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 125th day I explored Khujand, looking for what remains Alexander the Great's ancient city. First I needed to cross the Jaxartes to arrive at Khujand city center. Near the banks of the Jaxartes river (Syr Darya) there is a theater building in the style of the Stalin era. Opposite it is the Khujand Fortress, where the rulers of Khujand ruled for hundreds or even thousands of years. The south and west walls have been rebuilt so they look fake and modern. The main gate is actually the entrance to the Sughd Museum, a province in northern Tajikistan whose capital is Khujand. Sughd was once known as an atomic area because it was a place for mining and enriching uranium for the Soviet Union's nuclear project. But this history seems to be being erased because it is not discussed at all in the museum. More widely discussed are the legacy of Alexander the Great, Persia, and a little about the Soviet Union. On the east side of the Khujand Fortress there is also an Archaeological Museum. I chatted a lot with the archaeologist who worked there, where I was explained and shown the findings of Greek ceramics from the 4th century BC (proof of Alexander's arrival) and also ceramics from the 6th century BC which show that before Alexander's arrival there was already a small town inside the fortress. I was also shown evidence that the Tomb of Sheik Muslihiddin which I visited yesterday was actually built from at least the 14th century. The archaeologist is currently working on the restoration of the sky blue glazed tiles of the tomb which shows a Timurid style. I continued on a marshrutka to Arbob Palace east of Khujand. This building was built in 1951 by the largest and most successful collective farm in Tajikistan and imitates the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg. It was in the main hall of this building that Tajikistan's declaration of independence was signed in 1992. This historic room is still used for political meetings today. Meanwhile, the 2nd floor is used as a museum about the achievements of collective farming in the Soviet era and the history of the building's construction. Tomorrow, I plan to rest and prepare myself before hiking in the Fann Mountains which are famous for their natural beauty. ___ Stage 1 Route - Sumatra (DONE!): Jakarta - Bandar Lampung - Baturaja - Lahat - Pagar Alam - Bengkulu - Lebong Tandai - Kerinci - Jambi - Kuala Tungkal - Batam - Johor Bahru Stage 2 Route - ASEAN Mainland (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 Stage 3 Route - China (DONE!): Kunming - Dali - Lijiang - Shangri-La - Shambala - Litang - Chengdu - Leshan - Chengdu - Xi'an - Zhangye - Jiayuguan - Dunhuang - Turpan - Urumqi - Almaty, Kazakhstan Stage 4 Route - Central Asia (DONE!): 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/.