Tashkent

The Silk Road conjures exotic goods -- ivory, wine, spices and gold -- transported along a network of trade routes between Asia and Europe. Mir Corp. hosts a 20-day trip along one route, from Tashkent in Uzbekistan to Tehran, where hand-made carpets are still sold along the way. "Once Forbidden Lands of Central Asia & Iran" starts in the Uzbeki capital of Tashkent, continues on to Turkmenistan's capital city of Ashgabat and visits Tehran, Persepolis and Isfahan as well as other parts of Iran.

The Silk Road conjures exotic goods -- ivory, wine, spices and gold -- transported along a network of trade routes between Asia and Europe. Mir Corp. hosts a 20-day trip along one route, from Tashkent in Uzbekistan to Tehran, where hand-made carpets are still sold along the way. "Once Forbidden Lands of Central Asia & Iran" starts in the Uzbeki capital of Tashkent, continues on to Turkmenistan's capital city of Ashgabat and visits Tehran, Persepolis and Isfahan as well as other parts of Iran.

An earthquake measuring between 5 and 6 on the Soviet 12-point scale--described as "relatively strong"--shook the Soviet central Asian city of Tashkent on Saturday, Tass news agency reported. It did not say if there were any casualties or damage. Tashkent was badly damaged by an earthquake in 1966 and was rebuilt to withstand moderate tremors.

Uzbek police identified a married couple as suspects in a series of car bombings and appealed over state television for help in finding them. The explosions in this Central Asian nation killed 14 people, one of whom died Thursday, state television reported in Tashkent, the capital. More than 100 were injured. No one has claimed responsibility for the six car bombings. But Islamic militants have come under suspicion.

Uzbek police identified a married couple as suspects in a series of car bombings and appealed over state television for help in finding them. The explosions in this Central Asian nation killed 14 people, one of whom died Thursday, state television reported in Tashkent, the capital. More than 100 were injured. No one has claimed responsibility for the six car bombings. But Islamic militants have come under suspicion.

A Soviet airliner on a domestic flight skidded off a runway Saturday in Uzbekistan and smashed into concrete construction blocks, killing 31 people, the state news agency Tass said. The crash occurred as the Antonov-24 turboprop, carrying 52 passengers and four crew members, was landing in Tashkent, capital of the southern republic. The plane hit construction blocks being used for repairs at the airport, Tass reported. A state aviation commission is investigating the cause of the accident.

"You paid much to see our exotics, so don't complain. You are going to see our exotics." Our Intourist guide, Natasha, as dryly humorous as she was dutifully propagandistic, was making light of our aim to see Uzbekistan, the ancient region near Afghanistan and China's Xinjiang province and now the Uzbek Socialist Soviet Republic. Natasha, of course, was right. To us, Uzbekistan meant pure exotica.

Military issues weigh heavily on the proposed agenda for a meeting in Uzbekistan's capital Friday of the leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the loose alliance of 11 of the 15 former Soviet republics forged late last year as a successor to the Soviet state.

Sometimes the Uzbekistan Restaurant seems less a restaurant than a movie about a restaurant, some New-Wave French flick set in a room with wild, onion-dome cutouts and minarets, Uzbeki hats on the walls, a dome of trompe-l'oeil sky overhead, "1001 Nights" murals and gleaming teapots: It's a sort of Disneyland-like essay on the joys of post-Soviet capitalism.

There are no world-class sports facilities in this Central Asian desert oasis, no modern airport, no lakes for yachting. Yet, Tashkent has launched an audacious bid to host the 2000 Summer Olympics as part of a broader campaign to improve life in one of the poorest corners of the former Soviet Union. "Of course it would be good for sports, we'll build lots of facilities.

Sometimes the Uzbekistan Restaurant seems less a restaurant than a movie about a restaurant, some New-Wave French flick set in a room with wild, onion-dome cutouts and minarets, Uzbeki hats on the walls, a dome of trompe-l'oeil sky overhead, "1001 Nights" murals and gleaming teapots: It's a sort of Disneyland-like essay on the joys of post-Soviet capitalism.

People in striped robes sit under aspen trees, drinking tea dosed with black pepper and eating shish kebab sprinkled with curry-type spices. But they don't eat curries; they tend to flavor stew in the Persian fashion, with fruit instead of spices. They also eat steamed dumplings, lamb with noodles and other spicy dishes from western China--those remote western provinces that Chinese regional cookbooks ignore.

There are no world-class sports facilities in this Central Asian desert oasis, no modern airport, no lakes for yachting. Yet, Tashkent has launched an audacious bid to host the 2000 Summer Olympics as part of a broader campaign to improve life in one of the poorest corners of the former Soviet Union. "Of course it would be good for sports, we'll build lots of facilities.

Military issues weigh heavily on the proposed agenda for a meeting in Uzbekistan's capital Friday of the leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the loose alliance of 11 of the 15 former Soviet republics forged late last year as a successor to the Soviet state.

A Soviet airliner on a domestic flight skidded off a runway Saturday in Uzbekistan and smashed into concrete construction blocks, killing 31 people, the state news agency Tass said. The crash occurred as the Antonov-24 turboprop, carrying 52 passengers and four crew members, was landing in Tashkent, capital of the southern republic. The plane hit construction blocks being used for repairs at the airport, Tass reported. A state aviation commission is investigating the cause of the accident.

"You paid much to see our exotics, so don't complain. You are going to see our exotics." Our Intourist guide, Natasha, as dryly humorous as she was dutifully propagandistic, was making light of our aim to see Uzbekistan, the ancient region near Afghanistan and China's Xinjiang province and now the Uzbek Socialist Soviet Republic. Natasha, of course, was right. To us, Uzbekistan meant pure exotica.

People in striped robes sit under aspen trees, drinking tea dosed with black pepper and eating shish kebab sprinkled with curry-type spices. But they don't eat curries; they tend to flavor stew in the Persian fashion, with fruit instead of spices. They also eat steamed dumplings, lamb with noodles and other spicy dishes from western China--those remote western provinces that Chinese regional cookbooks ignore.

Song Guorong's genealogy gets hazy just a few generations before his own. But follow it back further--by 2,000 years--and he'll tell you exactly who lies at the root of his family tree. "I know my ancestors were Romans," the lanky 39-year-old says in a matter-of-fact voice as he navigates the rutted lanes of this dusty hamlet deep in China's interior. It's a remarkable claim to make, in a place as far east of Rome as New York is west.

An earthquake measuring between 5 and 6 on the Soviet 12-point scale--described as "relatively strong"--shook the Soviet central Asian city of Tashkent on Saturday, Tass news agency reported. It did not say if there were any casualties or damage. Tashkent was badly damaged by an earthquake in 1966 and was rebuilt to withstand moderate tremors.