So far I’ve explored UNESCO’s Zerafshan – Karakum Corridor World Heritage sites in the Karakum Desert and Zerafshan River hinterland; a route of virtually all flat land. The final stage was to follow the course of the Zerafshan River into the mountains in Tajikistan all the way to the final site, Khisorak Settlement at an altitude of over 2400m.

Day 78: Samarkand to Panjakent (Tajikistan) – 61km

To my surprise, on the morning of our departure from Samarkand it was raining and, as I only had a short cycling day, we could afford to wait until the worst of the thunderstorm abated. Still the rain lingered for the first hour on the road and I had to keep my wits about me. The steady stream of traffic, especially the taxi mini buses kept me pinned to the crumbling potholed verge.

About 5km from the border we diverted through the backstreets of Jartepa village to see Jartepa II Temple, the last of the listed sites of the Zerafshan-Karakum Corridor in Uzbekistan. Amazingly, there were no signposts and we had to ask people where it was. There was no preservation work, the temple is being left to slowly erode.

The archaeological site is an example of a Zoroastrian temple on the Silk Roads and an extramural Sogdian sanctuary built during the 5^th Century, although it functioned for a longer period. Due to its location (one day route from both Samarkand and Panjakent and close to the head of the principal canal, Dargham) it was frequented by travellers, merchants and pilgrims, functioning as a ‘station’ on the Silk Roads. It was probably connected to the establishment of the cult of Nana and was a part of a network of Zoroastrian sacred places that emerged on the Silk Roads in the 5^th Century. Before the 5^th Century, the site was a fortress, connected to the river, the canal and the irrigation system.

The temple was only small and quite different from any of the other sites we’d seen. Anna and Sasha discovered a small opening at ground level to a tunnel and Sasha decided he would crawl into the cave to explore. All was fine until he emerged covered in tiny ticks feasting on his head and back. Anna spent ages physically removing the blood filled tiny ticks – not a nice experience for Sasha.

The border crossing was refreshingly simple and we were through in 30 minutes! Karim, our driver/guide was waiting for us. He will be with the team, not only for this short Zerafshan section, but the whole journey through the Pamirs starting from 20th June.

Entering Tajikistan, immediately the landscape changed; the river was flanked by a wall of mountains either side. It was an easy ride to Panjakent – a short day because I wanted time to see one of the major sites listed in the Zerafshan Corridor – the ancient archeological site.

Panjakent was an important political, economic, cultural, religious and military centre. Over the last 75 years, more archaeological discoveries have been made on this site than any other Sogdian site. Major works of art were discovered not only in the palace and temples, but also in the houses of city folk, including the rich merchants active on the Silk Roads. Excavations have revealed complete residential blocks, streets, temples, a citadel, palace, suburban villas and necropolis. Many houses were of two or three floors, with complicated architecture and decorations. The finds from Panjakent show trade and cultural relations with Persia, India, the Turkic steppe, China, Byzantium, and later Arabs. Zoroastrian was the core religion with major influences from Mesopotamian, Greek and Indian creeds. There were Buddhist and Christian minority communities as well as a Muslim presence after the 8^th Century. 

Day 79: Panjakent to Guzari Bolo village – 113km (1729 vertical metres)

However, as the valley narrowed, the climbs started to become steeper and more challenging.

After the junction, I was onto a very different road. Some of it still had pieces of asphalt that had not been repaired since Soviet times. Very quickly it became a rough gravel track with loose stones that rolled under my tyres on the steep climbs. A big challenge. The gradients were steeper too, often reaching 10% and at times even 15%.

At this stage it was getting late and the sun would soon set. Karim started asking people where we could stay – there was no level ground to camp and no guesthouse accommodation. A few kilometres and some steep climbs (to really finish off my legs) later, and after asking many villagers, we ended up at a village called Guzari Bolo. By the time we had cycled/driven through the narrow lanes, a group of townsfolk had gathered, all trying to help us. There was a place where we could have set up, but then the shop owner, Anora, offered for us to stay at her place.

Up a narrow walking lane and tucked behind some homes, Anora’s place was much bigger and well set up than I expected. They had a huge kitchen garden with a stunning view. She immediately had tea on the table and an assortment of nuts, fruit, tomatoes, bread, sweets and chocolates to snack on. Earlier that day, Karim had stopped at the winery and bought a bottle of Tajikistan wine.

Day 80: Guzari Bolo to Madrishkat – 91km (1690 vertical metres)

Having had such a tough ride at the end of the previous day, I was primed for another big challenge. To add to the poor quality road, the route was very busy with mining trucks. Over the last five years, two mines have opened by the Chinese, a coal mine and a gold mine. I think it was mostly trucks laden with coal that we encountered. The road was narrow and the trucks took up the full width. It was very disconcerting when I was trying to maintain my balance on loose stones and extreme gradients, to also avoid coal trucks. Many of the truck’s loads were uncovered and occasionally coal was spilt over the road. It had also rained a little over night making the path muddy in places. I was a mess by the end of day two of this section.

