip known as
09:17Glutton's Row.
09:18Camilla, this is a fabulous place, obviously, where people come to get their lunch.
09:23But such a number of exotic products.
09:27Most of these things I don't even recognise.
09:30So here we can find all varieties of Uzbek cuisine.
09:35Started from barbecue, deeply fried fish and chicken.
09:40And here we have horse meat pasta.
09:44Very delicious.
09:45Oh.
09:46So you can try it.
09:47Thank you, thank you.
09:48Rahmat, rahmat.
09:49Rahmat, rahmat.
09:50Rahmat.
09:53Rahmat.
09:54Mmm.
09:55Horse meat noodle.
09:58It's really good.
10:02Uzbek cuisine incorporates Russian, Tajik, Uyghur, even Korean dishes.
10:07One of the most popular foods is hanum, a vegetarian dumpling, which the same stall holder in this market has
10:15served for over 20 years.
10:19What is it?
10:20Rahmat.
10:21Rahmat.
10:22Rahmat.
10:22What is it?
10:24What is it?
10:25Michael.
10:26Ah, Michael.
10:27Michael.
10:28Michael.
10:29Michael.
10:29Michael.
10:30What is it?
10:39No wonder there's such a line to buy.
10:41It's delicious.
10:43I'm tasting tomato and dough and lots of onion.
10:47Mmm.
10:48It's good, isn't it?
10:48Very delicious.
10:58From the bustling commerce of Chosu Market are now heading to the city's ancient religious centre.
11:08Uzbekistan is officially a secular country, but the vast majority of the population practices Islam, which spread to Uzbekistan in
11:17the days of the Silk Road.
11:20Tashkent is a city of contrasting areas, and I am now at the very heart of the old city, the
11:29Hasrat Imam, the Holy Imam.
11:31I'm surrounded by buildings connected with the Muslim faith, a new mosque, a library, the old mosque. Beyond that, the
11:41Islamic centre of civilisation under construction, and a mosque dating to the 16th century.
11:47Islam arrived here in the 7th century and enjoyed its golden age between the 9th and the 11th centuries, when
11:58the cities of Central Asia were noted for their learning and, in particular, their expertise in astronomy.
12:04And thanks to that prestige, Tashkent today is the custodian of highly prized relics.
12:13The library of the Muim Mubarak Madrasa, an old religious school, houses a revered ancient manuscript, one of the greatest
12:22treasures of Islam.
12:28Showning it to me is the head of the library, Kamaluddin Mahamoth.
12:33As-salamu alaykum.
12:34As-salamu alaykum.
12:35As-salamu alaykum.
12:36As-salamu alaykum.
12:36As-salamu alaykum.
12:39As-salamu alaykum.
12:56As-salamu alaykum.
12:57As-salamu alaykum.
12:57As-salamu alaykum.
12:59As-salamu alaykum.
13:02As-salamu alaykum.
13:04As-salamu alaykum.
13:06As-salamu alaykum.
13:07As-salamu alaykum.
13:08As-salamu alaykum.
13:09As-salamu alaykum.
13:10As-salamu alaykum.
13:12As-salamu alaykum.
13:13As-salamu alaykum.
13:14As-salamu alaykum.
13:16As-salamu alaykum.
13:17As-salamu alaykum.
13:18As-salamu alaykum.
13:20As-salamu alaykum.
13:22As-salamu alaykum.
13:22books can be this one. Since this remarkable book was created so many centuries ago, where
13:29has this Qur'an been in those hundreds of years? This Qur'an was brought to Samarkand
13:37by Tamerland in 14th century. It was kept in Samarkand until 1869. During the Russian
13:47ancient times, it was taken to St. Peterbuk, and only in 1924, 100 years ago, it was brought
13:54back to Uzbekistan. Is it a huge privilege for Tashkent to have this magnificent ancient
14:01Qur'an? Of course, we are not only Tashkent people, but whole people of Uzbekistan proud
14:09of having this very manuscript of Qur'an.
14:29To explore more of the city, I head underground, to use Tashkent's metro system, the oldest subway
14:36in Central Asia. It was built when Uzbekistan was a Soviet socialist republic. The policy
14:43of the time stipulated that a city received a subway system only if it had over one million
14:49citizens, a figure reached in Tashkent in the 1960s. Work on the metro system began in 1972,
14:572002. And today, it is an attraction in itself. If you've ever seen the metro in Moscow, either
15:06in pictures or in person, you will know that the Soviet Union built lavish underground systems
15:13that also served as nuclear attack shelters spread across the entire city. Now, Tashkent
15:20was destroyed by an earthquake in 1966, and the Soviet leader Brynjnev visited and he promised
15:26that the resources of the entire country would be used to rebuild the city. And one of the
15:32consequences of that is the metro system, which is decorated with chandeliers and frescoes
15:39and mosaics. And it has not changed all that much. The grandiose depiction of Karl Marx
15:46has been removed, and Lenin's station has been renamed.
