Sightseeing in Karakalpakstan - Part 1

Contents

Part 1

Part 2

Walking tour of downtown No'kis. Download a better copy.
Satellite image courtesy of Google Earth.

Alternatively you might prefer to use our own map of Downtown No'kis.

Since almost everybody visits the Savitsky Museum our tour begins from the museum entrance.

The entrance to the Savitsky Museum.

Walk straight ahead towards Rashidov Street. The Karakalpak name for street is ko'shesi, sometimes written as ulitsa in Russian, abbreviated to ул, or alternatively as prospekt. The open area to the left of the museum is Jaslar Park. It contains a small Amusement Ground with a Ferris wheel, from the top of which you get good views of the city. The Aqua Park is right next door.

Ferris wheel in the Amusement Park.

Vladimir Sergeev Gymnasium.

The building facing you on the other side of the street with a blue cupola is School Number 1, the Vladimir Sergeev Gymnasium, one of the better secondary schools in the city. Next door is the Children's Theatre. The building on the corner of Rashidov and Dosliq Guzari (115 Dosliq Guzari) used to be part of the Old Savitsky Museum. It now houses the museum reserve collection and library, both of which can be visited by arrangement. On the opposite corner of the crossroad is a new sports complex and next to that is the Amphitheatre, a circular low-rise building with blue walls used for open air dance and other performances (for example, during Nawrız).

Aqua Park and the Amphitheatre.

Turn right along Dosliq Guzari, which means "Friendship Way". It is sometimes called President's Way or Presidencia. The all powerful Ministry of Internal Affairs is in the turquoise building behind the railings on your left. The No'kis office of IFAS, the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea is on the other side of the road on the corner of G'a'rezsizlik (Independence Street). Formed by the five Central Asian states in 1997, it has proved to be fairly ineffectual at tackling the Aral Sea crisis, as have most other international initiatives. Local people say that if every advisor who came to the region brought along a bucket of water, the Aral Sea would be full. It doesn't bode well for solving the threat of global warming.

The MIA or Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Sign outside the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea.
It implores readers to "Save Water!"

After crossing Pushkin there are two large glass-fronted office blocks on your left. The one closest to Guzari is the Karakalpakstan parliament building, the Joqarg'ı Ken'es or Supreme Council, with the flags of Uzbekistan and Karakalpakstan flying from the roof. The parliamentary chamber is the low-rise building at the back. The sign above the entrance is written first in Uzbek and then in Karakalpak, telling you everything you need to know about who is really in charge of affairs. Unless you are very lucky you will not see very much activity here. Amazingly the parliament only sits four times a year. However local police and security officials are quite sensitive around this area, so be discreet with your photography. The security fence around the entrance has only recently been erected. The second building beyond the Joqarg'ı Ken'es is the National Bank of Uzbekistan.

The Joqarg'ı Ken'es with the National Bank of Uzbekistan beyond.

On the opposite side of Dosliq Guzari is a small Park containing a fountain, no longer operative, and a fine Statue dedicated to the women of Karakalpakstan. It depicts a young woman, standing proud, her head covered with a kerchief and her ko'ylek embroidered with Karakalpak motifs. The park is bordered by several tall apartment blocks covered with satellite dishes and boldly ornamented with roundels, crosses and ram's horns. As you walk around the city you will see many traditional Karakalpak motifs on buildings, fences, and even market stalls.

Statue of a Karakalpak Woman.

A relatively good quality apartment block by No'kis standards.
The motifs depicted in the decorative panel are not traditional Karakalpak ones.

Independence Square is the large public space in front of the Joqarg'ı Ken'es. This was the setting for the big communist processions organised on May Day, with a huge portrait of Karl Marx hung from one of the buildings and the Party faithful lined up to watch the parade – see Festivals. In the centre of the square is a red marble plinth, which today supports the Independence Monument, an obelisk holding a globe inscribed with an oversized map of Uzbekistan. This used to be the plinth of the statue of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, which rapidly disappeared after independence to be replaced with a large rectangular box bearing the flag of Karakalpakstan on each of its four sides. The collapse of communism provided a challenge to city governments throughout the USSR. The regional governors or ha'kimiyats of Karakalpakstan came up with various creative uses for their red marble plinths, as you will see if you visit the centres of Biruniy, Bostan or To'rtku'l. It took No'kis quite a few years to think of their obelisk, which was only built in 2003. The building at the back of the Monument is the old Council of Ministers office, which rumour suggests will shortly be demolished. The new offices of the Ministeri Ken'es or Council of Ministers are to the south of the Monument, facing the Joqarg'ı Ken'es.

