The Wheel: Travel

Today's photo-of-the-day is of a sculpture in Khiva, Uzbekistan. It shows a camel train on the ancient Silk Road.

Bonus photos are after the jump.

POTD: Minarets in Khiva

Today's photo-of-the-day is a selection of minarets in Khiva, Uzbekistan. The largest is unfinished. The ruler of Khiva, Muhammad Amin Khan, ordered construction of the minaret in 1852. He wanted it to be the tallest minaret in Central Asia, possibly 70-80 meters. Muhammad Amin Khan was killed in 1855 during a military campaign, and construction stopped. The political turmoil that followed meant nobody resumed the expensive project.

Bonus photos are after the jump.

POTD: Khiva at Night

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Itchan Kala, the walled inner town of the city of Khiva, Uzbekistan. At night, as the heat gives way to cool breezes, the outdoor spaces of the city come alive. Outdoor dining fills the squares that are empty of people by day.

Bonus photos are after the jump.

POTD: Juma Mosque, Khiva

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Juma Mosque in Khiva, Uzbekistan. It dates to the tenth century and was rebuilt in 1788, although its celebrated hypostyle hall still retains 112 columns taken from ancient structures. It looks unused today because it's undergoing reconstruction yet again.

Bonus photos are after the jump.

POTD: Rooftop Dining in Khiva

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Itchan Kala, walled inner town of the city of Khiva, Uzbekistan. As the sun sets, the desert air cools, and dining on the rooftop is a pleasant way to spend an evening on the Silk Road.

Bonus photos are after the jump.

POTD: Baking Naan in Khiva

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Itchan Kala, the walled inner town of the city of Khiva, Uzbekistan. From round, clay ovens called tandirs comes an aroma of fresh naan. Bakers, faces protected from the heat of the ovens, press round loaves of bread onto the hot clay walls of the tandir, where the the bread puffs and blisters from the intense heat. From the landscape to the architecture to the people, Khiva reminded me of Tatooine from Star Wars. (I mean that as a compliment.)

Bonus photos are after the jump.

POTD: Itchan Kala

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Itchan Kala. According to Wikipedia, "Itchan Kala is the walled inner town of the city of Khiva, Uzbekistan. Since 1990, it has been protected as a World Heritage Site. The old town retains more than 50 historic monuments and 250 old houses, dating primarily from the eighteenth or nineteenth centuries."

Bonus photos are after the jump.

POTD: Ulli Hovli

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Ulli Hovli ("Big Yard"), a restored 17th-century Turkmen fortress-settlement located in Uzbekistan’s Khorezm region. Originally built by the Khan of Khiva as a fortified outpost to protect trade caravans, it has been transformed into a living museum and popular tourist complex. We stopped for lunch...and camel rides.

Bonus photos are after the jump.

POTD: Ruins of Toprak-Kala

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the ruins of Toprak-Kala (1st-5th century CE). A thousand years before Marco Polo journeyed the Silk Road, ancient cities like Toprak-Kala flourished. Wikipedia calls it "an ancient palace city and the capital of Chorasmia in the 2nd/3rd century CE, where wall paintings, coins and archives were discovered." The city was built from sun-dried mud bricks (adobe).

Bonus photos are after the jump.

POTD: Mass Transit in Tashkent

Today's photo-of-the-day is from an underground train station in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The trains are clean, frequent, and fast, one of the good legacies of Soviet times.

Bonus photos are after the jump.

POTD: Tashkent Luncheon

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the kitchen at a luncheon in Tashkent at a Hilol-house, a Tashkent-based "Eastern house" offering traditional Uzbek cuisine, as well as master culinary workshops for national dishes.

"Saffron rice glows bright,
Tender lamb and carrots sweet,
Plov, the food of kings."
— h/t ChatGPT

Saturday, May 2, 2026

POTD: Nuts and Fruits and Meat and Plov

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Chorsu Bazaar in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. It has everything. Nuts, and fruits and vegetables, meats, bread, and plov, Uzbekistan's legendary national dish.

Bonus photos are after the jump.

POTD: Chorsu Bazaar

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Chorsu Bazaar in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. According to Wikipedia, "it's a traditional bazaar located in the center of the old town. Under its blue-colored domed building, all daily necessities are sold. The modern building and the characteristic blue dome were designed in 1980, as a late example of Soviet Modernism style."

POTD: Uzbek Fashion

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Hazrati Imam complex in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. In one of the courtyards of a madrasa were a couple of racks of clothes, where a colorful, reversible jacket caught Ellen's eye.

Bonus photo after the jump.

POTD: Hazrati Imam Complex

Come with us as we walk through the doorway. This photo-of-the-day is from the Hazrati Imam complex in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. It consists of a mosque, a couple of madrasas, and a mausoleum. The complex dates back to the 16th century. It houses the Caliph Usman Quran. Written on deerskin, it's one of the oldest Qurans in the world, maybe the oldest.

Bonus photo after the jump.

POTD: Traveling the Silk Road

This first photo-of-the-day from a new destination is of the tourist information desk in the Tashkent, Uzbekistan, airport. Flying into Uzbekistan might sound like the end of a long trip, but it was nothing compared to the travels of Marco Polo in the 13th Century. He traveled the Silk Road of central Asia on his epic journey lasting 24 years. And to think he did it without once coming across a tourist information desk.

POTD: Vuelva Pronto

The tourist bus says, "Traveling through Mexico is taking you towards adventure." As we leave one adventure waypoint, we are invited to "Come Back Soon" ("Vuelva Pronto"). This photo will serve as our last photo-of-the-day in Mexico, at least on this visit. Next stop: Uzbekistan.

A bonus photo is after the jump.

POTD: San Pablo Villa de Mitla

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in the town of San Pablo Villa de Mitla in Oaxaca, Mexico. According to Wikipedia, "The main attraction is the ruins of the pre-Hispanic city of Mitla, which is best known for its buildings decorated with mosaics of small flat stones that fit together to create designs, especially fretwork." Of course, there's a Christian church built on the ruins.

Bonus photos are after the jump.

POTD: Espina Dorada Mezcal

Today's photo-of-the-day is of a mural on the wall of the Distileria Espina Mezcal, a traditional, artisanal Oaxacan mezcal brand produced by a family-run operation, known for its authentic, craft methods.

A bonus photo is after the jump.

POTD: El Árbol del Tule