I got up very early and though I didn't have but just a small opening in my 14th floor bedroom I managed to take some photos of what I could see through it, which according to the little guide book I had had to be the Amir Timur square with his monument right in the centre.
Because we still had about half an hour before meeting Saudat, Josette, Robert and I walked out of the hotel and just wandered around the square trying to work out what each of the buildings was, particularly the one in which a sun discretely looked down on us but our attention was mainly drawn to the statue of Amir Timur in his armour, holding his horse's reigns with subtlety as if he were holding the reigns of the country in the past.
Having been born to a family which stood as the head of a nomadic tribe as a young man Amir Timur was seriously wounded while fighting against the Mongols and as a result was left partly paralysed on the left side, this being the reason was to why he was known as Timur the lame, which ultimately led to being called "Tamerlane". He became an active state and military leader, having made valuable contributions in regards to the national state system, education, culture and the overall development of the country, having been killed in his last campaign against China in 1405.
Upon walking back towards the hotel right in the square I happened to "identify" what the guide book said about it - The Uzbekistan hotel standing out in the shape of an open book.
We were soon driven to the Museum of applied Arts of Uzbekistan, not without passing by another rather exquisite building in the shape of Amir Timur's hat and which as far as I know is also a Museum.
The entrance and the main patio of the 19th century house originally built for a wealthy Tsarist diplomat later turned into Museum, was quit impressive. It is said to house a major collection of Art from the pre-Russian period along with a more modern collection of various artefacts.
Among those we could see "suzani" embroidered hangings, jewellery, musical instruments, wooden carved furniture, etc, many of which were of extreme beauty.
(To be continued)
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