The new Independence Monument with the old Council of Ministers building behind.

The new Council of Ministers building.

Turn right into Qaraqalpaqstan ko'shesi, which is directly opposite the Independence Monument. The building on the corner is the Regional Studies Museum. The sign on the roof is in Uzbek and says "Patriots love their Country". The Savitsky Art Gallery used to be on the first floor of this building before it was moved into the new museum. Many staff at the Savitsky Museum admit that the soul of the old museum still resides in this building. Further down, the Post and Telephone Office is on the corner on the left and the No'kis Hotel is on the right. The modern building in front of the hotel with the mobile telephone office holds wedding parties. When you reach the intersection at Tatibayev there is a restaurant on the corner called Aral Asxanasi (meaning the Aral cook-house or dining room) with attractively painted windows. The large grey modern building clad in Karakalpak marble and surrounded by high metal railings ahead of you on the right is the Qaraqalpaq Central Bank.

The Post, Telegraph and Telephone Office.

Window sign at the Aral Asxanasi.

The No'kis Central Bank.

Turn left down Tatibayev until you reach Amur Timur. The large building with the square clock-tower on the left is the No'kis City Hall or Ha'kimiyat. Go right up Amur Timur until you reach the main To'rtkul ko'shesi highway and then turn right. The white building across the road with the tall blue cupola is the Qaraqalpaq Branch of the Uzbek Academy of Sciences. The current President of the Academy is Dr Nagmet Aimbetov, a Karakalpak economist. In front of the Academy is a statue of the prolific local Khorezmian scientist Abu Rayhan al-Biruni, clad in a turban and a long khalat. He was born in Kath (close to the town of Biruniy in southern Karakalpakstan) in 973. Al-Biruni achieved advancements in many branches of science including astronomy, mathematics, physics, geology, and medicine. For example, he described the motion of the Earth and Moon around the sun, argued that the Milky Way galaxy was a cloud of stars and proposed that the speed of light was much greater than sound yet still finite. For a time he studied at the prestigious Ma'mun Academy established by the Khorezmshah of the same name. However in 1017 he was obliged to move to Ghazna in Afghanistan and then spent the next 13 years travelling in India, writing a monumental treatise on its history, customs and beliefs. He died at Ghazna in 1048, aged 75. His statue is a popular place with wedding parties for taking photographs.

No'kis city Ha'kimiyat.

Karakalpak Branch of the Uzbek Academy of Sciences with the statue of al-Beruni.

Those wishing to break for lunch at this point may wish to try the air conditioned Merlion, facing the Academy of Sciences on To'rtku'l, one of the best restaurants in the city.

The Tashkent Hotel with Soviet-style wall mosaic.

View across No'kis, looking towards the starting point of your walk.

The roundabout linking To'rtku'l, Yernazar Alako'z and Qaraqalpaqstan ko'shesis.

Turn right along To'rtku'l towards the big traffic island. The tall block on your left is the infamous Tashkent Hotel, once the pride of local communist officials. It has a large Soviet-style wall mosaic along one side. For the best view in the city, tip the woman on the desk with a 500 so'm note and ask to go up onto the roof. Across the road on the same side of the island is the Qaraqalpaq State Musical Theatre named after Berdax or the Berdax Theatre for short. Berdax (1827-1900) was a famous Karakalpak poet and a teller of epic stories who, for a while, was a musician playing his duwtar at wedding parties. The Berdax Statue stands in front of the theatre entrance. The tall blue rectangular block dominating the far side of Yernazar Alako'z ko'shesi is the Central Telephone Exchange.

The statue of Berdax guarding the Musical Theatre that bears his name.

Central Telephone Exchange.

