|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
"In the month of Ramzan of the year 899 (June 1494) and in the twelfth year of my age, I became ruler in the country of Ferghana." Thus begins Baburnama, the autobiography of Zahiruddin Mohammed Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire in India.
But it was not his fate to rule over this eastern region of Uzbekistan for long. Ousted from power in his homeland, he tried his luck in Samarqand. He gained it but he lost it, before putting down his roots in Kabul in 1504. It was from his Afghan citadel that he launched his campaign to capture the throne of Delhi. But wherever he went, he would recall wistfully his place of birth; the snow, the rivers, the green valleys, the trees and most of all the fruits of Ferghana. Babur’s birthplace, Ferghana, is a 30,000 sq km valley located around the tri-junction of Uzbekistan, Kyrgystan and Tajikistan. It is surrounded by the Tien Shan mountains in the north and the Pamirs in the south. The fabled Silk Route runs through it.
The drive to Ferghana starts at Tashkent, going east, and in about two hours one hits the Kamchik stream. From there starts the climb to the pass of the same name at 2,267 metres. On the other side, at the end of the descent, lies Ferghana. Three Uzbek districts or viloyiti (as these are called in local language) — Namangam, Ferghana and Andijan — the last being Babur’s birthplace, lie in the valley. Our first stop was Kokhand (Qoqon in Uzbek). This was the last of the three ‘khanates’ conquered by the Russians in the latter half of the 19th century. In early part of the Russian rule, the palace of Kokhand’s last ruler, Khudayar Khan, served as a hostel for concubines servicing the occupying army. Several of the 119 rooms of this huge palace have been restored and now function as a museum (yadgorlinkani). From Kokand we drove south-east, about 30 km to Rishtan. This is a reputed centre of ceramic pottery. Floral patterns are a hallmark of the local style of the pottery and the pomegranate blooms (anargul) are a favourite pattern.
The local artisans use the unique red Rishtan clay, and pottery is painted in a distinctive blue-green colour. A visit to the house-cum-workshop of master craftsman Rustam Usmanov is a learning experience. He and his entire family bake, draw, colour and glaze these exquisite products created at the potter’s wheel, moulded out of the local red clay. As the visitors go around, master craftsman’s wife Nazira served us green tea and dried apricots, apparently a local custom. The town of Ferghana is further east and it is also the place where one can park for the night. The silk production centre at Margalan is quite close by. One can see the entire process of making the silk fabric — from cocoon unwinding to finished product. It is also a good place to buy some original souvenirs. Andijan is due north-east. Kuva is an ancient city, 20 km from Ferghana. The city can trace back its origins to 3rd century BC. The archaeological site from the Kushan period is worth a visit. The main discovery on the site was a Buddhist temple. This region was invaded from every direction, so for history buffs it is a treasure trove. Ferghana has many large, flat and featureless expanses. But wherever the eye can see, there are streams or orchards and forests. It makes you realise why Babur was so homesick. What else has not changed since his time is the abundance of fruits in the valley. Apricots, cherries, raspberries, watermelons, melons, pomegranates, grapes and, something that has disappeared from the shelves in India — mulberry — were in season. Uzbeks speak Uzbek and Russian, but many of their words are common with what we use, such as plov, shalgam, piyaz, tandur, kebab, zira, loviya, tarvuz and ananas. We had taken a guide from Tashkent, who was called Surat. "You can call me khoobsurat", he laughed. Though not appropriate for a man, that was another word we understood.
|
|||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
