old Samarkand contains grand structures commissioned by Timur and his heirs but also continues as a district where city/country life has changed little over the centuries and miniature mosques occupy small green pocket parks along lanes well-travelled by shepherds, mule carts, residents and now tourists
modern cafes transform Labi Hauz, Bukhara; tourists and scholars meet daily at this cool, shady maydoni for tea, plov and shashlik
a hotel in Mohammed Amin Khan madrassah, Khiva; a carefully in- serted quality hotel places guests in the heart of UNESCO-protected Khiva, its entrance beside the Kalta Minor ‘fat’ minaret
late nineteenth century offices,Tashkent: local masonry; beaux-arts styles imported from imperial Russia
the Soviets planned this immensely broad plaza to link leafy parks containing major concrete buildings, such as the 1950’s Corbusian- inspired Hotel Samarkand in the background, or below, the Sharj office building, Tashkent, a 1950’s Soviet-ordered tower that seems to promote labour (clock), masculinity (concrete and cantilever), com- munications/ propoganda (tower) and purity (white)
a Gum store transforms the Aloqulli-Khan caravanaseri, Khiva; locals purchase modern goods in this air-conditioned version of Wal-Mart below: high-end retail along Amir Timur Kuchesi is inserted into Soviet- built concrete apartments, Tashkent; new petroleum wealth for a few brings with it access to chic renovated apartments with Adidas, Armani, Versace and Villeroy & Bosch boutiques at the base
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archives and museums: On Site review 20
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