To the east of the theatre and on the left side of Yernazar Alako'z ko'shesi is the sprawling Markaziy Bazar or Central Bazaar, the commercial heart of the city. It covers almost 9 hectares (22 acres) and contains over 2,000 stalls. In recent years it has been under almost continuous modernisation. There are several entrances, some leading into the covered section. You can buy everything here that you would find in a western supermarket and more. On a Sunday the bank along the Qızketken Canal turns into a flea market, with people selling old clothes, books and various items of household equipment. The Amu Darya lies 4½ kilometres to the west of the Qızketken Canal.

Entrance to the Central Bazaar.

Inside the Central Bazaar on a quiet day.

The street in front of the bazaar, formerly known as Oktyabr'skaya, has been renamed after an important Karakalpak hero who stood up against the Uzbeks during the 19th century in an attempt to create an independent Karakalpak nation. Yernazar Biy (nicknamed Alako'z) was the leader of the important Qon'ırat tribal grouping of Karakalpaks. During the 19th century the Karakalpaks were heavily oppressed by the Khan of Khiva, forced to pay crippling taxes. In response some of the Qon'ırats had rebelled in 1827, killing the Khan's tax collectors. Things came to a head in 1855 when Yernazar, having united some of the disparate Karakalpak tribes, established an independent Karakalpak Khanate in the Amu Darya delta. The Khivans sought Turkmen support to end the insurrection and defeated Yernazar and his supporters at nearby Xojeyli. After the battle some of the Karakalpak leaders treacherously switched their allegiance to the Khivan Khan, forcing Yernazar to retreat to the coast of the Aral Sea with 700 Karakalpak families. There they built a fort at the mouth of the Amu Darya, holding out against the besieging Uzbeks for three months. They were finally overwhelmed in June 1856.

To return to the Savitsky Museum, cross Yernazar Alako'z ko'shesi through the busy underpass and turn right down Rashidov, named after the popular Uzbek President Sharif Rashidov, who famously embezzled billions of dollars out of Soviet coffers through a long-running 1970's cotton swindle. Karakalpakstan played an important role in the process since Rashidov's only son was married to a daughter of Kalibek Kamalov, who held the post of First Secretary of the Karakalpak Communist Party for 21 years, from March 1963 to August 1984. As such Rashidov maintained a firm grip on Karakalpak affairs. The "Uzbek Affair" as it became known in Moscow, became a prime target for Gorbachev's anti-corruption campaign. Frustrated at being continually outwitted by Rashidov's mafia-like ruling clan, Gorbachev finally installed the tough Islam Karimov as the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Uzbekistan in June 1989.

Keep walking down tree-lined Rashidov until you get back to the Savitsky Museum.

The Cathedral Mosque

No'kis Cathedral Mosque beside the Qızketken Canal.

To see the mosque, leave the Central Bazaar and go north along Yernazar Alako'z ko'shesi until you reach the next main intersection. Turn left and cross the bridge over the Qızketken Canal. The mosque is situated on the left on the opposite bank of the canal. The best view of the mosque is from the eastern side of the canal.

Museums

The Savitsky Museum

The Savitsky Museum just after its completion in March 2003.

The director of the museum is Marinika Babanazarova, a helpful and friendly Karakalpak who speaks fluent English and is a tireless promoter of her museum. She has an enthusiastic staff who speak numerous languages including English, German, and French.

The museum opening hours are:

• Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm, closed 1.00 to 2.00 for lunch.



• Saturday and Sunday 10.00am to 4.00pm, with no lunchtime closure.

The ground floor entrance.

The ground floor of the museum contains a security desk, ticket office, a cloakroom for depositing baggage, toilets and a gift and book shop. There is also a smart café that used to be the best place in town for a light lunch until it temporarily closed in 2007. The first floor houses the archaeology and ethnographic displays, including a fully decorated Karakalpak yurt. In the archaeology display there are finds from different cultural periods of ancient Khorezm, dating from its founding to the so-called Afrigid early medieval period. There are also many artefacts dating from the time of the Mongol Golden Horde, to which the region of Khorezm belonged. The latter include many items of glazed ceramics.

The archaeology section.

There is also a special exhibition marking the 100th anniversary of the birth of Sergei Pavlovitch Tolstov (1907– 1976), the founder of the formidable Khorezm Archeaological-Ethnographical Expedition. He and his team of young researchers conducted pioneering work on the archaeology and ethnography of the whole Khorezm region, includingy the Amu Darya delta, from 1938 until the collapse of the Soviet Union some 15 years after his death. The exhibition includes photographs of the expedition, many additional paintings of archaeological sites by Savitsky, and the frescos recently recovered from Kazakl'i-yatkan.

