Vignettes of the World
This is my second time visiting the Museum of Coastal Defense. My last visit was more than ten years ago. Revisiting this incredibly interesting museum, I found the learning to be even more comprehensive than my last visit. It is my view that the Museum …
We strolled through more of the old town of Khiva, and came upon a little coppersmith shop. The small shop displayed many goods of interests, a humble collection of finished products and some were work-in-progress. The coppersmith was playing with some of his instruments when …
Khiva was clean, neat and windswept. We went right by the Kalta Minor to find the Orient Star Khiva Hotel, which took over the original site of the Madrassa Muhammad Aminkhan as its place of business.
The construction for the Kalta Minor was never finished due to the death of Muhammad Amin Khan.
The Madrassa Muhammad Aminkhan is the largest two-story madrassa in Khiva. The High Muslim Court was once located here, and held session in the central courtyard. Perhaps that explained why there is a high platform in the courtyard.
Finally, Muhammad Amin Khan was reputed to be one the most illustrious rulers of Khiva.
As a hotel, there was relevance to the modern tourists in the fact that we could find a money exchange there. We exchanged some Uzbek SOMs.
The Juma Mosque was the next site of significance. We did not know what to expect, and when we entered the mosque, we were amazed by its breathtaking beauty.
Meaning “Friday Mosque,” the original Juma Mosque had been in existence since the 10th century. This was one of the structures that was razed down by the Mongols during the Mongolian Invasion of the 13th century. In the late 18th century, the Juma Mosque underwent a reconstruction, and the structure has since stood to this day.
A one-story building, the mosque prides 213 supporting pillars in perfect alignment. They are what makes it an amazing experience for tourists to walk through the mosque. In every different angle you see the crisscrossing of wooden pillars. With the natural daylight illuminating the space in between, the view of the internal architecture was at once serene and textured in different shades of glow — as if God’s commanding presence could be felt inside.
Photo: At this white structure in the middle, the worshippers wash their hands before praying.
The central pillars in the Juma Mosque are in fact the very original, and as such they had stood there for more than one thousand years. Those were the only of the original mosque that remained at the time of reconstruction.
The Juma Mosque of Khiva can host 5,000 prayers at once. The kings have the first right of entry, then the ministers and the common people. Each prayer takes about 7 to 15 minutes to pray, but during the Ramadan, the prayers take one hour.
We had lunch at the Zarafshon Café, which is located in the Tolib Masxum Madrassa, a heritage building. The Tolib Masxum Madrassa was named after the scribe Talib Makhsum. The small madrassa is said to have been the venue of training for calligraphers. Built in 1908-1910, this relatively new building was one of the last few to be included in the list of buildings considered “historic” in Khiva.
The dining ambience was first class there, with elaborate décor featuring the best of Uzbek tapestries. In a roomy dining hall we savored traditional Uzbek dishes, including the chuchvara (Uzbek dumplings) and green noodles (made of dill and it is a Khiva specialty). It surprised us that the price we paid was just about the price we paid at higher-end restaurants elsewhere in Uzbekistan—about US$20 to $25 for the two of us.
Lying right next to the Tolib Masxum Madrassa is the beautiful Islam Khoja complex.
The Islam Khoja Minaret is the tallest minaret in Khiva. It is also part of the Islam Khoja Madrassa, which itself is the smallest madrassa in Khiva. “Decorative belts of blue and white ceramics alternating with ochre bricks adorn the minaret. It is topped by arched lantern and golden crown.” (Advantour.com)
Islam Khoja was the grand vizier to the khan and he was an educator. He introduced some reforms in education. However, he met the unfortunate fate of being assassinated in 1913.
Completed relatively recently in 1908, this ensemble stands next to the Zarafshon Café, with a square that was brimming with lively actions on that day. There were vendors selling curios and handcrafts. The square featured bronze sculptures.
I loved our lunch, but the beautiful day beckoned, luring us to head outside and again into the embrace of Khiva’s historic charm. We strolled through more of the old town of Khiva, and came upon a little coppersmith shop.
Descriptions on site in Khiva historic monuments.
Some of the information about the Tolib Masxum Madrassa were taken from a reviewer’s comment from Tripadvisor.com.
Advantour.com, Islam Khoja complex, Khiva.
