Saturday 1st April 2023
Bukhara – Lyabi Hauz Square: Madrassa of Nadrid Divan
Today, we are travelling to Bukhara. Once again, the four of us have booked a private minibus. Our driver today is Rustam, he is the father of Bekzod who took us to the Desert Castles. The journey is about 450 kilometres and we expect it to take around six hours.
When we stopped for refreshments, Dave realised that he still had the hotel room key in his pocket! Our driver assured us that he would return it.
As we were leaving the hotel, the receptionist had called after us to return our passports! All of us had forgotten that we had left them as part of the check in procedure. The four of us agreed that we needed to be more careful!
By 4pm we were in the Lyabi Hauz Square in Bukhara enjoying a cold beer.
It was 29 degrees Celsius, once again a higher temperature than average for the time of year.
The Lyabi Hauz Square is home to an architectural ensemble. The three monumental buildings were constructed between the 16th and 17th century.
Hauz translates from Persian to pool or pond, Lyabi Hauz means, ‘at the pond’. The ensemble consists of two madrassas and a khanqah.
From our table we could see the magnificent Divan Begi Khanqah. A khanqah is a resting place for travellers; usually used by Sufis.
Music started playing behind us and we could see that something was happening, so Anne and I went to investigate.
Lo and behold, it was the festival that I had read about but was unable to find its whereabouts! The celebration was in honour of Nasriddin Afandi, also known as Nasriddin Hodja meaning Nasriddin the teacher. He was a philosopher and a narrator of humorous tales with hidden moral meanings.
He is known throughout the Muslim World, and various countries claim him as their own. The Uzbeks vow that he is, indeed, an Uzbek and that he was born in Bukhara. However, some people believe that he was not a real person, merely a character in folklore! A statue of Nasriddin stands in the square.
The backdrop to the festival was the stunning Madrassa of Nadrid Divan Beghi.
A couple of different dance troupes performed dances dressed in beautiful costumes. Young school boys acted out a short play. Although, we didn’t understand the language, it was obvious from the performance and the audience’s reactions that the sketches were extremely humorous.
A group wearing masks and costumes started to dance in the area below the stage, one of the male dancers beckoned Anne for a dance. She of course, obliged. One of the female actors smacked one of the men while she pointed at me, pretending that he was staring at me. The audience roared with laughter.
When the character came back onto the floor, she indicated to me that she was keeping an eye on me (and her man), again the audience laughed.
Wandering into the courtyard of the Madrassa of Nadrid Divan Beghi, we noticed circular tables being set for dinner.
There was a large placard advertising a dance and fashion show that included dinner. The four of us agreed that it sounded like a good idea and enquired if we could book for the following evening.
The guy said that tickets were available but due to the forecast being rain, they expected the show to take place in a nearby hotel. However, he did have two tables free for this evening’s show.
The four of us quickly agreed that we would much rather see the show in the stunning ancient madrassa’s courtyard and booked our tickets. It was due to start in just 20 minutes, Pete nipped back to the hotel for his extra battery for his camera.
The show was excellent; the dancers wore customary costumes and performed traditional dances. Musicians played various traditional instruments. It was wonderful to watch it in the wonderful courtyard. What a fabulous start to our time here in Bukhara!
The tiny cells that were once the classrooms and accommodation of the students are now souvenir outlets selling a varied mix of pottery, embroideries and many other objects.
After the show we headed back to the hotel to unpack.
lindaruddstravels.com 