The videos document my pilgrimage from Indonesia to the African continent by land (no airplane!). The route: 1.) Indonesia: Traveling through Sumatran Mountains and Prehistoric Sites 2.) Malaysia: Meeting with the Aborigines of the Malay Peninsula 3.) Thailand: Tracing the Southeast Asian Ancient Empires 4.) Laos: Experiencing the Lao-China Railway 5.) China: Backpacking the Tibetan Plateau to the Edge of the Silk Road 6.) Kazakhstan: First Contact with the Central Asians 7.) Uzbekistan: Pilgrimage in the Land of the Timurids 8.) Tajikistan: Lost in the Fenn Mountains 9.) Afghanistan: Visiting Afghanistan after the Taliban Takeover 10.) Iran: Surrounded by the Ancient Civilization of Persia 11.) UAE: Short Transit in Futuristic Cities 12.) Saudi Arabia: Pilgrimage in the Holy Land of the Muslims 13.) Jordan: Catching a Glimpse of Jerusalem 14.) Egypt: Ending in the Land of Pharaohs
Curated by: Bang Jago (174 videos)
On the 95th day I arrived in Turkistan by night bus from Almaty. It is said that Turkistan is a pilgrimage city for Muslims who come from Central Asia because here there is the tomb of Khoja Ahmad Yasawi, a famous Sufi teacher whose teachings spread throughout Central Asia in the 12th century. According to local beliefs, three pilgrimages to Turkestan are as rewarding as one pilgrimage to Mecca. In 1389, Timur (Tamerlane) made a pilgrimage to this city and summoned the best architects from his empire to build a tomb for the Khoja (Great Teacher). The result was a magnificent building that became the prototype for later Timurid architectural style. The largest dome in Central Asia is decorated in sky blue to contrast with the yellowish brown of the surrounding desert. Khoja Ahmed Yasawi's grave is on the west side, right under the smaller blue dome. Visitors, whether tourists or pilgrims, can enter the building from the west side, where there is the Great Aksaray Hall which was previously used as a meeting place for the Khans of Kazakhstan. In the southwest there is a prayer place which functions as a mosque with a smaller dome. On the east side, the building was not completed because construction stopped when Timur died in 1405. There are still visible remains of hundreds of years old wooden pillars which helped experts study the construction techniques of that era. Opposite it is the Tomb of Rabiya Sultan Begim, Timur's great-grandson, which was built in the 15th century following Timurid architectural style. Further east, Caravansaray has been under construction since 2021 to replicate the attractions of Dubai and Las Vegas. The main icon is the Samruk Flying Theater which is shaped like a golden egg in a bird's nest, although in my opinion it looks more like a McDonald's hamburger. Caravansaray will become more crowded with ancient architectural styles as the main attraction. However, if it gets crowded, perhaps the sacred impression of this pilgrimage site will be reduced. In the afternoon I continued by train to Shymkent to prepare to cross to Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. ___ Sumatra Stage 1 Route (DONE!): Jakarta - Bandar Lampung - Baturaja - Lahat - Pagar Alam - Bengkulu - Lebong Tandai - Kerinci - Jambi - Kuala Tungkal - Batam - Johor Bahru ASEAN Mainland Stage 2 Route (DONE!): Johor Bahru - Kuala Tahan - Kota Bharu - Su-Ngai Kolok - Nakhon Si Thammarat - Chaiya - Nakhon Pathom - Bangkok - Nakhon Ratchasima - Phimai - Nong Khai - Vientiane - Vang Vieng - Luang Prabang - Chiang Rai - Chiang Mai - Pai - Chiang Mai - Chiang Rai - Boten - Kunming, China China Stage 3 Route (DONE!): Kunming - Dali - Lijiang - Shangri-La - Shambala - Litang - Chengdu - Leshan - Chengdu - Xi'an - Zhangye - Jiayuguan - Dunhuang - Turpan - Urumqi - Almaty, Kazakhstan Stage 4 Central Asia Route: Almaty - Shymkent - Tashkent - Nukus - Muynak - Turtkul - Khiva - Bukhara - Samarkand - Tashkent - Khujand - Fann Mountains - Dushanbe - Kunduz, Afghanistan *Follow my Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/obeysianipar/) for direct messages **Message me for sponsorship --- Music Credits: And Awaken - Stings by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.