I had hoped to make it all the way to Khisorak Settlement on Day 2 of this section, because we then had to travel to Dushanbe the next day, which was going to be a huge drive. However, it was just not possible. I got pretty close, within 10km, but we had run out of light and knowing that the finale was going to be a massively steep climb, we made the decision to stop and ask around at a village to see if someone could put us up for the night. I had covered 91km in 8.5 hours at an average of 10.9km an hour! Even on the downhills I couldn’t go fast because it was way too rough and dangerous.

Day 81: Madrishkat – Khisorak Settlement 10km

From Khisorak it took over five and a half hours just to return to the highway junction 120km away and then a further three hours to drive to Dushanbe. We needed to get there to drop Anna off, as she has finished her five week section of the journey, and I needed to organise a few details for the Pamir section, coming up, because it starts in a remote area that requires permits back down near the Amu Darya, a week’s cycle away. The following day, Karim drove me back to the Panjakent border, where I crossed back into Uzbekistan to continue the journey. I was met by Georgia who is back from the UK after a 5-week break and an Uzbekistan team, Ilhom and Mansood. – heading south to the Amu Darya across a land that was in ancient times, a part of Bactria.

FOLLOW THE JOURNEY

Thanks to ZeroeSixZero, you can open this link on your phone and select “add to home screen” and the map will become and app. You can then keep updated in real time.

TAKE ACTION

Support my Water.org fundraiser to help bring safe drinking water and sanitation to the world: Just $5 (USD) provides someone with safe drinking water or access to sanitation, and every $5 donated to my fundraiser will enter the donor into the Breaking the Cycle Prize Draw. 

EDUCATION

An education programme in partnership with Exploring by the Seat of Your Pants, with contributions from The Royal Geographical Society and The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Australia. We have created a Story Map resource to anchor the programme where presentations and updates will be added as we go.

The post Breaking the Cycle Central Asia: The Zerafshan-Karakum Corridor – Part 3 Samarkand to Khisorak Settlement appeared first on overland-europe.

The Zerafshan-Karakum Corridor – Stage 1

Arising in the mountains of Tajikistan, the Zerafshan River gushes down to the steppe, and passes through the legendary city of Samarkand where much of its water is taken up by the Dargom Canal. Samarkand, Bukhara and all towns along its route are totally reliant on the Zerafshan’s water. Once a key tributary of the Amu Darya, the river whose name translates to “the spreader of gold” no longer makes it. The last drops disappear into desert sand just before Turkmenabat.

Within the vast network of trails that make up the Silk Roads, the Zerafshan-Karakum Corridor is perhaps the most important hub. Routes from every direction converged here, leading to the establishment of some of history’s grandest cities.

Stretching across a distance of almost 900 kilometres, the Zerafshan-Karakum Corridor was a melting pot of ethnicities, where people from across the world brought their own cultural influences, and where powerful empires left their mark. For almost two millennia, from the 2nd century BCE to the 16th century CE, the corridor evolved, not only as a trading route, but also one of the most important places in the world for the exchange of cultures and artistic and scientific ideas.

My plan is to follow the entire Zerafshan-Karakum Corridor from Merv Oasis, firstly tracing the ancient caravan roads across the Karakum Desert to Turkmenabat (Amul). Continuing in Uzbekistan, I will follow the fertile Zerafshan valley through Bukhara to Samarkand. Finally I will divert into the mountains of Tajikistan to complete the route. Khisorak Fortress, 275km from Samarkand, acts as a bookend to the 34 sites that make up UNESCO’s 2023 World Heritage inscription.

Merv

The ruins of the ancient city of Merv existed between the 3rd millennium BCE and the 18th century CE, about 4000 years. At its peak in the 12th century CE, Merv was one of the largest and most cosmopolitan cities in the world with a population of over half a million. I was very keen to explore the ancient site as I had been aware of Merv – a legendary Silk Roads city – for many years.

Adjacent to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, hidden away amongst a grove of shady apricot trees, we enjoyed breakfast at a small visitors’ museum and centre. One of the attractions was a Turkmen horse, a special breed from the region called Akhal-Teke. They have a reputation for speed and endurance, intelligence, thin manes and a distinctive metallic sheen. These horses are adapted to severe climatic conditions and are thought to be one of the oldest existing breeds. Most of the 6,600 Akhal-Tekes in the world are in Turkmenistan. Akhal-Teke horses, along with Alabay dogs and the craft of traditional carpet making are the three definitive treasures of Turkmenistan.

