Temur Lane's Birthplace

With its conspicuous tidiness and its silent, unoccupied hotels lining the cobblestone roads, Shahrisabz Park (Complex? Square?) feels eerily nice but antiseptic. After a successful day of seeing the bits and pieces of Samarkand, our next stop was to drive over the mountains to a town called Shahrisabz, the birthplace and summer palace of Temur Lane (aka Temur the Great, Temur the Lame, etc.) 

Somehow we managed to find parking and walked between tall walls adorned with turrets, like we were about to be transported into a Renaissance Fair chock full of wenches, jesters, and knights. Instead, we were flanked by wedding parties, Mike Tyson's Punch-Out Arcade game players, and battery-powered extended-cab golf carts to shuttle people from one of the park to the other. 

It seemed like a lot of people, but because the space was so huge we had endless social distancing as we walked past the remains of the 65 meter towers- which we could see while still descending the mountain road leading into town. Beyond the towers was Temur himself, extra imposing on his pedestal. He watched over the brides standing in their hoop-skirt dresses and their tuxedo-tailed men posing for their wedding album. On the day, the kids counted 20 newlyweds. 

We walked past trees carefully planted in straight lines, fake boulders, and immaculate gazebos guiding us to the turquoise domed mosques on the other side. The biggest thrill was watching local kids play on the walls outside of one. They spoke no Russian, we spoke no Uzbek, but we managed to learn a few names while they chased each other, totally ignorant of the fact I was afraid they'd miss a ledge and crack their skulls open.  

Two long rows of hotels/hostels waited for guests on either side of the complex and there were many shuttered restaurants. Only a few convenience stores were open in this utopic flatland where I hangrily bought oranges, chips, and smoothies .  Thankfully there were two bathrooms (out of six) in service. I paid 1,000 som (10 cents) to use a real toilet and another 1,000 to use a Turkish one later on. No soap, no tp, no problem. 

On the way out of town, we passed a few stores of interest: wedding dress rentals, sporting goods, and chandeliers. It's just not an Uzbek city if these aren't in abundance.