Look out for the unusual collection of ossuarys – clay vessels used for the storage of the bones of the deceased. Ossuary burial was an Iranian Zoroastrian custom that once thrived in this region, quite distinct from the kurgan-style of burial used by the later Turks. Hundreds of ossuaries have been recovered from the necropolis at Mizdarkhan, one in the shape of a boat dating from 2nd-3rd century AD, which contained gold jewellery, a bronze bowl, a mirror and a spoon. Many ossuaries were fashioned with the body of an animal and the head of the deceased – one is in the shape of a camel. The finest ossuary comes from the unusual Kerder people, a culture formed from the fusion of peoples from Khorezm and the lower Syr Darya as well as immigrant Turks. They lived in the northern delta from the 7th to the 11th century. The ossuary was found at Tok Qala and is made of alabaster and is painted with a scene of mourning. Dating from the 7th or early 8th century, it shows people wearing Turkic costume, in particular a long coat with a single lapel.

Part of the ethnographic display.

The ethnographic collection contains a mixture of costume, jewellery and items for the yurt. Don't miss the rare sa'wkele and to'belik headdresses, which were both restored in Moscow, or the blue embroidered ko'k ko'ylek wedding gowns. There are many magnificent examples of Karakalpak embroidery, which was made in two styles – geometric cross stitch embroidery on coarse white cotton or flowing chain stitch embroidery on machine-made red felted cloth. The displays, which are unfortunately behind glass, include white and red kiymesheks, and several fabulous white and red jegdes. The museum has by far the finest display of Karakalpak jewellery, which can be compared alongside similar examples from the Turkmen, Kazakhs and Uzbeks. The Karakalpaks were not great carpet weavers – all the large items on display are relatively new. They specialised instead on making tent bands and small pile-woven rectangles, which were used as the faces of similar shaped storage bags or for decorating the area above the inside of the yurt door – the so-called yesikqas or "eyebrow of the door".

The museum's yurt, made in Shımbay.

The gallery of fine art starts on the first floor and occupies the whole of the second floor. Look out for the small display about Igor Savitsky, including some of his paintings of yurts and ancient mud-brick fortresses. The main collection of paintings principally divides into two: Uzbek art of the 1920's and 30's and 20th century works of the Russian avante garde. In addition there are some examples of local contemporary painting and sculpture. Paintings in the first category range from the powerful works of Nikolai Karakhan and Alexander Volkov to the more subtle images of P. P. Ben'kov and Elena Korovai's the Indigo Dyers. Fine examples of Russian avante garde are provided by Alexander Shevchenko, the Moscovite Robert Falk and the Crimean artist Maximilian Voloshin with his wonderfully earthy landscape watercolours.

Part of the art gallery.

It is hard for us as westerners to understand why these enormously varied paintings were so potentially offensive to official Soviet sensibilities.

The Russian avante garde movement began in the mid-19th century and quickly flourished, actually gaining momentum following the 1917 revolution and the removal of the repressive Tsarist regime. Indeed in the early 1920's the Soviet regime exploited the work of these free-thinking artists for the purposes of propaganda. In time leading Marxist-Leninist theoreticians began to criticise certain artistic movements such as the impressionists and the cubists, as decadent and bourgeois, creating a distorted or absurd image of reality beyond the grasp of simple workers and peasants. They argued that the role of art in Soviet society, where all property was collective, was to futher the aims of socialism and the needs of the proletariat as embodied in the communist State. Only art that was proletarian, represented every-day life in a realistic manner, and reinforced the objectives of the Party and State was acceptable. Following Stalin's 1932 decree "On Restructuring Literary and Artistic Organizations", this became the only style of Soviet art permissible, subsequently termed "soviet or socialist realism". It was enforced through the entire State apparatus of censorship and repression. Those who refused to comply with this official line were persecuted, denied employment, arrested, imprisoned and exiled.

