00:00Eu sou Lili Douse e esse é Grand Voyager.
00:04Nesta série, eu viajo o mundo para descobrir incríveis lugares
00:09Filled com cultura, luxurio e aventura.
00:13Along o caminho, eu me encontrei as pessoas,
00:16Teste o sabor e experimento o momento que faz cada destino unforgettable.
00:26Hoje eu estou viajando para o Uzbekistan, no coração da Central Asia.
00:31A cidade foi uma vez mais importante stoppes along a Silk Road,
00:35onde diferentes culturais se juntaram.
00:38Meu primeiro stop é o Instituto de Civilização em Tashkent.
00:43A cidade foi quase 9 anos para construir,
00:46e a grande design e enorme dome é inspirado
00:50por o Uzbekistan histórico de arquitetura.
00:53Dentro, o museu explorou centenas de histórias de histórias,
00:57culturas e conhecimentos científicos.
01:00Agora, nós estamos vendo o nosso centro principal,
01:03a Hall of Gallery.
01:05Aqui você pode ver 14 semelhóis de frente,
01:08representando nossos escolas.
01:10Tudo se juntou, é absolutamente breathtaking dentro de nós.
01:15O mosaic design celebrates renowned Islamic scholars,
01:20bringing their stories to life through interactive displays
01:24presented in a range of languages.
01:28A gente vai falar sobre Larissa Olukbek.
01:30Ele era um grande escolar de astronomia,
01:33e ele era um grande ruler.
01:36E ele contou 1,018 stars
01:38dentro de um observador,
01:41chamado Olukbek Observador.
01:42O centro'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.
01:56Em front of us,
01:57you can see the fragment of Kaaba Kaaba
01:59that was used in 1988 to cover Holy Kaaba.
02:04Divers from Quran and decorations
02:06were made of silver and gold streams.
02:09Earlier Kaaba coverings were much more colourful than those used today.
02:15Another important artefact is a fragment
02:17of one of the largest handwritten Qurans ever made.
02:23Omar Akhtar was a calligrapher
02:25and he copied this large Holy Quran book in 14th century
02:29and sent Amir Tamur as a gift to impress him.
02:33The final room houses a Quran manuscript,
02:37thought to be one of the oldest in the world.
02:41This hall is located in the middle of our centre,
02:45under the dome.
02:46Over one million Swarovski stones were laid by a hand.
02:50It's a spectacular room.
02:52The stars, the ceiling, having the ancient Holy Quran.
02:58It's spectacular.
03:03Uzbekistan has so many ways to immerse yourself
03:07in the culture and the history.
03:09And this definitely has been fascinating.
03:14Tashkent is full of beautiful architecture,
03:17but some of the most impressive sites can be found underground.
03:22At Cosmogatla Metro Station, the walls are decorated with artworks
03:27celebrating the history of space travel.
03:31Tashkent Metro is opened in 1977.
03:34The length of Tashkent Metro is 71 kilometres,
03:37which has included 50 stations.
03:40Almost 50% of the Tashkent population use this transport.
03:44Many of the stations celebrate Uzbekistan's heritage and culture.
03:50One such station incorporates architecture inspired by the poet Alisha Nevoy.
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 to have a metro.
04:07It started with just nine stations on a single line.
04:12This is the Pafloko station. All the architectures are handmade.
04:17Much of the metro dates back to when Uzbekistan was part of the Soviet Union.
04:23Many of the original stations keep their same grand designs.
04:28I love the mosaics on the walls. It's very impressive.
04:32And also so clean.
04:34Uzbekistan gained independence in 1991. And some of its names have changed over time.
04:42This is Independence Avenue Station. Before it was named Lenin Square.
04:46After reaching Independence Day, it changed the name to the Independence Square.
04:52With chandeliers, mosaics and marble walls, these really are unique metro stations.
05:01Food is a big part of Uzbek culture.
05:05Here in Tashkent, the Museum of Polov celebrates the country's famous rice dish,
05:10made with meat and vegetables.
05:12This is a typical Uzbek palace with a famous bread. This is the smell of Central Asia.
05:21It smells divine. I'm so ready to eat. So let's get cracking.
05:26Let's go.
05:28Chefs come from across Uzbekistan and prepare their own versions of polov.
05:33These are all the different ones on one way.
05:36All different polov.
05:37It's a dish that brings people together. But there's also some friendly rivalry.
05:43Each region, the proud of this polov. That is why if you're asking Tashkent people
05:48what kind of the best polov, you say Tashkent was. If you're asking from Bukhara,
05:52you say Bukhara. Samarkand, Samarkand. For me, Tashkent.
05:54I think the Tashkent one might be my favourite. I think this one.
05:59The kitchen also prepares traditional Uzbek pastries,
06:03filled with meat and vegetables and baked in large clay ovens.
06:08It really is a palace dedicated to Uzbek cuisine.
06:14Uzbekistan is full of historic cities and Samarkand is one of the most famous.
06:20Known for its incredible architecture,
06:23its historic centre was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001.
06:30Uzbekistan, once upon a time, a thousand years ago, here were lots of caravans.
06:35And they used to bring goods from every part of this wonderful world and meeting each other here.
06:42But then, the big space for caravans had been transformed into this wonderful ensemble
06:48with the three majestic madrasas.
06:51The Ulag Beg Madrasa dates back to the 15th century. It was an Islamic school where students lived and learned.
06:59In this madrasa, they would study astronomy, philosophy, Arabic poets and Persian poets.
07:06And these universities, they were fountains of development of science.
07:10Science which is recognised as a contribution to the world culture today.
07:15It feels very calming and relaxing in here, the big open space out there.
07:21And then you come in and I can imagine studying here.
07:25Nearby is Shazinda, a collection of mausoleums dating back centuries.
07:31The mausoleums dedicated for the royal family, mostly they were built in 14th century,
07:37but they were built next to the place which is famous from the 8th century.
07:43The tomb of Qasim ibn Abbas, the cousin of Prophet Muhammad Rasulullah.
07:48The site remains an important place of pilgrimage today, attracting visitors from all over the world.
07:56All these glazed bricks, you see, they are actually calligraphy in Arabic, in Fufi style.
08:02Much 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, that paper which is produced here, handmade.
08:25And 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're beaten into a pulp, using a water wheel for power.
08:40And this part we use for silk paper production.
08:42With no glue, with no any chemicals, with no any chemical colours or whatever.
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.
09:18But 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. And I'm keen to try them for myself.
09:49I've never tasted a raisin like that. It's really meaty.
09:52Happy first time.
09:53They're delicious. Everything is amazing. The nuts here, the dried fruits. Because 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. And this size of tandir fits about 40-45 pieces of Samarkand
10:27bread.
10:28Each bread is one kilo and a half.
10:31Each 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.
10:48Ah, that smells amazing.
10:50It's so good.
10:50Once 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. He'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. And 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. But now, time for my next adventure.
11:51And I'll see you next time.
11:52Bye.
