00:00Soy Lili Douse y este es Gran Voyager.
00:05En esta serie voy a viajar el mundo a descubrir increíbles lugares
00:09filled con cultura, luxurias y aventuras.
00:13Aún el camino, me encuentro la gente,
00:16disfruté los sabores y disfruté los momentos
00:19que hacen cada destino unforgettable.
00:26Hoy voy a viajar a Uzbekistán, en el corazón de Central Asia.
00:31Its ciudades fueron once importantes stops
00:34along the Silk Road,
00:35donde diferentes culturas se juntan.
00:38Mi primer stop es el Centro de Civilización de Tashkent.
00:43It took casi nueve años para construir,
00:46y su gran diseño y enorme enorme es inspiración
00:50por Uzbekistán's Historic Architecture.
00:53Inside, el museo explora centros de historias,
00:57culturas y descubrimientos de historias,
00:58y descubrimientos de científicos.
01:00Ahora estamos en el centro de la zona central,
01:04la Halla de Galería.
01:05En este hall, puedes ver 14 semifinales alrededor de nosotros,
01:08representando nuestros escuelas.
01:10Todo se viene juntando,
01:12es absolutamente breathtaking dentro de esto.
01:15El mosaic design celebrates renowned Islamic scholars,
01:20bringing their stories to life
01:22through interactive displays
01:24presented in a range of languages.
01:28Si, vamos a hablar de Lerza Olukbek.
01:30He was a great scholar of astronomy,
01:34and he was a great ruler.
01:35And he counted 1,018 stars
01:38inside his observatory
01:40called the Olukbek Observatory.
01:42The center's collection includes historical objects,
01:47maps, and scale models.
01:49Among them is a display about the Kaaba in Mecca,
01:52the holiest site in Islam.
01:56In front of us, you can see the fragment of Kaaba Kaaba
01:59that was used in 1988 to cover holy Kaaba.
02:04The verse from Quran and decorations
02:06were made of silver and gold streams.
02:09Earlier Kaaba coverings were much more colourful
02:12than those used today.
02:15Another important artefact
02:16is a fragment of one of the largest handwritten
02:20Korans ever made.
02:23Omar Akhtar was a calligrapher,
02:25and he copied this large Holy Quran book
02:28in 14th century,
02:29and sent Amir Tamur as a gift to impress him.
02:33The final room houses a Koran manuscript,
02:37thought to be one of the oldest in the world.
02:41This hall is located in the middle of our center,
02:45under the dome.
02:46Over one million Swarovski stones
02:48were laid by a hand.
02:50It's a spectacular room.
02:52The stars, the ceiling,
02:55having the ancient Holy Quran,
02:57it's spectacular.
03:03Uzbekistan has so many ways
03:05to immerse yourself in the culture
03:08and the history.
03:09And this definitely has been fascinating.
03:14Tashkent is full of beautiful architecture,
03:17but some of the most impressive sights
03:19can be found underground.
03:21At Cosmonatla Metro Station,
03:25the walls are decorated with artworks
03:27celebrating the history of space travel.
03:30Tashkent Metro is opened in 1977.
03:34The length of Tashkent Metro is 71 km,
03:37which has included 50 stations.
03:40Almost 50% of the Tashkent population
03:43use this transport.
03:44Many of the stations celebrate
03:47Uzbekistan's heritage and culture.
03:49One such station incorporates architecture
03:53inspired by the poet Alisha Nevoi.
03:57This is one of the top metro stations I've been to.
04:00I've never seen so many domes.
04:03Tashkent was the first city in Central Asia
04:05to have a metro.
04:07It started with just nine stations
04:09on a single line.
04:13This is a Paflako station.
04:14All the architecture is handmade.
04:17Much of the metro dates back to when
04:19Uzbekistan was part of the Soviet Union.
04:23Many of the original stations
04:25keep their same grand designs.
04:28I love the mosaics on the walls.
04:30It's very impressive.
04:32And also so clean.
04:34Uzbekistan gained independence in 1991,
04:37and some of its names have changed over time.
04:41This is Independence Avenue station.
04:44Before it was named Lenin Square.
04:46After reaching Independence Day,
04:48it changed the name to Independence Square.
04:52With chandeliers, mosaics and marble walls,
04:56these really are unique metro stations.
05:01Food is a big part of Uzbek culture.
05:04Here in Tashkent, the Museum of Polov celebrates
05:08the country's famous rice dish,
05:10made with meat and vegetables.
05:13This is a typical Uzbek palace.
05:17With a famous bread.
05:19This is the smell of Central Asia.
05:21It smells divine.
05:23I'm so ready to eat.
05:25So let's get cracking.
05:26Let's go.
05:28Chefs come from across Uzbekistan
05:30and prepare their own versions of Polov.
05:33Oh, these are all the different ones on one way.
05:36All different Polov.
05:37It's a dish that brings people together.
05:39But there's also some friendly rivalry.
05:43Each region is proud of this Polov.
