Samarkand Uzbekistan 乌兹别克斯坦撒马尔罕 5/2018 (4)

8-9/5/2018. After two days in Tashkent, I was on the evening train bound for Samarkand. When I got on the train, I walked into a carriage packed with locals piercing me with their curious eyes. I felt out of place, but soon felt their friendliness and warmth. It was only a four-hour ride, so providing me with a bed and blanket seemed over the top. Next to my bunk bed slept another girl. With no screen in between and not much distance, it felt kind of awkward. Not to mention, I sometimes snore in Chinese. And, I thought this was a Muslim majority country, but I guess they are relaxed. Riding in a train making those grinding noises, puffing its way through the night, watching the locals socialize with each other, snoring with them in their trains, was a most genuine experience. I felt like an invited guest in their home.

8-9/5/2018 在塔式干 (Tashkent) 两天后，傍晚搭上七点半火车到四小时外的撒马尔罕（Samarkand）。一进入车厢感觉有点别扭，他们都用大眼睛瞪着这不速之客，但很快大家都变得亲切；他们确实挺温和。这几天碰到的不少当地俄罗斯人也特别友好。遗憾语言不通，真是一只鸡一只鸭，如再加上俄人，就是一只鸡一只鸭和一个俄了。四小时车程提供床铺好像多余，况且我长腿往哪挂? 在我隔壁是另一张床铺又躺了一个小姑娘，虽有间距，还是很尴尬，况且我睡时可能会华语胡说八道，打呼噜跟火车声又不合拍；况且这还是个回教徒居多的国家。乌兹别克斯坦的基础建设好像没赶上，小酒店内无线网都不灵，速度跟这火车差不多。中国高铁虽快，可是这摇摇晃晃的老火车有灵魂。在车厢好像受邀在他们家做客，真实体验，很温馨。

Boarding train from Tashkent to Samarkand 塔式干到撒马尔罕火车站 — Boarding train from Tashkent to Samarkand 塔是到撒马尔罕火车站

In the cabin 车厢内 — Boarding train from Tashkent to Samarkand 塔是到撒马尔罕火车站

It was past midnight when I arrived in Samarkand. The train station was already eerily deserted, with only a few taxi drivers still waiting for the last arrivals. The next morning, I walked out of the hotel door immediately into Registan, the famous square. My immediate exclamation was: “Wow, what a glorious day!”

I was ushered into a wide-open space. In it a display of colors, of curves and lines, of geometry and symmetry, of nature providing the lighting and the backdrop to showcase an ensemble of beautiful props. The turquoise, beautifully shaped domes, set against the cloudless blue sky, were stunning. I had no idea what each of the structures was, though it was unmistakably Islamic. As I got closer to each structure, the intricate design, I took in the colorful mosaic, every inch etched into the wall and ceiling, created so painstakingly, with so much attention to detail. Each, indeed, was a piece of work inside out. I later found out that Registan means “sandy place.” It sure felt like it belonged on the Silk Road. In the old days, this place was the heart of Samarkand, also a public square of royal proclamations. These structures were mainly madrassa, teaching centers of their time, for scholars both religious and secular. No wonder it is such a wonder.

到撒马尔罕已经三更半夜, 火车站几乎关闭，大门外只有的士等乘客。的士乘机宰客，我不依，夜深人静拖着行李往城方向走。最终司机追上来，妥协了，把我载到酒店，一路埋怨，马来西亚人怎么这么小气。原则重要，原则重要。

下榻小酒店很有当地格调, 备受外国游客欢迎，抵达时大门已紧闭，四周黑乎乎。一早走出大门，眼前一亮，空旷广场，风和日丽下，蓝天绿草陪伴，闻着迎面而来的轻风，马上心旷神怡；往前走，渐渐的，蓝天前出现圆顶，绿松色圆顶很吸睛，米色的纹身很抢眼，曲直明显，对称和几何发挥淋漓尽致，搭配协调，人造的天作的，天衣无缝，没参差不齐的。上前看，里外上下精致图案，都经过精雕细琢。周围一些草木点缀，不多不少；广场古时是人民广场，皇帝宣布的地方。这些建筑，伊斯兰风格，以前多是伊斯兰学校。这就是闻名遐迩的雷基斯坦广场，我后来才知“雷基斯坦” 意思是“沙地”，丝绸之路不言而喻。

Registan 雷基斯坦广场 — Boutique hotel near Registan下榻酒店

I continued to stroll down the wide pedestrian street. Similar impressive structures lined both sides, with an Islamic theme of intricate walls, resplendent domes, towering minarets; dressed in beige and turquoise to show off their true colors without overdoing it; garnished with selected trees appropriately placed to complement and enhance, not to dowse or obscure; one building after another keeps coming, with a generous space between them, giving each the room to be loved from different angles. I have never seen so many historical buildings of significance so conveniently aligned along a street. There were no commercial and residential buildings, no distraction, only one theme. My eyeballs darted all over the place at the grandeur but also at the finer details, the intricate designs seen close-up. An incredible visual ensemble. I was bedazzled.

沿着这街道往前，宽阔步行街里边一系列古建筑，每个都是看点，不同角度不同的欣赏。只有行人，没乌烟瘴气，没店铺没民房；就一个主题，名副其实的古伊斯兰建筑一条街。之间慷慨的间距，各有各的空间，适度的小树点缀。没夸张的富丽堂皇，没耀眼的异彩；在自然采光下，里外精雕细琢，使人叹为观止。今天眼花缭乱得很，眼球不停上下左右滚动，目不暇接，看不完记不清每一景一幕。

Today was a day for blockbusters. Toward the end of the day, I came upon a group of mausoleums and ritual buildings, the Shah-i-Zinda Ensemble of Mausoleums, of people of power, of historical importance, of wealth, built between the 9th and 14th centuries. It is always creepy to visit cemeteries, but these dead now live better than the living. One could even say they die in style. I have visited a few catacombs in the West, and the difference was night and day. Cynics may ask, why such opulence and ostentatiousness? Why waste such good money on the dead? Well, for one, this was a fantastic way to ensure one’s legacy lives on.

今天视觉大餐快谢幕了，几乎走到尽头，最后参观夏伊辛达陵墓群。墓地通常阴沉，使人毛骨悚然；虽在九到十四世纪造的，这陵墓区很靓丽，两排一间接一间的，该有几十间，古时名人的陵墓。有名有钱的活也得活得风光，死也死得漂亮，还万古流芳。