00:00Je suis Lili Douse et c'est Grand Voyager.
00:04Dans cette série, je vis le monde à découvrir des places incroyables
00:09de culture, de luxe et d'adventure.
00:13Parfois, je rencontre les gens,
00:16j'écoute les flavors et j'écoute les moments
00:19qui rendent chaque destination unforgettable.
00:26Aujourd'hui, je vis à Uzbekistan,
00:29dans le cœur de l'Asie centrale.
00:31C'est des villes ont été importants
00:34au long du Silk Road,
00:35où différentes cultures se trouvent.
00:38Mon premier stop est
00:40l'Islamique Civilisation Centre,
00:42en Tashkent.
00:43C'est passé presque 9 ans
00:45pour construire,
00:46et son grand design
00:47et énorme domaine
00:48sont inspirés par Uzbekistan's
00:51historique architecture.
00:53Dans le monde,
00:54l'Islamique explorent centaines
00:56de historie,
00:57culture
00:58et scientifiques.
01:00Nous sommes maintenant dans le centre
01:02de notre centre,
01:04le Hall of Galerie.
01:05Dans ce hall, vous pouvez voir
01:0614 semi-auld frames autour de nous,
01:08représentant nos scolaires.
01:10Tout se trouve ensemble.
01:12C'est absolument breathtaking
01:14dans le monde.
01:15de l'Islamique.
01:17Les mosaiques designs
01:18celebrate renowned
01:19Islamic scholars,
01:21bringing their stories
01:22to life
01:22through interactive displays
01:24presented in a range
01:26of languages.
01:28Si vous parlez de Lerza Olukbek,
01:30c'est un grand scholar
01:32de l'astronomie
01:33et c'est un grand ruler.
01:35Et il a counted
01:361,018 stars
01:38inside his observatory
01:40called the Olukbek Observatory.
01:42Le centre's collection
01:44includes historical objects,
01:47maps
01:47and scale models.
01:49Among them
01:49is a display
01:50about the Kaaba
01:51in Mecca,
01:52the holiest site
01:53in Islam.
01:56In front of us,
01:57you can see
01:57the fragment
01:58of Kaaba Kaaba
01:59that was used
02:00in 1988
02:02to cover Holy Kaaba.
02:04The verse
02:04from Quran
02:05and decorations
02:06were made
02:07of silver
02:07and gold streams.
02:09earlier Kaaba coverings
02:11were much more colourful
02:12than those used today.
02:15Another important artefact
02:16is a fragment
02:17of one of the largest
02:19handwritten
02:20Quran's
02:20ever made.
02:23Omar Akhtar
02:24was a calligrapher
02:25and he copied
02:26this large
02:27Holy Quran book
02:28in 14th century
02:29and sent
02:30Amir Temur
02:30as a gift
02:31to impress him.
02:33The final room
02:35houses a
02:35Quran manuscript
02:36thought to be
02:38one of the oldest
02:39in the world.
02:41This hall is located
02:43in the middle
02:44of our centre
02:44under the dome.
02:46Over one million
02:47Swarovski stones
02:48were laid
02:49by a hand.
02:51It's a spectacular room.
02:52The stars,
02:54the ceiling,
02:55having the ancient
02:57Holy Quran.
02:57It's spectacular.
03:03It's spectacular.
03:04Uzbekistan
03:04has so many ways
03:05to immerse yourself
03:07in the culture
03:08and the history.
03:09And this
03:10definitely has
03:10been fascinating.
03:14Tashkent
03:14is full
03:15of beautiful architecture.
03:17But some
03:18of the most
03:18impressive sites
03:19can be found
03:21underground.
03:22At
03:23Cosmonatla
03:23Metro Station
03:24the walls
03:25are decorated
03:26with artwork
03:27celebrating
03:27the history
03:28of space travel.
03:31Tashkent
03:31Metro
03:32is opened
03:32in 1977.
03:34The length
03:34of Tashkent
03:35Metro
03:35is 71 km,
03:37which includes
03:3950 stations.
03:40Almost
03:4050%
03:41of the Tashkent
03:42population
03:43use this
03:44transport.
03:45Many of
03:45the stations
03:46celebrate
03:47Uzbekistan's
03:48heritage
03:48and culture.