From there we walked across to the most well-known ruin in Merv, the Great Kyz Kala. Built in the 9th century, Kyz Kala was an elite palatial suburban residence, perhaps meant for the use of the governor of Merv.

Excavations have been carried out inside the brick and adobe building, but archeologists are at a point where they cannot do much more without risking collapse. Our guide explained that the longevity of the structure was due to the shape of its construction. Its walls are angled slightly inward and narrower at the top to allow water runoff. The octagonal half-columns add strength and also make it more resistant to weathering.

Day 65 – Merv to Zahmet – 47km

After exploring Merv, I was looking forward to start a new phase of the expedition, to cycle the length of the Zerafshan-Karakum Corridor. I was not going to be able to see all 34 sites over the 1000km, but I hoped to include several that are typical of each region; the deserts, along the Zerafshan Valley and canals and into the mountains, through Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and into Tajikistan.

The first stage was to follow the caravan route from Merv and across the Karakum Desert to Amul/Turkmenabat. Setting off from the Great Kyz Kala, I pedalled 5km through the World Heritage Site and then out into the heavy traffic. There is no longer a track tracing the ancient caravan route directly from Merv. I had to follow the main highway most of the way with a diversion into the desert in search of some of the caravanserais that once serviced weary Silk Road travellers on their arduous journey across the desert.

The highway was horrific – both the road and the wind conditions. The asphalt was riddled with giant potholes, crumbling edges and lumpy repairs. The headwind carried dust so thick it was difficult to breathe or even see the continuous stream of trucks in front of me as they emerged from the “mist”. I was knocked down to about 13km/hr. The trucks were forced to travel as slowly as me, in fact, I regularly passed some of them. There was a second gravel road that some drivers used, stirring more dust. No vehicle could travel fast and all drivers shared the road, slaloming from one side to the other, sometimes along the gravel verge. It was a free for all but I didn’t feel too intimidated because everyone was watching out for each other. It took me about three hours to do 47km to Zahmet which I covered in the late afternoon. We stayed at a truck stop cafe – a rough place with no official accommodation. The owner gave up her room for Anna and I as there was nowhere else available to stay.

Day 66 – Along the Caravanserai Route – 80km

This was a day I was looking forward to, even though it promised to be a difficult one in the sand desert. I covered a further 24km on the highway before reaching a gravel turn off. Pretty soon I was following a sandy track, managing the small dunes reasonably well with my 3″ wide MTB tyres – a proper fatbike would have been the ticket here. After crossing a few sand ridges we entered a wide valley between the dunes. After 13km on the track, the first caravanserai emerged above the low scrub and sand dunes.

It was Gyzylja Gala Caravanserai, which was made up of two separate walled courtyards about 80 metres apart. Each one was a rough square with approximately 55-metre sides that had rooms around the inside of the walls. I could make out some of the main fortifications of the caravanserai but there is nothing left of the interior, just fragments of ceramic pots and jars everywhere.

Just 6km of sand dunes further on was the best preserved caravanserai, Akja Gala, which was in use from the 9th to the 12th century. Rectangular in shape it was bigger than Gyzylja Gala; about 150 metres long and 80 metres wide.

Another 5km along the route, a different type of ruin, Tahmalaj, which was a rest stop called a köshk (from which the English word ‘kiosk’ is derived). It was much smaller than the nearby caravanserai and would have been used by a different type of traveller.

After Tahmalaj there was a long 20km stretch, once we found our way, of bigger, softer sand dunes. It was very hard work. The sand seemed more fluid in the afternoon heat. I was pretty exhausted by the time we reached the final caravanserai, Konegala. There is very little of this kala left, just a few pieces of the outer walls. It covered a massive area, I estimate about 200 metres in length, but like Gyzylja Gala , there was little to photograph.

At this point I’d reached the asphalt road that after 10km led us back to the highway. From the highway, we drove to a town with a hotel for us to stay in (our support team were not equipped to camp). It was an incredibly rewarding day because it felt like there was always something new to discover, fossicking around the ruins, trying to picture what they would have been like in their heyday.

Days 67, 68 – To Turkmenabat, Farap border crossing to Olot – 123km, 57km

The following morning we returned to the point where I stopped. I was taking the “fast route” (compared to a camel caravan) across the Karakum Desert, the dreaded highway to Turkmenabat, 123km away. It was a long, hot day but fortunately only gentle resistance from the headwind. I found I could move a little faster over the asphalt, even though it was very rough in many places. We stopped to visit Repetek Biosphere Reserve, a kilometre off the highway, but there was little to see. Everything was closed. The weather station there is where it was determined that Repetek is the hottest place in Central Asia.