15:56The network consists of four lines and 48 stations, each with a different theme.
16:05Until 2018, photography on the system was banned, so the beauty of these stations was hidden
16:11from the outside world.
16:16I'm travelling on the Uzbekistan line, and at Elisha Navoi station, I'll change to the Chilin-Tsar
16:25line.
16:28A quirk of the Tashkent metro system is that when you change line, you also change station.
16:36But just one escalator takes me from Elisha Navoi to Bakhtokor station.
16:48Now, this is cotton picker station, because cotton is a very important industry in Uzbekistan.
16:55Although it's rarely been free from controversy, the irrigation pretty much drained the Aral Sea,
17:01causing an ecological disaster. And in Soviet times, members of the Uzbek government
17:06exaggerated the production figures and were arrested. And then the industry has been
17:11accused of using child labour and forced labour. Today, it has been declared free of those
17:18vile practices, and so the cotton flower gleams white and pure.
17:33The red Chilin-Tsar line was Tashkent's first metro, opened in 1977.
17:39It conveys me to Amir Timur Square, named after Tamerlane, the Turkic warrior, the nation's
17:46greatest hero, who ruled the region in the late 14th and early 15th centuries.
17:59This place reflects the changing face of Tashkent. And here I meet Alexander Fyodorov,
18:05a graphic designer and champion of Tashkent's modernist architecture.
18:12Alexander, hello.
18:13Oh, hello.
18:14I'm Michael.
18:15I'm Alexander.
18:17Here we are under the statue of Tamerlane, as we call him in English, the great warrior,
18:22the great emperor.
18:23Yeah, yeah. When Uzbekistan was independent in 1991, the government says we need historical
18:30figure to inspire us. The Tamerlane showing on this hand and a bright future of Uzbekistan.
18:39A way forward.
18:41Yeah, yeah.
18:41Now, tell me about some of the architecture around the square. Are there various styles
18:46of architecture here?
18:47Yeah. Here we have all the architecture from the 90th century till the present days.
18:54We have the, when the Russian Empire came, the colonial modern style.
18:58Yeah. Stalinist Empire style, like a tower with the clock. After that, the modernism, like
19:05Hotel Uzbekistan. And after that, the Karim of Empire style, the Palace of Forms. And many
19:12architects say that Tashkent is a capital of the Soviet modernism.
19:19The city became a focus of modernism after one defining event. An earthquake of 5.2 magnitude
19:26hit Tashkent in 1966, destroying or damaging up to 80% of the buildings. The Soviet authorities
19:34rebuilt the city according to a modernist master plan with massive buildings made from the
19:39material of the day, concrete. One enduring icon is the 17-storey Hotel Uzbekistan.
19:49Alexander, tell me about the architectural style of the Hotel Uzbekistan.
19:54It's a project of 1974 by local architects, Ilyamir Port. Local architects, Moscow architects,
20:02making mix of the international style modernism with the original details of the national architecture
20:10of Uzbekistan. And they're making this building as a brutalist big volume with the national-style
20:17sunshade lentils. It's called by the Tajik word panjara.
20:22So this form across the building, this lattice work, this derives from traditional architecture?
20:29Yeah. And this oriental form, mixing with the brutal building, it's a Tashkent modernism.
20:51The reminders of Tashkent's Soviet past are everywhere. As I return to the city's metro system,
20:59I stop at a station that marks a proud moment in Soviet history.
21:12Cosmonaut Station features Yuri Gagarin and Valentina Tereshkova, the first man and woman in space.
21:20He in 1961, she in 1963. And as I well remember, although these were Soviet achievements,
21:28they inspired the whole world, communist and capitalist alike.
21:34Valentina had risen from being a textile worker to a space pilot at the age of 26.
21:41She was awarded hero of the Soviet Union. She left the military with the rank of Major General,
21:48and she went into politics. She was elected to the Duma, or Russian Parliament.
21:52And then she voted for the Russian invasion of Ukraine. And so she is sanctioned in the Western world,
22:01but not removed from Cosmonaut Station.
22:08Uzbekistan gained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, but many continue to speak Russian alongside Uzbek.
22:17Its population has boomed from 8.5 million in 1960 to over 37 million today.
22:26The demographics of Uzbekistan are amazing. A tenth of the population is under age five.