03:50One such
03:51station incorporates
03:52architecture
03:53inspired by
03:54by the poet
03:55Alicia Nevoy.
03:57This is one
03:57of the top
03:58metro stations
03:59I've been to.
04:00I've never
04:00seen so many
04:01domes.
04:03Tashkent
04:03was the first
04:04city in
04:05Central Asia
04:05to have a metro.
04:07It started
04:08with just
04:09nine stations
04:10on a single line.
04:12This is
04:13a station.
04:14All the
04:15architecture
04:16is handmade.
04:17Much
04:18of the metro
04:18dates back
04:19to when
04:20Uzbekistan was
04:21part of the
04:21Soviet Union.
04:23Many of the
04:24original stations
04:25keep their
04:26same grand
04:27designs.
04:28I love the
04:29mosaics on the
04:30walls.
04:30It's very
04:31impressive.
04:32And also so
04:33clean.
04:35Uzbekistan gained
04:36independence in
04:371991.
04:38And some of its
04:39names have changed
04:40over time.
04:41This is Independence
04:42Avenue station.
04:44Before it was
04:44named Lenin Square.
04:46After reaching
04:47Independence Day
04:48it changed the
04:50name to the
04:50Independence
04:51Square.
04:52With chandeliers,
04:54mosaics and
04:55marble walls,
04:56these really
04:57are unique
04:58metro stations.
05:01Food is a
05:02big part of
05:03Uzbek culture.
05:05Here in Tashkent
05:06the Museum of
05:07Polov celebrates
05:08the country's
05:09famous rice
05:09dish.
05:10made with meat
05:11and vegetables.
05:12This is a
05:13typical
05:15Uzbek
05:15palace
05:17with a famous
05:18bread.
05:19This is the
05:20smell of
05:20Central Asia.
05:21It smells
05:23divine.
05:23I'm so ready to
05:24eat, so let's
05:25get cracking.
05:26Let's go.
05:28Chefs come
05:28from across
05:29Uzbekistan
05:30and prepare
05:31their own
05:31versions of
05:32polov.
05:33These are all
05:34the different ones
05:35on one way.
05:37It's a dish that
05:38brings people
05:40together.
05:40But there's also
05:40some friendly
05:41rivalry.
05:43Each region
05:44is proud of
05:45this polov.
05:45That is why if
05:46you're asking
05:47Tashkent people
05:48what kind of
05:48the best polov,
05:49they say Tashkent
05:50was.
05:50If you're asking
05:51from Bukhara,
05:52they say Bukhara.
05:52Samarkand, Samarkand.
05:53For me, Tashkent.
05:54I think the Tashkent one
05:56might be my favourite.
05:58I think this one.
05:59The kitchen also
06:00prepares traditional
06:01Uzbek pastries filled
06:03with meat and vegetables
06:05and baked in large clay
06:07ovens.
06:08It really is a palace
06:10dedicated to Uzbek cuisine.
06:14Uzbekistan is full of
06:16historic cities and Samarkand
06:18is one of the most famous.
06:20known for its incredible
06:22architecture, its historic
06:24centre was recognised
06:25as a UNESCO World Heritage
06:27Site in 2001.
06:30Uzbekistan, once upon a time,
06:32a thousand years ago,
06:33here were lots of caravans
06:35and they used to bring goods
06:37from every part of this
06:39wonderful world,
06:41meeting each other here.
06:42But then, the big space
06:44for caravans had been
06:45transformed into this
06:47wonderful ensemble
06:48with the three majestic
06:50madrasas.
06:51The Ulag Beg Madrasa
06:53dates back to the 15th century.
06:55It was an Islamic school
06:57where students lived and learned.
06:59In this madrasa,
07:01they would study astronomy,
07:03philosophy,
07:03Arabic poets,
07:04and Persian poets.
07:06And this university,
07:07they were fountains
07:09of development of science.
07:10Science which is recognised
07:12as a contribution
07:13to the world culture today.
07:16It feels very calming
07:17and relaxing in here.
07:19The big open space out there
07:21and then you come in,
07:22and I can imagine studying here.
07:24Nearby is Shazinder,
07:26a collection of mausoleums
07:28dating back centuries.
07:31The mausoleums
07:32dedicated for the royal family.