I needed to reach Turkmenabat on 29th May because we had to leave the country the following day. There was much to organise before we left and we were again slightly anxious about the border crossing. From Turkmenabat, we took a few short cuts, a 30km route through the backstreets and over the Amu Darya for the last time in Turkmenistan. Passing about 4km of stationery trucks we finally reached the first checkpoint where Anna and I said goodbye to Oraz and Atash. Our crossing went smoothly – firstly a bus ride for Anna with all of our gear while I cycled to the Turkmenistan passport control and customs, then another ride to a middle passport control and identification, then a longer cycle/bus ride to the Uzbekistan side, more passport checks and baggage scans, a few questions and we were free to go.

I had employed Sasha, our driver from Kazakhstan, to cover this next section but unfortunately he was held up for 15 hours waiting to cross from Kazakhstan into Uzbekistan and then had a huge drive to reach the Turkmenistan border. He couldn’t make it in time so we hired a taxi to take us to the nearest town with a hotel – Olot, 27km from the border. The driver did a good job supporting my ride during the afternoon and ensuring we were accepted into hotel accommodation.

Olot to Bukhara – 98km

Sasha drove through the night and was in Olot waiting for us by 8am the next day. It was great to have him back on the expedition. He was exhausted but there was only one day’s ride for him to support to reach Bukhara where we planned to have a rest stop.

About 30km north of Olot is one of the most significant sites of the Zerafshan-Karakum Corridor,  the ancient town Paikend, which dates back to the 4th Century BCE – 12th Century BC. We first visited an excellent little museum that outlined the history of the settlement and contained many artefacts discovered on the site.

Paikend existed until the Zerafshan River changed its course in the 12th century. The water supply dwindled and its residents left. By the 13th century Paikend was buried under the sands of the Kyzylkum Desert. For many centuries the evidence of the town’s wealth and prosperity was kept under a thick blanket of sand. The archeologist who excavated Paykend in the 1980s discovered it was in excellent condition, as if it had been conserved on purpose.

I pushed through another extremely hot day (37°C) and arrived in Bukhara ready for a rest after an intense couple of weeks in Turkmenistan.

The wonderful city of Bukhara will feature in the next blog.

A big thank you to Oraz (guide), Atash (driver) and the supporting company, Stan Trips for making it possible to travel through Turkmenistan. My requests for this journey were far from regular and they did a great job working through the constant controls and paperwork before, during and after this leg of the expedition.

FOLLOW THE JOURNEY

Thanks to ZeroeSixZero, you can open this link on your phone and select “add to home screen” and the map will become and app. You can then keep updated in real time.

TAKE ACTION

Support my Water.org fundraiser to help bring safe drinking water and sanitation to the world: Just $5 (USD) provides someone with safe drinking water or access to sanitation, and every $5 donated to my fundraiser will enter the donor into the Breaking the Cycle Prize Draw. 

EDUCATION

An education programme in partnership with Exploring by the Seat of Your Pants, with contributions from The Royal Geographical Society and The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Australia. We have created a Story Map resource to anchor the programme where presentations and updates will be added as we go.

The post Breaking the Cycle Central Asia: Zerafshan-Karakum Corridor – Part 1 Merv to Bukhara appeared first on overland-europe.

Day 54: Urgench – Dashoguz 70km

In Urgench, we bid Elena farewell and set off for the Turkmenistan border. Anna and I were slightly anxious about what to expect crossing into Turkmenistan – one of the world’s most secretive countries. I rode towards Shavat, passing field after field of recently planted cotton, fruit trees and other crops. It was a vibrant region with a vast network of canals fed, of course, by the Amu Darya. About five kilometres from the border we stopped for lunch and to organise ourselves for the crossing – border crossings are chaotic and this one would be no exception. It took us a record 4.5 hours to step into Turkmenistan in 36C temperatures!

Waiting on the Turkmenistan was our guide, Oraz who helped us through proceedings, starting with a Covid-19 test. Finally through at 5pm, I was led by my new team (Oraz and driver, Atash)15km through the wide streets of Dashoguz to our hotel. 

Day 55, 56: Dashoguz – The River Dredgers’ Camp, 110km; Camp – Gazadzhak; 94km

When I asked Oraz what the road would be like for the first section – 200km along a minor road in the desert – he replied he didn’t know because no one has cycled this before and foreigners don’t usually get to see this area.

We travelled fairly close together out of Dashoguz because there were regular checkpoints that we needed to get through. The day wasn’t so hot, but there was a blustery side wind, that became a head wind when I turned a corner and, in the second half of the day, when we again changed direction, a side-tail wind.

I cycled through an industrial zone out of town, and then green fields, mostly being attended to by women. The landscape was similar to the other side of the border. Of course, in Soviet times there was no border and people travelled across the region freely. At the fall of the Soviet Union, when the border fences were erected, families and properties were divided and it is still a real issue for divided families to connect.

Soon the green fields and villages were behind me and after, the landscape phased to desert. After about 55km we crossed the Godan Canal – the main channel fed by the Amu Darya that provides water for Dashoguz and the whole region. Our route for 200km followed parallel to the canal.