Although the atmosphere eased a little after the death of Stalin, Khrushchev maintained broadly the same policy. In 1962 Khrushchev reacted to an exhibition of abstract art in Moscow by exclaiming: "The people and government have taken a lot of trouble with you, and you pay them back with this shit!" Twelve years later, bulldozers and water cannon were used to destroy an open air exhibition of modern art in the same city. In assembling his collection, Igor Savitsky was breaking all the rules. It was dangerous work, punishable by detention in a work camp had he been exposed to the powers that ruled in Moscow. Fortunately for Savitsky his endeavours were never exposed to political criticism and his marvellous collection survived intact. It stands as a monument to his vision and bravery.

Savitsky's museum provides a timely reminder to all of us about what happens when governments start deciding what we should or should not see, should or should not think.

The Regional Studies Museum

The Regional Studies Museum.

The director of the museum is Svetlana Nurabullaeva, ably assisted by her deputy Venera Matekeyeva. Museum staff mainly speak Russian but guided tours can be arranged in English or in German.

The staff of the Regional Studies Museum, with Svetlana in the black standing right centre and Venera on her left.

Museum opening hours are:

• Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm, closed 1.00 to 2.00 for lunch.



• Saturday and Sunday 10.00am to 4.00pm, with no lunchtime closure.

Part of the ethnography section.

The museum has sections on Karakalpak material culture, archaeology, history, natural history, and geology. The majority of ethnography items are not displayed behind glass, although a few of the best pieces are. The latter include a sa'wkele in its original unrestored state, several superb kiymesheks, two outstanding aq jegdes and a relatively modern ko'k ko’ylek, embroidered between 1926 and 1930. The exhibits include good displays of male costume and horse caparison, which are not well covered by the Savitsky museum.

Part of the archaeology section.

The museum is a maze of corridors and small rooms.

The archaeological exhibits range from the Palaeolithic to the Golden Horde, and include the sphinx-like base of a wooden column carved in the shape of a horned ram with a human face. It was discovered in the Sultan Uvays Dag mountains and was probably destined for the palace of the Persian Achaemenid satrap or ruler of Khorezm. It dates from the 5th to the 4th century BC. There are several models of the monumental buildings excavated in Karakalpakia, such as Topraq Qala and Koy Krylgan Qala. The museum has a good collection of glazed ceramics dating from the time of the Golden Horde.

A tiger kills a wild boar in the tugai forest.

The natural history section has dioramas of the wildlife of the Amu Darya delta before it came under intensive agricultural development. There are stuffed gulls, waders, ducks and geese, an eagle owl, and the once common tugai tiger, the last one of which was only shot in 1972. Other displays describe the Aral Sea crisis and show the mineral wealth of the region, including a selection of local Karakalpak marble.

The Berdax Museum

The Berdax National Museum.

It is situated on Doznazarov ko'shesi about half a kilometre south of Independence Square, next to the main campus of the Karakalpak State University. Built around 2002, it must have been the pet project of a local politician that has now turned into a white elephant. The building has been devoid of exhibits since its completion and in 2007 the outer gates were chained and padlocked. It makes a nice photograph though.

The House Museum of A'met and Ayımkhan Shamuratov

Portrait of Ayımkhan Shamuratova.

The museum displays the family's personal belongings such as their clothing, photographs, books, documents, portraits, and theatre posters. It gives an insight into the life of an urban Karakalpak middle class family from the 1930's onwards. The family possessions have been enhanced with a collection of photographs of past Karakalpak dignitaries and items of local handicrafts and items of folk art, including a kiymeshek made by Ayımkhan's mother. There is even a decorated Karakalpak yurt outside of the museum.

The Museum of Battle and Labour Glory

Regional Museums

The al-Beruni Monument just outside of Beruniy City.

There have been plans to create a museum dedicated to al-Biruni just outside Biruniy, close to the al-Biruni Monument. To date all that exists is an empty concrete shell.

Local Bazaars

Fresh fruit for sale at the Central Bazaar. Local melons are not to be missed in the autumn.

The proprietors of the market's 2,000 stalls sell fresh bread, meat, pasta, rice, vegetables, fruit, milk, bottled water, soft drinks, beer, and wine. There are specialists selling hot food, toiletries, CDs, televisions, textiles, clothing, shoes, and even wedding dresses. Dairy products, smoked sausage, biscuits and chocolate are available in the covered section at the front of the market. At the very back is a roofed section selling second hand furniture and poor quality bric-a-brac. Close by is a row of stalls selling Russian scarves and second hand books. See Shopping below.

