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 114th day, I explored the ancient city of Bukhara, a city that has existed since the 7th century BC. Some experts even think that the name Bukhara comes from Vihara, a Buddhist temple that once flourished in this city. I entered the old city from the east and was greeted by Chor Minor, a madrasa gate from 1807 modeled after the Charminar in Hyderabad, India. In the past, storks nested on the tops of the "four minarets" but have now disappeared due to reduced water levels in the city. To the west I crossed the mahalla alley which still functions as a residential area. Old doors caught my attention because behind every old door there is a historical story. I arrived at the central area of the city, where there is Madrasah Nadir Divanbegi which was built in the 1630s by Prime Minister Divanbegi. Interestingly, at the top of the gate there is an image of two simurghs flanking a sun that has a Mongoloid face, even though Islamic art styles usually prohibit images of living creatures, especially since this is a madrasa. Interestingly, the sun with its face is closely associated with Mithra, the Zoroastrian god. In front of the madrasa there is the Lyabi-Hauz, a small reservoir with the Divanbegi mosque in the background built in 1620. Nearby is the Magok-i-Attari Mosque which allegedly has been built on top of a former Zoroastrian temple. Further west I arrived at the Kalyan Mosque with the Kalyan Minaret which is 900 years old. It is said that criminals in ancient Bukhara who were sentenced to death were dropped from the top of the minaret. This earnes the minaret the moniker: "Tower of Death." To the west of the city is the Bukhara Ark, the palace of the rulers of Bukhara from ancient times until the last emir fled to Tajikistan in 1920. Opposite it is the Bolo Hauz Mosque (1712). A little further west is the Tomb of Ismail Samani, the founder of the Samanid Dynasty at the end of the 9th century. It is said that this tomb is the oldest building in Bukhara because when Genghis Khan came to destroy Bukhara, this tomb was already buried in the ground and hidden. From here I immediately rushed to the station to catch the train to Samarkand. Tomorrow, I plan to explore Samarkand. ___ 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/.