The cycling conditions quickly became ferrel. The asphalt deteriorated into broken islands with sand drifts across the road. Sand blasted horizontally across the landscape and into my right ear! When it got too much, I covered my face, and right ear, with my buff.

For a total of 60km, the sand consistently swamped the road, when there was any tarmac left at all. I pushed through some of the dunes and constantly battled the crosswind. Fortunately, for the last three hours of the day’s ride, the wind was more at my back as I pushed through the sand.

I somehow managed to power through the conditions – I love a challenge – and exceeded my support team’s expectations by covering 110km on the first day. In a small clearing I spotted a fellow waving at me beside his makeshift accommodation fashioned out of an old Soviet train carriage. We were promptly invited to stay. The two guys, Begli and Sapar, operated the river dredger, working 15 days on, 15 days off. That night we slept in their accommodation and enjoyed a meal of pilaf (rice) that they shared with us.

The wind had died down the next day and fortunately, after another 6km, the road started to improve – less sand on the road.

Gazadshak, named after its gas operations, is near to where the Amu Darya is altered, its overflow feeding some huge reservoirs that control the constant flow of water into the canals through the Dashoguz region. Whats left of the river continues through Khorezm and Karakalpakstan. Gazadzhak is not a place where travellers normally visit and there was no hotel accommodation. Oraz negotiated a place to stay in an apartment block nearby. Before we knew it we were swamped by intrigued kids who had never seen foreigners before, or a bike like mine.

Days 56 – 58: 120km, 141km, 88km

The road was generally better than the previous two days, but now I had to deal with extreme heat and, on the morning out of Gazadzhak, a raging head wind. There was nothing to impede the wind across the open plains and the morning was slow going. I just hung in there, head down. Once clear of the reservoir system, the road changed direction enough to make it a side wind and this made a big difference. The temperature reached at least 40C according to Atash’s car thermometer. For lunch we sat in a narrow strip of shade at the base of a ruin.

For this section of my journey the road tracked the Amu Darya, but I hadn’t seen the great river, only desert, until mid-afternoon. I passed through several villages located near the river with small farms and green fields. There was a lot of new houses being built and a lot of activity in general.

I was pleased to get 120km done as the temperatures soared and my feet burned. By the end of the day I made it ot Darganata – a mosque that was set up for large number of pilgrims. The second in charge (the Imam was in hospital), welcomed us and showed us around. In the mosque’s grounds stands the ruins of a 600-700year old caravanserai that would have once been beside the river.

The forecast the next day was for event hotter temperatures. Setting off at 8.45am I was wondering how I would cope. The day was already warm and by lunch I had only covered 50km. The focal point for the day was to visit the Dayahatyn Caravanserai. A caravanserai was like across between a roadhouse and a hotel on the Silk Roads where travellers rest, trade and prepare themselves for the onward journey. This caravanserai dates back to the 12th Century and is the best preserved caravanserai left standing. Even though it had been abandoned for 500 years, most of the structure stands whole.

The front part of the medieval hotel has been partially renovated by the USA Cultural Fund. The brickwork is exquisite

It could have been the samosas (Somsas) I ate at the (modern) roadhouse truck stop and checkpoint, but I seemed to recover in the afternoon and was able to push out a further 90km. Oraz, our guide, must constantly connect with the authorities to let them know where we are and where we stay at night. If we reach a town with a registered hotel, we are obliged to stay there. The one in Seydi wasn’t used to foreigners staying – it was a legacy of the Soviet era, but we managed ok. The restaurant recommended to us produced the best meal in Turkistan so far. At the end of our meal, the owners, Shahlo and Shohvat introduced themselves and, saying they hadn’t had anyone foreign eat there for a long time, gave us the meals free of charge. They then offered for us to return for breakfast

About 12km from Turkmenabat, I was having another tough day – 3 in a row – of over 40C heat. I was cooking, just trying to get to the city for a rest day. I needed one last stop of escape the heat and we walked into a small shop by the side of the road. The owners were so impressed and pleased to meet us, he sat me down in his shop. I went to buy cold water to add to my (hot) water bottles and an iced green tea , but he would let is pay. Then out came more drinks, home made eggplant salad, chocolates, and dry biscuits.

From there I negotiated busy traffic with the protection of my team. Keeping focus in traffic in the heat is not easy after such a tough day in the 43C heat.

What has struck me most so far is how friendly and generous the Turkmenistan people have been. They have virtually never met foreigners in the parts I just cycled. Kids were afraid to have their photo taken, or just stared. the Imam at the mosque, shop and restaurant owners.

Again I am running late and need to publish before we leave Turkmenabat, Turmenistan’s second largest city, tomorrow. Communications are limited here and I won’t have good wifi again for a few days.