05:45That is why if you're asking Tashkent people
05:48what kind of the best Polov,
05:49you say Tashkent was.
05:50If you're asking from Bukhara,
05:52you say Bukhara.
05:52Samarkand, Samarkand.
05:53For me, Tashkent.
05:54I think the Tashkent one might be my favourite.
05:58I think this one.
05:59The kitchen also prepares traditional Uzbek pastries.
06:03Filled with meat and vegetables.
06:05And baked in large clay ovens.
06:08It really is a palace dedicated to Uzbek cuisine.
06:14Uzbekistan is full of historic cities.
06:17And Samarkand is one of the most famous.
06:20Known for its incredible architecture,
06:23its historic centre was recognised
06:25as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001.
06:30Uzbekistan.
06:30Uzbekistan.
06:31Once upon a time,
06:32a thousand years ago,
06:33here were lots of caravans.
06:35And they used to bring goods
06:37from every part of this wonderful world
06:41and meeting each other here.
06:42But then,
06:43the big space for caravans
06:45had been transformed into this wonderful ensemble
06:48with the three majestic madrasas.
06:50The Ulag Beg madrasa dates back to the 15th century.
06:55It was an Islamic school where students lived and learned.
07:00In this madrasa,
07:01they would study astronomy,
07:03philosophy,
07:03Arabic poets and Persian poets.
07:06And these universities,
07:07they were fountains of development of science.
07:10Science which is recognised as a contribution
07:13to the world culture today.
07:16It feels very calming and relaxing in here.
07:19The big open space out there and then you come in.
07:22And I can imagine studying here.
07:24Nearby is Shazinder,
07:26a collection of mausoleums dating back centuries.
07:31The mausoleums dedicated for the royal family.
07:34Mostly they were built in the 14th century,
07:37but they were built next to the place
07:40which is famous from the 8th century.
07:42The tomb of Qasem ibn Abbas,
07:45the cousin of Prophet Muhammad Rasulullah.
07:48The site remains an important place of pilgrimage today.
07:52Attracting visitors from all over the world.
07:56All these glazed bricks you see.
07:58Yeah.
07:58They are actually calligraphy in Arabic.
08:01In the poufy style.
08:03Much of the historic site was destroyed in the 13th century.
08:06But new mausoleums were built in the years that followed.
08:12Samarkand was also a major centre for paper making.
08:16And we've come to a traditional mill to find out more.
08:20We call it silk paper.
08:21That paper which is produced here, handmade.
08:24And as a raw material we use the bark of a mulberry tree.
08:29The outer bark is peeled away and then the inner fibres are boiled.
08:34Once softened they are beaten into a pulp using a water wheel for power.
08:39This part we use for silk paper production.
08:42With no glue, with no any chemicals, with no any chemical colours.
08:47All natural made.
08:48Yes, all natural made.
08:49The pulp is then spread onto a screen to form thin sheets of paper that are pressed and dried.
08:56Once ready, we polish the paper, rubbing the surface to make it smooth and shiny.
09:03It's this silky finish that gave the paper its name.
09:08One of the busiest places in Samarkand is Sayab Bazaar.
09:13The stores are packed with dried fruits and nuts as well as sweets and honey.
09:17But there's a little trick to finding the best quality.
09:22You ask him, please give me raisins or please give me almonds or pistachio.
09:28But give me something which you have behind.
09:31Because in the Oriental Bazaar, what is already shown is very delicious.
09:37But which is behind hidden, this is for superb tastes.
09:41The city is famous for its raisins.
09:44And I'm keen to try them for myself.
09:49I've never tasted a raisin like that.
09:51It's really meaty.
09:52Happy first time.
09:53They're delicious.
09:54Everything is amazing.
09:56The nuts here, the dried fruits.
09:59Because it's good quality.
10:00Another of the city's famous food traditions is this distinctive round bread.
10:06At this family bakery, I'm learning how it's made.
10:09In the days of Silk Road, traders would carry Samarkand bread on their long journeys.
10:16Tandir is a big oven for baking bread.
10:21And this size of tandir fits about 40-45 pieces of Samarkand bread.
10:28Each bread is one kilo and a half.
10:30Each loaf is carefully shaped by hand before being placed against the hot walls of the oven.
10:41The heat from the oven is intense and these loaves take around half an hour to bake.
10:47Ah, that smells amazing.
10:51Once the bread is ready, it's time to see how everything turned out.
10:55That is the most perfect bread I have ever seen.
11:00And they come up pretty easy.
11:02He's done them to perfection.
11:05Here, bread is traditionally shared between friends and family.
11:09And with loaves this size, there is plenty to go around.
11:15This is so heavy. One kilo of bread.
11:19And it smells divine.
11:22As my time in Samarkand comes to an end, I look back on my journey through this beautiful country.
11:30It's the experiences I've had along the way that make this trip extra special.
11:38Uzbekistan has been a tale of two cities.
11:41One with historic culture and the other with much more modern style.
11:47There's so much to explore.
11:49But now, time for my next adventure.
