Day 5:Chor Minor

 Today was the fifth day of our practice.We all were trying to find the exact place of our today's destination. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of bright turquoise peeking out above a narrow monotone alley. Instantly drawn to the color, we turned and headed straight for it. Standing alone in a dirty open space was a four-pillar structure. At the top of each pillar, a turquoise dome rested. It was a small and relatively simple structure compared to some of the madrases, but it was lovely. 

 Our duties Nigina told us that The Chor Minor was an old gate for a madrasah that no longer exists, and each pillar has a different motif representing the four religions known in Central Asia at the time, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Zoroastrian

. I also first was amused as one pillar had a fake

stork nest on top, a common sight on many of the mosques, madrases, bazaars, and structures. Storks were a familiar and regal bird in the area and often made nests on high structures. Sadly and somewhat oddly, we didn’t see any real nests. It was almost as if the storks have long been gone, and the fake nests are an attempt to remember the days of rich biodiversity. All in all it was the place fully different compared with others.