FOLLOW THE JOURNEY

Thanks to ZeroeSixZero, you can open this link on your phone and select “add to home screen” and the map will become and app. You can then keep updated in real time.

TAKE ACTION

Support my Water.org fundraiser to help bring safe drinking water and sanitation to the world: Just $5 (USD) provides someone with safe drinking water or access to sanitation, and every $5 donated to my fundraiser will enter the donor into the Breaking the Cycle Prize Draw. 

EDUCATION

An education programme in partnership with Exploring by the Seat of Your Pants, with contributions from The Royal Geographical Society and The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Australia. We have created a Story Map resource to anchor the programme where presentations and updates will be added as we go.

The post Breaking the Cycle Central Asia: Turkmenistan’s Silk Roads appeared first on overland-europe.

In Moynaq I arranged for a guide to be with us for the remainder of the way to Nukus. Khurmet, whom we had met at the Yurt Camp beside the Aral Sea, was the perfect choice because he has local roots and is extremely knowledgeable about the environmental, historical and social issues related to Moynaq and the Aral Sea. 

While Aralsk was the major Aral Sea port in the north, Moynaq was formerly the key port city in the south. Separated by 475km, it was a significant expedition to sail between the two. The effects of the drying of the Aral Sea have been catastrophic in Moynaq and the whole region. Moynaq was on an island, the original harbour was 13km away. When water first receded from the harbour, the 600-strong fleet of ships moved to Moynaq. The town was booming with fish processing factories and other businesses and a population of around 30,000; 100,000 regional residents. 

The Soviet regime’s short-sighted justification for deliberately draining the Aral Sea was implemented by way of a crazy economic deduction. By some weird calculation they costed “the value” of fishing in the Aral Sea versus the much higher profits from cotton production. Combined with the infamous propaganda machine, the Aral Sea’s fate was sealed.

The Soviet Union’s insatiable drive for cotton was not only for producing textiles, they had secretly discovered how to make gunpowder from cotton pulp. The gunpowder has been used to fire weapons in its 20th Century conflicts. Since the break up of the Soviet Union, Uzbekistan and Kazakstan have continued to sell cotton to Russia – over 98 percent of Russia’s imported cotton pulp for the past decade – and the trade has grown since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have officially remained neutral with regard to the Ukraine war, and they understandably must tread a diplomatic and economic tightrope when it comes to relations with Russia.

Khurmet took us to see the famous boat cemetery on the edge of town. The graveyard of 13 ships lies on the old seabed at the base of the coastline. Looking out over the sea of sand, low vegetation and salt, it was difficult to comprehend that water still lapped the banks in the early 1980s. The larger fishing trawlers would have gone by then, only smaller boats could have docked. 

I decided to take an extra day in Moynaq so Khurmet could take us to meet an old fisherman who remembers what life was like to grow up beside the sea and live off its bounty. The sailor, Anvar Sagimbetov, always wanted to be the captain of the boat he crewed as second in charge. In 1966, he was conscripted to the Soviet army for three years and when he returned in 1969, he found his boat grounded – the receding sea had become too shallow for larger boats. He lived in hope that this problem was temporary, but as we know, the water never came back.

Anvar retrained as a teacher and then as an artist. He is very talented and has spent his days bringing to life memories of the golden days as a boy and fisherman, recording Karakalpak history and culture, and illustrating Moynaq in the present – the Aralkum Desert, people’s emotions, sadness, cultural change and what he foresees the future might be like.

Anvar’s grandson, who works as a technician, was affected at birth by the dust. The toxic salt affected bone metabolism and has caused significant deformities, particularly on his left side. Bone issues are one of the most common afflictions caused by the toxicity. Birth defects, miscarriages, an increase in cancer rates, respiratory problems and a shortened life expectancy are some of the other key health issues. 

Moynaq is trying to adapt, revitalise its culture and develop an economy based around tourism. There is a lot of development going on, an impressive museum, and the STIHIA Electronic Music, Arts and Science Festival.

Day 43

Moynaq to Kazakdarya: 120km

Back on the road, my first objective was the ride the 45km to Porlatau, retracing part of my route in to Moynaq, and then turning east and into a ferocious, dry headwind that whipped dust straight off the desert. Over the final 10km, there was welcome respite in the form of the Sokaral Reservoir. The road was shaded by the last stands of an endemic variety of poplar trees – the first significant trees I’d seen for quite a while. Adding water and trees reduced the temperature significantly and we stopped to make the most of the idyllic, cooler location. The Sokaral Reservoir basically holds the last of the Amu Darya’s water, which is contained for the local people to make a living.