I’d be willing to offer a bag of gold in exchange for just one look at the ancient city of Khiva. This Central Asian saying speaks amply to Khiva’s historic status as one of the most beautiful and storied cities along the ancient silk road …
At the roadside restaurant, where most tourists stopped for their meals in a vast stretch of no man’s land, we had a much-needed Lachman in hot soup. I also had the opportunity to put on whatever pieces of clothing that I had with me to …
The Karakalpakstan State Museum of the Arts was named after Savitsky as the Savitsky Art Museum. Located in Nukus, which is the capital for the semiautonomous region of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, the Savitsky Art Museum is simply known as the Nukus Museum of Art. It is a crown jewel of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, although in a different way from the Chilpik Kala that we discussed in the last entry. The museum boasts being “the Louvre in the sands,” as having one of the largest collections of Russian Avant Garde and Central Asian applied art.
Having visited this museum, I would say it was slightly exaggerated to call it “the Louvre in the sands,” as its scale is not comparable to the Louvre. However, it does present a rich collection of interesting paintings in the Central Asian themes, and for that I was surely very thankful. We found it eye opening to see some of the works of Uzbekistan, created both by local artists and overseas (mostly Russian) artists.
Igor Vitalievich Savitsky (1915-1984) was the founder of the Nukus Museum of Art. His dedicated work in this region of Uzbekistan has both inspired him to create his own and enabled him to collect an enormous number of locally created artworks, which formed the foundation of this museum.
Igor Vitalievich Savitsky was part of the Khorezm Archaeological — Ethnographic Expedition of 1950, the work of which had resulted in the excavation of Khorezm era artefacts and the discovery of ancient fortresses in this part of Uzbekistan, as well as parts of modern-day Turkmenistan. This expedition was headed by the renowned Soviet scientist Sergei Tolstov. Igor Savistky served as an artist in this expedition. It was during this expedition that Igor Savitsky began collecting the works of art by local artists through his own independent study.
It was Igor Savitsky’s initiative to found the Nukus Museum of Art in 1966. During the Museum’s earlier years, it was the hub for relatively unknown artists to explore their creativity, especially in Avant Garde artworks. Because this part of Uzbekistan was off bounds to foreigners then, the Soviets left the museum alone. As such, a lot of the forward-thinking artists that were dubbed dissidents in the Soviet regime found refuge here in this art museum. Over the years, Savitsky has also kept his collection secret. It was only upon his death in 1984 that the well-preserved artworks of a whole Soviet era met the light of the day.
The Nukus Museum of Art thus stands tall in the history of Uzbekistan (and the former Soviet Union) as the stalwart for artistic expression. Its exhibitions speak amply to that historical role.
I was particularly drawn to the exhibition of both Russian and local artists showing their appreciation of the landscapes of Uzbekistan. Needless to say, there were a number of artworks that were inspired by the Aral Sea, which was once the very lifeline for the Karakalpakstan people. The exhibition The Memory of Water showcases the artworks of eight artists living in different times during the 20th century. On their canvas they find expressions of beauty as they were inspired by the Amu Darya River or the Aral Sea.
This exhibition was the perfect prelude to our visit of the Aral Sea itself in Muynak, where we would see the extreme desertification that had shrunk the sea surface to 1/10 its original size as compared to the 1960s. The paintings are the literal memories of the beauty and abundance that the Aral Sea once was.
The artwork that features Uzbekistan was very engaging, and they were the works of both Uzbek local artists and Russian artists, showing the myriad colors, textures and aspects of life in Uzbekistan.
I highly recommend a visit to the Nukus Museum of Art to see the artwork of this particular region in Uzbekistan. It is a rare chance to look into life in Karakalpakstan that had but altogether disappeared due to the desertification of the Aral Sea.
English descriptions are available at the Nukus Museum of Art throughout the exhibitions.
Advantour.com, Savitsky Art Museum, Nukus.
Visitworldheritage.com, Nukus Museum of Art.
Descriptions on site at the Nukus Museum of Art.
The train headed west toward Khiva. As it turned out, the desert climate of Bukhara would pale in comparison to that of Khiva. When we left the train station, we were greeted with a frigidity for which I was completely unprepared. We went from 38 …
I stumbled upon Oi! one day when I was heading over on foot to Tin Hau from North Point. I was first drawn to the beautiful red brick structure and stopped in for a look. There was staff at the help desk there and I …
After the Gankeng Ancient Hakka Townlet and the Dapeng Fortress, the only ancient city left to visit in Shenzhen is the Nantou Ancient City.
The artefacts excavated in Nantou suggests the existence of settlement as far back as the Three Kingdoms period, some 1800 years ago. The city that has continued to this day was built in the 27th year of the Hongwu reign (1394) in Ming dynasty. The Nantou Ancient City was part of the efforts by China’s imperial government to ramp up maritime defense in Shenzhen during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Nantou served as one of the 24 defense outposts along the mountain ridges of Lingnan (southern China), and the Dapeng Fortress was another one of the 24. Of these defense outposts, only Nantou and Dapeng have survived the passage of time.
