Antique Turkmen Bracelets, Silver with Carnelian

These are my antique Turkmen bracelets, silver with gold plate (almost gone now) and carnelian stones, and I also promised to my friends that there will be a story about them. If I start writing a large blog post, it will take me hours, so I will try to write here and make it short.

...So, when I was about 23 years old, I came to Bukhara for three says, to do some sightseeing. It was a lovely time in April, I enjoyed roaming the city, breathing the spring air and looking at all the bright and beautiful items offered for sale, without actually wanting anything... and then I saw these bracelets. And I realised that I had to have them.

(this is me sitting at the back door of the Kalyan Mosque, and me trying on a massive 4-raw Turkmen bracelet)

Unfortunately the seller, a beautiful Tajik lady, asked 120$ for them, which was a lot of money for me. So I kept coming to her shop about three times per day, to chat with her and to nag about the discount for the bracelets. The shop was in the Jeweller's Dome and it was very convenient for me to visit it several times per day, because this place is in the middle of the Old City, and I was hanging out in the Old City, anyway. Finally on the third day of my nagging she just had to give up and sell them to me for 80$.

At the same time, she told me a story about Turkmen silver. She said: "In the nomadic Teke tribe in Turkmenistan, each married woman still wears 10-15 kg (22-33 lbs) of silver jewelry day and night. The reason is, whenever her husband says to her: "Talak! I do not need you anymore, go!" - she must go away as she was, without taking anything else with her, besides what she was wearing at that time. Then she will be living off her jewelry".

It was almost 15 years ago but I still remember her fine features, black eyes and the soft voice telling me this story as if all that was the most natural thing to do. On the other hand, I guess for the Teke tribe it was indeed the most natural thing, so there were no reasons to be shocked or surprised.

Uzbek Woman in Ikat Gown with a Boy

Just an old photo that I want to share. Both the woman and the child seem amazing to me - very beautiful and enigmatic. They seem to be looking into the future, unknown to them at that point, but known to us now... not their personal future, of course, but the overall history of the region and people. 

I do not know who they are, but obviously they were from a rich family, judging by their clothing and her jewellery. The woman's hands are obviously not familiar with hard work, and are heavy with lavish rings and bracelets. Note that their gowns are made from the same gorgeous ikat silk. The woman is wearing 'tilla kosh' headpiece - 'golden brows' - and a shawl, which could be Russian, judging by what I can see from the pattern. Beautiful!

Woman in full wedding regalia with child, photograph ca. 1860, Registan Museum, Samarkand. 

Bukhara Waking Up

I just came from a very short business trip to Bukhara. I only had half an hour in the morning before work to walk around a bit and see some of my favorite places.

Bukhara is especially beautiful when it is almost empty, waking up early in the morning, cleaning herself and preparing for another day with thousands of tourists.

This is one of the many beautiful domes where dozens of little shops are situated.

Shop owners are displaying their goods. 


 Traditional brass vessels. I am not a fan, but they do look amazing.

 

These are fragments of a crypt which was only recently uncovered. It has not been restored yet and I believe it looks really good the way it is now. Although of course restoration is necessary to make sure the building does not deteriorate further. 

And this is just an old door with a covered hole which looks almost like a pet door. But I think this was a window to see who is knocking.

The photos are nothing special, really - I was in a hurry, and I am not good at photographing architecture, anyway. But I hope to go to Bukhara with my family later this year and take more photos, hopefully better ones. Anyway, what is important is that I have seen the beautiful city and remember what it looks, smells and feels like...

The Never Ending Festival of Bukhara

As often happens to me in the end of summer, I feel the urge to go somewhere. Even though I have had my three weeks of vacation in the mountains, that clearly was not enough to provide me with new impressions. Unfortunately this year was not very successful for us financially, and it is unlikely that we could afford going abroad.

However here within our country we always have a wonderful option - we can go to a place I am never tired of. We can go to Bukhara. To me, this is not an alternative, not a cheaper substitute for a more exciting trip, but a journey as fascinating as any other. 

My heart fills with joy as we are entering the city. The bells in a small shop at the entrance to the Jewellers' Dome are just like they were 12 years ago, when I saw them for the first time. Old and new, covered with patina or shiny, I smile at them as if they were old friends of mine.

The city is traditionally called 'the Golden Bukhara', for its wealth and beauty.  To me it is not golden, though. It is all shades of brown and red. Old weathered bricks and wood are softened and brightened by carpets of wool and silk, giving the ever-festive look to the city and making it so alive. Colorful silk scarves move with the wind, like flags of some unknown country.

The carpets in the picture below are hanging near the entrance to the Money Exchangers' Dome.

And the carpets and rugs in the next photo are just lying nearby, thrown carelessly on the pavement.

These ladies' hats - dupi - demonstrate bright handmade embroidery with tassels. Traditional embroidery uses lots of symbols believed to protect the wearer, ensure prosperity, bring good luck and health. The origins (and sometimes the meaning) of many of those is now lost, but the women still teach their trainees to use those patterns in their work, passing the craft and half-forgotten old-knowledge to the new generations.

This is the entrance to one of the converted mosques. Inside, there are plenty of small rooms which are used as craft workshops now. People make embroidery, sew, weave, carve wood, make dolls and engrave brass plates right there and sell their work on the spot.

The lady in the picture below was giving a dance lesson at Nodir Divan Begi madrassah. Tourists, including ourselves, were enchanted. In the background you can see a display with miniatures and colorful suzani bags.

In Bukhara, people are very industrious and crafty.  Everyone is doing something - even an elderly lady in the drugstore is embroidering a piece of fabric when there are no customers around. They keep producing things to sell to tourists, and teach their children, too.

Kids help their parents in shops, learn crafts and can speak several foreign languages - at least the key words necessary to trade, but sometimes they speak English or other languages quite fluently. They are very proud of their contribution to the family budget.

The little lady in picture below on the right was drawing diligently, seated close to her parent's shop and paying no attention to the loud music and tourists around.

It was late October, and the weather was blissful. The sun was warm and tender, and the nights were chilly, with bright stars and black silhouettes of domes and trees against the dark blue sky. And these are the last October roses from the inner yard of our hotel.

And what a lovely hotel it was! a very old converted house, full of small rooms and complicated corridors. The walls and floor in our room were decorated with rugs and suzani, and it was very quiet and cozy. The hotel was very inexpensive, too, despite its location in the very heart of the old city.

This was in 2009, and I have not been to Bukhara since then. In 2010 I bought a dog and was very busy with him, but now he is grown up and I think we could go. Actually I have been thinking of taking him with me - it would be nice to show the place to the former citizen of the Netherlands - but then I decided against it. Although he is very social and well trained, I could not take him inside all the madrassah and mosques (even thought they are converted), and it is better for him to stay at home.

I would love to go there again this autumn; I miss Bukhara very much. If I go, I will certainly bring back a lot of pictures and something to offer in our Etsy shop. And I would bring back some presents for my dog, too - a beautiful ceramic bowl or an embroidered collar (if they started producing those - I would not be surprised, for Bukhara craftsmen are very creative).

It might be a bit early to write about autumn now, but maybe you would like to come and see the city? You would still have time to make the reservations to spend the most beautiful autumn days in one of the most fascinating places of Central Asia.