Five kilometres on I reached Porlatau and beyond the village, it felt like armageddon! It was desolate and gusts of hot, dry wind stirred the dust. This is the scene of where the Amu Darya, Central Asia’s biggest river, dies. I stopped midway over the 500m long causeway. Judging by the size of the banks, the river was enormous. The Amu Darya’s flow was much bigger than the Syr Darya’s. I was told it was over 100m deep at the point where I stood. Occasionally a small amount of water flows this far, but it is immediately lost, evaporating or disappearing into the desert sand, leaving the toxic salt to crystallise on the ground. I felt very emotional, that the majestic river could come to this – and it was all due to shortsighted human intervention, economic greed and in post-Soviet times, not enough collaboration.

On the other side of the causeway, there was a huge project underway to build new banks in the hope of saving the last drops of water when it does come, to increase the size of the Sokaral Reservoir for the nearby communities.

From here we followed a labyrinth of banks, some built recently, others by the Soviets back in the late 1980s – all to manipulate the Amu Darya’s flow and hold more of the water.

Navigating our way along the banks and lakes, our route took us to the Amu Darya, however we came to a point where it was too overgrown for the support vehicle to traverse. There was just one section of about 1.5 kilometres, according to Khurmet, where I should be able to slip through on the bike. The vehicle would go the long way round and meet me where my track came out. I set off and immediately I could see why the support vehicle would have been able to get through. It was a brilliant little track, very overgrown in places. Khurmet mentioned I should try to veer left at some point to meet up with the road they were to take, but there were no obvious turnoffs. After about 2.5km, I ended up at the river. The track stopped there. I had noticed a possible left hand trail, returned to that point and followed it for nearly a kilometre, essentially bush-whacking along what could have been a trail. But this soon disappeared completely. With no other choices, I decided to retrace my path to where we separated.

Now I was really worried. I didn’t have much water and no food left, and didn’t know exactly where they had gone. A couple of fishermen on a motorbike stopped and we spent ages trying to communicate the situation. In the end, I had noted what was almost certainly the fresh tyre tracks of the support vehicle and followed them. It started off in the right direction but then veered the wrong way. With no choice, I kept following the track. A few kilometres later, I saw what could have been a car coming towards me in the distance, giving me hope. But as the vehicle drew nearer, I could make out a small fishing boat being carried by two guys on a motorbike with a side car! Another pair of motorcyclists stopped and we established that they had seem our 4WD. I was in the process of sketching the support vehicle on the ground when we spotted my team across on another bank. I took off, cycling cross-country directly towards them in case they hadn’t seen me, about 500m away. We were soon reunited and all very relieved. They were just as worried.

This episode used up a lot of time. We made a solid plan to keep together and work our way through the network of rough tracks to a made road – well it was once a Soviet-made asphalt strip, but hadn’t been upgraded since. It was a terrible cycling surface of broken asphalt sealed with big stones. I pushed into a side-cross wind, reaching Kazakdarya, a further 42km on, at last light. Then a further five kilometres on a rough track to a yurt camp with a natural spring. Frustratingly, we again lost each other and reunited at the venue – of course, no sign posts.

Day 44

Kazakdarya to Nukus: 136km

From Shimbay, the road became a busy highway and I pushed hard to reach Nukus, a day earlier than my original plan. As this journey is about exploring life along the Amu Darya, I was guided through the city to the river.

The finale to this section was, after cycling in the dark through Nukus for about 7km to reach the Jipek Joli Art Hotel, where we stayed, Ayjamal had secretly arranged a champagne reception with a few supporters and staff/team to celebrate the journey.

By the way, I do love reading everyone’s comments – I just can’t reply effectively, unless you go back to the post – comments don’t come to your email.

FOLLOW THE JOURNEY

Thanks to ZeroeSixZero, you can open this link on your phone and select “add to home screen” and the map will become and app. You can then keep updated in real time.

TAKE ACTION

Support my Water.org fundraiser to help bring safe drinking water and sanitation to the world: Just $5 (USD) provides someone with safe drinking water or access to sanitation, and every $5 donated to my fundraiser will enter the donor into the Breaking the Cycle Prize Draw. 

EDUCATION

An education programme in partnership with Exploring by the Seat of Your Pants, with contributions from The Royal Geographical Society and The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Australia. We have created a Story Map resource to anchor the programme where presentations and updates will be added as we go.

The post Breaking the Cycle Central Asia – Moynaq to Nukus: Starting from the end (Amu Darya rivermouth) appeared first on overland-europe.

Day 14 (6th April) – 119km

In Turkistan, our guide Islam was afflicted with a health issue and after much discussion with his family and the team, sadly he decided to return to his home city of Shymkent to get some treatment and rest. This means Sasha, our Russian-speaking support driver, will solely take on the support role. Thank goodness for Google Translate! Sasha is reliable and very competent and we are very fortunate to have him as a part of the team – we’re all patiently working on our communications. 

