Adventures in Asia: Nukus, Uzbekistan

From Konye Urgench Ishan drove me about 20 minutes further north and to the Uzbekistan border. Ishan did a good job describing the border crossing procedures and so I thanked him and away I went. All went smoothly enough, although the Turkmen guard did want to see the photos on my phone, but he had no concerns with any of them.

There were two ladies crossing the border as well, but they seemed to have transportation arranged. Otherwise, I was the only one. Two obnoxious young men offered me a taxi to Nukus and we negotiated over the price. Ishan had told me to pay $5 USD for a shared taxi or $10 if by myself. But, since no one else was around, I was clearly going alone and since these guys were the only taxi options I did not feel like I was in a good negotiating position! I could only get them down as low as $20, which felt like a bummer in the moment, but really this is just travel and if the worst that happens is you pay an extra $10 USD for a taxi you are doing pretty well.

After about 40 minutes of driving we reached Nukus, and I checked into my hotel, had a shower, then went out to get some cash and eat lunch. 

Nukus is home to the surprising Savitsky art museum, and this was definitely what interested me most during my time in the city. Originally when I had planned my trip I did not think I would be arriving in Nukus until too late to visit the museum, so it was a bonus to have plenty of time to see it this afternoon.

The Guardian describes the museum's origins well:

Igor Savitsky, a former electrician born into a rich Russian family, came to this area on an archaeological dig around 1950 and started collecting local artefacts, textiles and jewellery. Because he was so far from Moscow (and the other centre of power, Tashkent) he was able to amass a huge collection of dissident avant garde art. Eventually he established a museum in 1966. The remoteness of the region allowed him to show and buy paintings that had been banned – the authorities simply had no idea what he was up to. (https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/may/21/lost-louvre-uzbekistan-savitsky-museum-banned-art-stalin)

There is also a documentary about it called "The Desert of Forbidden Art," which I had watched before leaving Canada. Anyway, the museum has a very impressive art collection, but what makes it especially remarkable is how random it all seems. Although in Western media much is made of the isolated geography and "backwater" nature of Nukus, I have certainly been in places that felt far more isolated and forgotten; maybe having arrived via the Turkmen desert and not from Tashkent and other places in eastern Uzbekistan my first impressions of Nukus were different from most tourists'. Still, I will definitely say that it is not the type of place you expect to find a world-class art museum!

But, that is what the Savitsky museum is, and when you enter it you could be in any other world-class art museum in the world, although their gift shop could use an upgrade. 

Phone photography is allowed, and I took some photos of some of my favourite pieces. 

After touring the museum, I headed down to the river, where there is a well developed riverside path. 

The main bazaar is also by the river, and actually it exceeded my expectations in terms of breadth of merchandise, number of people--both vendors and clients, and how interesting it all was.

The (mostly used) bicycle parts stalls and mechanics were perhaps the most interesting to me, and I do not recall seeing this in bazaars or markets anywhere else in the world before!

Not exactly in the bazaar, but nearby, was this barber's stall. For 2000 som, or about $2, I had a got a haircut here.