07:34Mostly, they were built
07:36in the 14th century,
07:37but they were built
07:38next to the place
07:40which is famous
07:41from the 8th century.
07:43The tomb of Qasim ibn Abbas,
07:45the cousin of
07:46Prophet Muhammad Rasulullah.
07:48The site remains
07:49an important place
07:50of pilgrimage today,
07:52attracting visitors
07:53from all over the world.
07:55All these glazed bricks,
07:57you see?
07:58Yeah.
07:58They are actually calligraphy
08:00in Arabic,
08:01in a foofy style.
08:03Much of the historic site
08:04was destroyed
08:05in the 13th century,
08:06but new mausoleums
08:08were built
08:08in the years that followed.
08:12Samarkand was also
08:13a major centre
08:14for papermaking,
08:16and we've come
08:17to a traditional mill
08:18to find out more.
08:19We call it silk paper,
08:21black paper which is
08:22produced here,
08:23handmade,
08:24and as a raw material
08:26we use the bark
08:28of a mulberry tree.
08:29The outer bark
08:30is peeled away,
08:31and then the inner fibres
08:33are broiled.
08:34Once softened,
08:35they are beaten
08:36into a pulp,
08:37using a water wheel
08:38for power.
08:39This part we use
08:41for silk paper production,
08:42with no glue,
08:43with no any chemicals,
08:44with no any chemical colours.
08:47All natural made.
08:48Yes, all natural made.
08:49The pulp is then spread
08:51onto a screen
08:52to form thin sheets
08:53of paper
08:54that are pressed
08:55and dried.
08:56Once ready,
08:57we polish the paper,
08:59rubbing the surface
09:00to make it smooth
09:01and shiny.
09:02It's this silky finish
09:04that gave the paper
09:06its name.
09:08One of the busiest places
09:10in Samarkand
09:11is Sayab Bazaar.
09:13The stores are packed
09:14with dried fruits
09:15and nuts,
09:15as well as sweets
09:17and honey.
09:18But there's a little trick
09:19to finding
09:20the best quality.
09:21You ask him,
09:22please give me raisins,
09:24or please give me almonds
09:26or pistachio,
09:28but give me something
09:29which you have behind.
09:31Oh.
09:32Because in Oriental Bazaar,
09:34what is already shown
09:35is very delicious.
09:36which is behind hidden.
09:39This is for superb tastes.
09:41The city is famous
09:43for its raisins
09:44and I'm keen
09:46to try them
09:46for myself.
09:48I've never tasted
09:50a raisin like that.
09:51It's really meaty.
09:52Happy first time.
09:53They're delicious.
09:54Everything is amazing.
09:56The nuts here,
09:57the dried fruits,
09:59because it's good quality.
10:00Another of the city's
10:02famous food traditions
10:03is this distinctive
10:05round bread.
10:05At this family bakery,
10:08I'm learning how it's made.
10:10In the days of Silk Road,
10:11traders would carry
10:13Samarkand bread
10:14on their long journeys.
10:16Tandir is a big oven
10:19for baking bread.
10:21And this size of Tandir
10:24fits about 40-45 pieces
10:27of Samarkand bread.
10:28Each bread is one kilo and a half.
10:30each loaf is carefully shaped by hand
10:34before being placed against
10:35the hot walls of the oven.
10:41The heat from the oven is intense
10:43and these loaves take around
10:45half an hour to bake.
10:48Ah, that smells amazing.
10:50Once the bread is ready,
10:52it's time to see how everything turned out.
10:55That is the most perfect bread
10:57I have ever seen.
11:00And they come up pretty easy.
11:02He's done them to perfection.
11:05Here, bread is traditionally shared
11:07between friends and family.
11:09And with loaves this size,
11:11there is plenty to go around.
11:15This is so heavy.
11:17One kilo of bread.
11:19And it smells divine.
11:22As my time in Samarkand
11:24comes to an end,
11:25I look back on my journey
11:27through this beautiful country.
11:30It's the experiences
11:32I've had along the way
11:33that make this trip extra special.
11:38Uzbekistan has been a tale
11:40of two cities.
11:41one with historic culture
11:43and the other
11:45with much more modern style.
11:47There's so much to explore.
11:49But now,
11:49time for my next adventure.
