The Uzbek culture and traditions circuit, Samarkand first impressions (Day 7 afternoon cont. and evening) - The 13th of September 2013

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Once the fashion show was finished we walked along a huge modern-like avenue and were eventually taken into a supermarket by our guide so that we could actually see what it was like and whether it was too different from the ones we were used to.

The feeling of pride and identity seemed to be everywhere ... be it in the way cleanness could be "felt" or the street notice boards showing local characters in their tradition outfits ...

We reached the Gur-Emir Mausoleum, just a few metres away from the hotel we were staying at, by late afternoon and though its visit had been programmed for that particular day it was soon obvious that it would have to be postponed. It looked rather imposing from the outside and rather than photographing it later some of us decided to photograph its exterior straight away (I included).

The welcoming attitude of the Uzbek people was felt once more, this time in the form of a few children walking towards us to just say hello.

Because we still had a bit of time till dinner at the hotel and we weren't too far some of us decided to walk to a local shop. By the time we walked out after what seemed to have been around twenty minutes night had fallen and the Gur-Emir Mausoleum was lit, so were the fountains close by.

I noticed the paintings on the entrance hall walls of the hotel for the first time, as if I hadn't been to the hotel ever. 

What could have been a nice dinner turned out to be a rather noisy "nightmare" ..., as a wedding party was going on in the floor below. The music was so loud that at one point rather than fight against something we would obviously not be able to get rid of, we decided to "join in" from above and spent hours trying to actually understand some of the rituals that were going on.

The bride and bridegroom sat at a throne-like separate table. It was clear that women were visibly separated from the men in the dining room but even while they danced, and as they did a belly dancer circled in-between provoking both men and women and collecting money she was given by both. The more provocative moves she made the more notes she was given.

The bride spent most of the time in the same unmovable position, holding her hand and resting it on her heart, though at times, particularly when somebody approached the table, she had to get up and bow several times holding the veil with both hands.

We didn't know what to make out of the whole sequence of events and I felt that I'd have to further read about the wedding ceremony rituals to "appease" my curiosity.

I went to bed with that strong music still piercing my ears though I soon fell asleep, but I clearly remember that among my last thoughts were the fact that I felt Samarkand had to be grandiose from the very few things we had seen as we drove by on the bus getting into the city and I was really looking forward to what the following day would bring.