We set off from Turkistan, and to my delight, I pedalled along the busy highway with the wind at my back. Islam had decided to accompany us as far as Sauran, another very interesting archaeological site 50km from Turkistan, and then head back to Shymkent from there. 

Sauran was an ancient city that once belonged to the Karakhanid Kharnate, a Turkic Islamic state that existed from the 9th to the13th centuries. The city was an important centre for trade and culture along the northern branch of the Silk Route. An underground aqueduct was engineered to deliver water from the Black Mountains 40km away to Sauran. After Sauran was raised by Ghengis Khan, the city was revived and existed from 13th – 18th centuries. It was the ruins of Sauran 2.0 that we investigated.

I liked the site, particularly as it hadn’t been rebuilt, apart from the entrance. Its walls are 2.3km in circumference, but now appear to be melting into the landscape, slowly returning to dust. Sauran was home to about 15,000 middle class citizens whereas the elite lived outside the city walls. 

Slaves were forced to carry bricks baked in Sauran to build a part of the Mausoleum of Khawaja Ahmed Yasawi in Turkistan! 

We said our goodbyes to Islam, who has been helping from afar ever since. I covered another 70km that day, the last hour in drizzly rain, to Zhanakorgan on the Syr Darya.

Day 15 (7th April) – 97km

Day 15 was a hard slog. The highway I’m following, the only direct route, is the main thoroughfare across Kazakhstan and into Central Asia – it is unbelievably busy with a constant flow of trucks and cars. It has a wide single lane in each direction and a small hard shoulder for me to stick to. The tail wind from the previous day became a powerful, gusting side wind and I fought to stay on the road and away from the wheels of heavy duty vehicles. I was pushed down to 13km/hr – it was painfully slow and I had to keep my wits about me. In the end I still made 97km and, unable to camp beside the river, Sasha found a small lake where, with permission, we could set up camp.

Day 16 (8th April) – 107km

On the last day into Kyzylorda, the wind eased but was this time a headwind. I opted to leave the busy highway for the south side of the Syr Darya. It was so much better cycling on quieter roads. The landscape became very dry, quite featureless and it was a long way between villages.

On reaching Kyzylorda, I merged into a maze of heavy traffic and struggled to keep Sasha’s vehicle in my sights. The city developed in the Soviet era to become the administration centre for the region, including the Aral Sea in Kazakhstan. We stayed in a 4th floor apartment – typical Soviet architecture with wonky stairs (no lift), dim lighting, everything a bit run down and not quite straight, but functional.

Day 17 (April 9th)

The International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) was established in 1993 by the Heads of State of Central Asia in order to overcome the environmental crisis and improve the socio-economic situation in the Aral Sea basin. I had connected with the IFAS Deputy Director before the expedition and he has coordinated his team to support my requests.

The aim in Kyzylorda was to see the Hydro-Complex, a feat of engineering that enables the Syr Darya’s flow to be efficiently managed so that only the amount required for rice production is diverted into the canal system. (Note that rice is still a water-thirsty crop) Most of the water keeps flowing towards the Aral Sea.

At the Hydro-Complex we were met by Erkin Utegenov, the Director for the IFAS in the Kyzylorda Region, Marat the Director of the Hydro-Complex and Azamat, a student interpreter. The Hydro-Complex was built in 1939, but then ceased working during the Second World War. After WW11, the Hydro-Complex was in disrepair until the Soviets used Japanese Prisoners of War to rebuild it.

Next we were shown the museum which lay out its history; the construction from 1939 using peasant labour, the Soviet vision to use the Syr Darya’s water for maximum production at the expense of the Aral Sea, and why the updated Hydro-Complex it is now an important structure to help protect the Aral Sea.

After the tour we were taken to Korkyt Ata University, a teaching university where we met Prof. Rakhat Kurmanbayev whose students were studying a course in water management and the protection of the Aral Sea. It was really impressive to see a group of bright young students taking their own future into their hands by learning how to manage and care for their environment. These are the kind of stories we don’t usually get to hear.

Korkyt Ata University is looking to collaborate with other universities around the world.

FOLLOW THE JOURNEY

Thanks to ZeroeSixZero, you can open this URL on your phone and select “add to home screen” and the map will become and app. You can then keep updated in real time.

TAKE ACTION

Support my Water.org fundraiser to help bring safe drinking water and sanitation to the world: Just $5 (USD) provides someone with safe drinking water or access to sanitation, and every $5 donated to my fundraiser will enter the donor into the Breaking the Cycle Prize Draw. 

EDUCATION

An education programme in partnership with Exploring by the Seat of Your Pants, with contributions from The Royal Geographical Society and The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Australia. We have created a Story Map resource to anchor the programme where presentations and updates will be added as we go.

The post Breaking the Cycle Central Asia: Kyzylorda and the Hydro-Complex appeared first on overland-europe.