22:34And more than a half are younger than 30. And it's hard to imagine the energy and the potential of
22:42such a young population.
22:43They must present a challenge as well. You've got to educate and train, employ and satisfy a restless mass of
22:52youth.
22:53And I'm going to discuss the Uzbeks of the future with a noted TikToker.
23:01Asal Saparbaeva is a former medal-winning national gymnast who, under the social media handle of Lytus,
23:08now makes content related to sport and female empowerment.
23:12She has over six million followers on TikTok alone. I've come to downtown Tashkent to meet her.
23:20Hello. Welcome. Thank you very much. Are you Asal?
23:23Yes, I'm Asal. Oh. Oh, wow.
23:32What a pleasure to meet you. Nice to meet you. Oh, come here. Thank you.
23:37Oh, excuse me, Asal. I have a present for you. This is Chapan.
23:43That looks very smart. Yes. Oh, thank you, Asal.
23:47This is national dress for men in Uzbekistan.
23:52I feel very proud to wear this, Asal. Very proud indeed.
23:56Oh, it's beautiful. Look at that.
24:03I've been looking at the statistics for Uzbekistan.
24:06There are so many young people here.
24:11The young people in our country want to show themselves on the international level, to show the potential of our
24:19country, the potential of our younger generation.
24:22They're very active in social media.
24:24Now, in your case, you are a woman with a career. You're continuing your career after marriage. So this is
24:32the example that you're giving to other women.
24:36Yes, of course, we follow certain traditional values. This is in our blood. This is our roots, which we should
24:43respect and keep, because it brings the stability in the family and the society.
24:48But, of course, we also try to modernize the society through our influence.
24:56I see that our message is to motivate girls to be more active, particularly in sports, so they can find
25:03a way in this life to fulfill themselves.
25:09Now, being in the 1% in Uzbekistan, in my age group, I don't really understand TikTok. Would you please
25:17show me how you make your content?
25:19Oh, OK, no problem. I have some ideas for you.
25:24Thank you very much.
25:34Asal makes her social media content with her videography crew, which includes her husband as director and a stunt team.
25:45So the stuntman has come into his own. He's become a British climber.
25:49He's become a British climber.
25:50He's become a British climber.
25:52He's become a British climber.
25:54He's become a British climber.
25:55He's become a British climber.
25:57He's become a British climber.
25:59For today's clip, Asal plays a street cleaner who flies on her broom.
26:07And then, with the backdrop of the city's iconic TV tower, it's time for my entrance.
26:13You, tourist.
26:15I'm a tourist, right?
26:16Yes.
26:16And take photo on this tower.
26:20A selfie.
26:21Do selfie, yeah.
26:22Action!
26:23I need to take a selfie of myself with that radio tower.
26:28Oh, sorry.
26:29Can I help you?
26:30Oh, how sweet of you.
26:33Oh, yeah.
26:33Please.
26:35OK.
26:36OK.
26:38One sec.
26:40Wait one minute, OK?
26:42OK.
26:47This is present for you.
26:49One, two, three.
26:51Up.
26:52Oh, very good.
26:54Now to evaluate my social media debut.
26:58Let's have a look.
26:59Very fast.
27:02OK.
27:04Oh, you're very good in that scene.
27:12Oh, that's how it works.
27:15That's so clever.
27:16Well done.
27:17That is brilliant.
27:19Oh, such an honor to work with you.
27:21Well done, guys.
27:35Hello.
27:36The people of Uzbekistan have experienced glory days.
27:42The cosmopolitan cities that stood on the ancient Silk Road were renowned for their sumptuous mosques and for their scholarship.
27:51In the days of Tamerlane, they stood at the centre of a mighty empire.
27:56During the existence of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Uzbekistan and following the earthquake,
28:02Tashkent was rebuilt to be the prestigious Asian gateway to the Soviet Union.
28:09And since independence, it has developed further, and it has prospered,
28:15and today can lay claim to be the preeminent metropolis of Central Asia.
28:24Next time, is this not the most extraordinary place?
28:29A series of enormous mirrors stuck on a mountainside, reflecting the sun.
28:36They say that there's no strings attached, but in fact, there is strings attached,
28:39and the largest investor is China.
28:43You know, I noticed that when you were playing, you were smiling.
28:47Of course, yes.
28:48When I'm playing, I am happy all the time.
28:51You know, let alone all the time.
29:06You know.
29:11The base thing within the beginning .
29:12You know, you could think you had something I can include,
29:12You know, you're the and the other side of the world.
29:12If you knowwhatever that it is,
29:20You know, however, you have knitted a peaceful PhilipnoĆci querido.
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