Samarkand
Genghis Khan’s conquest of Samarkand was a project of widespread destruction and bloodshed. However, those were the old days. These days, Khan’s grandson Ulugh Beg, has vowed to create a resort in the region with mosques, fine architecture, shops, and some tentative talks about a new water park for children. Many artisans have been recruited into the area, interesting in participating in the new construction projects. Yet, is the promise of Samarkand a fleeting fantasy for most, despite the “happy face” presented by Ulugh Beg and the Samarkand mascot, the black vulture, бүргэд, who strolls through the gold plated streets in his trademark short pants, greeting children and theatrically consuming carrion? There is, ironically, a dark side to Samarkand, the Most Felicitous of all Asian Capitals, one marked by social inequity and economic struggle. David Green reports.
*transcript*
Reporter: Today, we start a new feature, Faces of Samarkand. In this series, we hope to introduce you to some of the hard-working people chasing the Silk Road Phantasm, hoping to raise their situation and do better than their parents. Yet, are the social and economic barriers of Samarkand too much to cross? Meet Khulan, a 31 year old single mother who recently moved to Samarkand.
Khulan: I started selling flower bracelets, and one day, I was at…a caravan stop, just kind of, weaving my way among the tents, and a man asked me to perform a sexual act on him. I was…shocked, frankly, but then I thought. Well. Why not. Because these flower bracelets are sure as hell not going to pay the bills.
Reporter: Khulan has two eight year old twin boys.
Khulan: I would hate for them to know what I am doing to keep food on the table. I have a relation in the Yuan province, and I might send them there.
Reporter: Khulan is not alone. Most artisan residents of Khulan do not live in the ritzy capital, but miles away, in what is commonly called a food desert. There are little healthy options, and the only grocery stores are far from where they live.
Unidentified Man: I have to change camels three times if I want to find a store that has blueberries. I know it’s unhealthy for me to live on coffee, mutton, and cheap cigarettes, but I don’t feel like I have reasonable options to do otherwise.
Reporter: This man is not alone. Meet Batbataar. Raised in Samarkand, for years he has leased the same tent on the outskirts of the Temple of Perpetual Bliss. These days…things are not so blissful. His yearly tribute of six goats and one Unsanctified Virgin Teen which has constituted rent for decades his now been increased by one Ferghana horse, which is easily provided by the rich outsiders who come to participate in Ulugh Beg’s court, but which are out of reach for many people.
Batbataar: I don’t feel like I can travel to Ferghana. I have a small pony, that is aging, and I really only trust it in the city. I may have to leave Samarkand soon. I am awake nights worrying about it. I think I must live in a cave near town, along with some friends of mine. We just want to see some options for affordable housing. Ulugh Beg sends us letters begging us to come, promising us high wages, and yet, when we come, look at where we’re living.
Reporter: We reached out to Ulugh Beg for comment.
Ulugh Beg: Look, my grandfather, he killed all the people. Now, we don’t kill all the people. We give them jobs. We pay competitive wages.
Reporter: Some people are saying, look at Ulugh Beg, he’s making 800,000 times the wages of a common skilled worker. Is that fair?
Ulugh Beg: I mean, if you’re saying it, I guess I have to take your word, since I never learned math. I would have to have my accountant look at it, except I accused him of wizardry and beheaded him in front of his entire family two months ago. But that sounds like a lot, if what you’re saying is true.
Reporter: It is a lot.
Ulugh Beg: Yeah, it sounds like a lot.
Reporter: It is.
Ulugh Beg: I agree with you, but if you keep pressing the point, I’m just saying, I may have to kill you. It’s just habit at this point.
Reporter: Some argue that increasing wages among workers at Samarkand will ultimately only increase the cost of living.
Unidentified Housewife: My husband worked for six years cleaning up after Ulugh Beg’s horses, and now he is a servant in the Upper Yard. It *can* happen.
Reporter: Some court individuals themselves are even arguing for higher wages, such as noted court official Bat-Erdene Sanders.
Sanders: Ulugh Beg pays no taxes. He exacts taxes, but pays none. Is that fair?
Ulugh Beg: *shrugs, burps*
Reporter: David Green, Samarkand. Next week, we switch topics, and investigate what some workers are criticizing as shoddy construction work in Samarkand, where gilded walls conceal rotting insulation.
Ulugh Beg: I only work with certified contractors, but the ones who like drywall. I want to build a glorious capital that attracts trade and awed visitors, but that doesn’t mean I don’t work within a budget.
Reporter: David Green from Samarkand, signing off.