There is a second city bazaar called Aydinjol, located on the north outskirts of the city not far from the airport. It was badly damaged by a fire in late 2007 and is currently being rebuilt.

The covered Diyxan Bazarı or Farmers' Market at Shımbay Bazaar.

Selling mechanical parts at the big Shımbay Sunday Bazaar.

There are quite large regional bazaars at Xojeyli, Shımbay, Shomanay, and Qon'ırat. Xojeyli bazaar is on the left side of the main road from No'kis to Qon'ırat to the north of the town centre. To find the bazaar in Shımbay, drive 55km north from No'kis until you reach the point where the road divides in front of the enormous covered statue of a woman. Fork left and after half a kilometre you will find the bazaar on the right, just before the bridge over the canal.

A quiet day at the small Shomanay Bazaar.

The Qon'ırat Karakalpaks were traditionally livestock farmers who raised cattle in the northern delta. On a Sunday you can see modern livestock breeders buying and selling their stock at some of the regional mal bazaars – mal refers to large livestock such as cattle, horses and camels, although sheep and goats are also bought and sold at these markets as well. The easiest bazaar to see from No'kis is on the right of the main road from Xojeyli to Qon'ırat, just north of Xojeyli.

Xojeyli Sunday Mal Bazaar.

Camels for sale at Xojeyli.
The opening price for a female camel and her baby was $700 in 2005.

Qon'ırat itself is also a major agricultural centre. Two days a week the main town bazaar turns into a much larger mal bazaar, with people arriving from the outlying regions.

Taxta Ko'pir Sunday Mal Bazaar.

Trading goats at the Taxta Ko'pir Sunday Bazaar.

Farmers selling their vegetables at Taxta Ko'pir Sunday Bazaar.

However the biggest mal bazaar is at Taxta Ko'pir, located on the north-east side of the town. The bazaar takes place on a huge open space, divided by a ditch. The mal bazaar takes place inside a walled enclosure at the very back of the market. Before you get there you pass through people selling cabbages, ducks, geese and bags of rice. On the other side of the ditch men sell car parts, TV sets and building materials. Inside another crowded walled enclosure you will find the retail vegetable and fruit market, along with traders selling modern carpets made in Samarkand. Next to this is a big roofed section containing clothing and a garish display of textiles. To see the best of the market it is advisable to make an early start from No'kis.

Shopping

Embroidered amulets for sale at the Savitsky shop.

Some of the finest examples of local embroidery and appliqué work are produced by the Aral Golden Heritage: a non-profit making cooperative of local women organised by Gulnara Embergenova and Miyua Rasbergenova, 86 Ayımkhan Shamuratova ko'shesi, No'kis, Karakalpakstan, 742000, Uzbekistan, telephone (+998 61) 222 8565, 222 8577, e-mail: altyn1@rol.uz

A beautiful set of embroidered table mats from Gulnara Embergenova.

Gulnara has been awarded a Seal of Excellence by CACSA, the Central Asia Crafts Support Association. She specializes in women's handbags and purses. Unfortunately Gulnara does not have a retail outlet of her own, and she sells most of her work in Tashkent, such as through the Art Gallery shop located at Caravan Restaurant, 22, A. Kakhar ulitsa, Tashkent. A few of her items sometimes appear in the Savitsky Museum shop.

Examples of embroidered Karakalpak purses.

The Jipek Joli Hotel also has a small selection of modern Karakalpak embroideries for sale.

Another colourful local craft is appliqué. It is used to make decorative mats, cushions and hangings. Examples can be found on several stalls in the Central Bazaar.

Examples of Karakalpak appliqué and other textile crafts.

Old Russian kerchiefs make a nice gift for a wife or daughter and there is a good selection always on sale at the Central Bazaar. If you are lucky you might find a small piece of local jewellery amongst the bric-a-brac sellers.

Spoons, medals and oddments of jewellery for sale at the Central Bazaar.

The only bookshop in No'kis sells school textbooks. The only place to find books written in English is at the Savitsky Museum, in either the shop or the ticket booth. Russian readers will find a good selection of titles in one section of the Central Bazaar or on the Sunday flea market by the Qızketken Canal.

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