During the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty, Nantou was the seat of administration of the Xinan County. There is significance in this fact because Hong Kong itself was considered part of Xinan County during much of the imperial times. Therefore Hong Kong is featured in quite a number of historical exhibits in Nantou.
During the early Qing dynasty, many Hakka people settled down in this part of Shenzhen. Due to its coastal location, Nantou’s people engaged in all sorts of maritime trade, including fishing, oyster harvesting and salt drying. When Canton became the only trading port with foreigners in China during the Qing dynasty, Nantou experienced a flourishing development of trade, owing to the rise of the Thirteen Factories in Guangzhou.
It was with excitement that I arrived at the South Gate of the Nantou Ancient Town. Yet there were ways in which it surprised me in a not-so-pleasant way.
As compared to the Gankeng Hakka Townlet, which was mostly a migrants’ settlement for three hundred years, the Nantou Ancient Town exhibited a lot more modern elements in its restoration. Its whole character was more modern than it was “ancient.” I felt like I was simply walking inside a leisure area with some ancient characteristics. The same comparison goes with its historic counterpart, the Dapeng Fortress, which stood within a clear, enclosed boundary with mostly ancient structures throughout the area.
Photo: The plaque at the watchtower of the South Gate says “Lingnan Stronghold,” a testament to one of Nantou’s original role as a city of defense in China’s imperial times.
The South Gate (Old Gate) of Nantou was built during the early Ming dynasty and it did undergo restoration during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Lying at its foundation are granite slabs. There are brick layers covering the granite base. A brick structure on the second story served as the watchtower. Lying next to the wall is a ruins.
The Xinan County was severed from the administrative jurisdiction of Dongguan in the first year of the Wanli reign (1573) in Ming dynasty. At the time of establishment, Xinan, with its Chinese characters meaning “new” and “secure,” bore the good will of the government as its name means “replacing the old with the new and turning the crisis into safety.” During the Ming and Qing dynasties, due to its role as an administrative seat of the government with a defensive purpose, the Xinan County Government Office was an extensive structure with 5 halls on its main axis and flanking courtyards on both sides. Now only the eastern courtyard has been preserved and it is open for touring.
In the 8th year of the Kangxi reign (1699), the coastal eviction edict issued by the Qing government was finally lifted. The displaced people formerly living in the coastal areas of southern China (pretty much all of Shenzhen and Hong Kong) could return to their hometowns. The Baode Ancestral Hall, meaning “Gratitude Temple,” was built in honor of the Inspector General of Guangdong, Wang Lairen, and the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi Provinces, Zhou Youde. The people wanted to thank them for putting forth a formal request to the Qing government to approve a rebuilding of the Xinan County.
At the Wen Tianxiang Ancestral Hall, Wen Tianxiang is celebrated for his patriotism to the Song dynasty. In Chinese history he was hailed as a national hero, who refused to capitulate to a new dynastic power and died as a result. His descendants had settled down all throughout southern China, and built this ancestral hall in his memory in Nantou. The first restoration of the ancestral hall took place in the 12th year of the Jiaqing reign (1807).
The first exhibition that we came across was a digital rendition of a part of Nantou’s history, entitled Nantou 1820. It showcases a history of thriving commercial life in Nantou. The exhibition is held at the Nantou Digital Pavilion on Zhongshan Nanjie (Zhongshan South Street), and prebooking is required (you may do your prebooking right at the spot with your phone).
We then came upon another exhibition of ancient maps, although they are likely all repicas. Out of the exhibitions that we have seen in Nantou, that was perhaps the most interesting. We saw how historically Shenzhen and its municipalities are reflected and represented in the maps. The exhibition is on Zhongshan Xijie (Zhongshan West Street).
Finally, there is an exhibition showing the artefacts that were excavated in Nantou, mostly from the ancient graves. These exhibits show that there had been settlements here for thousands of years, way before the establishment of Nantou in Ming dynasty. I found the exhibits to be moderately interesting. This exhibition is held at the House of the Man’s (Wenshi Huazhai).
Note that the Museum of Nantou, like all others in China, are closed on Mondays.
All in all, the vibes there at Nantou were more modern than ancient. The experience at Nantou was not too bad if you care more about the leisurely aspects of touring an ancient city. It gets very crowded on the weekends as well, so do bear in mind.
Descriptions on site at the Nantou Ancient City.
Tin Hau is a haven of good food in Hong Kong. Restaurants serving Hong Kong’s favorite beef brisket noodles once sprawled in this area. The well-known one was Tai Lee. Now there are just about a couple of good ones, namely Sister Wah and Eight …