Meet the people of Central Asia

[questa]

Hello, I don't know my name yet but I will be your guide for part of the journey. I live in Tashkent

People like these boys ride horses everywhere. They are in the Tien Shan mountains just out of Almaty in Kazakhstan

Across the border in Xinjiang, China is Lake Sayram. People come for weekends and just to chill out.

Further along the Yining Valley are more boys with horses

There are lots of nomad families here who live in yurts or gers.

The nomad families keep in touch with the world.

In the green steppes around Narat city people come for holidays. Here they dress in the various ethnic costumes to have their photos taken.

Pretty...yes, but can she ride a horse?

The men play a game like polo, but they use the body of a dead goat (without a head) and each team tries to grab the goat and throw it into a raised goal. It is very rough but the riders and horses are skilful.

You can see in these peoples' faces the mixture of different ethnic groups. They wanted their photo taken and sent to them. I hope they got them OK.

The Imam of the Mosque was kind and showed us all the things there. This was in Minfeng where the road through the Taklamakan desert meets the Silk Road.

Minfeng has an interesting transport system...you get on and off these carts whenever you like and pay for the ride.

These people were waiting for the bus...look at her long hair!

Here is the bus now.

The townsfolk of Kerliya have their own culture...Married women wear a tiny hat on top of their scarf.

These boys cool down in the river at Hotan

If you need a dentist in Yarkand, try this chap.

These bead sellers are in Kashgar. I'll leave you there because there is lots more to see another time.

[Deleted]

These photos are absolutely stunning, questa. I have seen movies like The Cave of the Yellow Dog and Urga which show the lives of these people, but it is really amazing for you to have been able to be among them and take their pictures "in real life." I do know that the more remote the area, the more people enjoy having their pictures taken, which really helps out in a case like this. It is still considered an honour rather than an annoyance. But probably not for long!

[mossie]

Wonderful pictures again. I love the camel rug with the cut outs for the humps, and the fabrics on the carts. The first little child is an absolute beauty.

[bjd]

Great pictures, questa.

I was trying to remember the name of the "polo" game: buzkashi.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buzkashi

[questa]

Sept 2, 2013 9:11:00 GMT bjd said:

Great pictures, questa.

I was trying to remember the name of the "polo" game: buzkashi.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buzkashi

Thank you so much...I was racking my feeble brain trying to remember it. It is not a name that falls readily to mind.

It is surprisingly an exciting contest, no boundaries and the pack would gallop quite close to the spectators. Poor goat though!

[Deleted]

The meat must be really tender at the end of the game.

[htmb]

Fabulous photos, Questa. Each one is interesting and stands on its own. I love seeing the marvelous expressions you've captured. This will be a thread I want to come back to and study.

I used to know a bit about Almaty, but have forgotten everything I ever learned. Years ago my students were pen pals with students in an Almaty international school. We exchanged snail mail and email back in the day when I first had access.

[fumobici]

This is a beautiful set of photos, thanks.

[questa]

Kerouac 2. The goat is filthy dirty from being kicked along the ground. I asked what happened to the meat, using sign language of pointing to the carcase then hand to mouth eating gestures, and a questioning look. The rider shook his head and laughed...then barked like a dog

[lugg]

Beautiful photos and absolutely fascinating. I especially enjoyed looking at the horse photos and the tack used. The photos of the men/boys playing buzkashi / kokpar / kupkari are a real treat.

Your photos suggest that horses are still an important part of life here as they have been for centuries. I wondered about the breeds in your photos- any ideas / info.

Htmb wrote

my students were pen pals with students in an Almaty international school. We exchanged snail mail and email back in the day when I first had access.

Coincidentally I received a letter from Kyrgyzstan yesterday. The post mark was Bishkek - 16/8/13 so it had only taken just over 2 weeks, (although I do not know how long it had taken to get to Bishkek from the village it was sent from). No longer snail mail and quicker than a post card from Spain .

[questa]

If you ever get to Kashgar make sure you are there on a Sunday. That is when the big livestock sale is held and there are classic photos everywhere you look. I set my PB record of 79 pics in 20 minutes! Fortunately most are deleted now.

"You paid WHAT for that camel?"

Ordinary scissors are used to remove fleeces.

[bjd]

More wonderful photos!

A few years ago I started looking into going to the various stans -- you are making me regret not going. Did you go on an organized trip or did you do it on your own?

[bixaorellana]

I have looked at this thread over and over again, Questa, and undoubtedly will do so many more times. Aside from its variety and beauty, it can be studied to figure out how to capture such perfect and relaxed portraits. Your pictures are so beautifully framed and show so much, but just have an ease about them -- never mannered or forced.

As Bjd points out, you are a force for making a person want to see the -stans! I echo her question.

Another question -- what does the caption under the first picture mean? Are children not given names until a certain age?

This is SO outstanding & enjoyable!

[tod2]

Wonderful photos Questa! I am almost positive that the plastic table cloth in red with purple and yellow flower decoration, is what I have been / or still have, selling in my shop.......gosh China makes it's appearance everywhere!!

The scissors are definitely not Fiskars ( those only come with an orange handle) but may be made in Brazil. I sell those too!

The children are lovely and have such lively eyes - Makes me wonder what their future holds - cant be stressful leading such a simple life that's handed down from generation to generation.

[questa]

>tod 2, did you see the old man selling knives? They were made in Yengisar which is a few Km from Kashgar. These families have been making sharp stuff for a couple of thousand years...they got the contract for Alexander the Great. There are sharpening men at the market, one with his assistant who pulls the leather belt to drive the whetstone. I'll post them.

[questa]

Sept 3, 2013 16:28:11 GMT bixaorellana said:

Another question -- what does the caption under the first picture mean? Are children not given names until a certain age?

What it means is the photographer was going all gooey and pulling faces to make Baby smile, she forgot to ask her name.

I meant the start to sound like "my name is Jason and I'll be your waitperson today" send up.

(You will find I have an off beat sense of humour)

[Deleted]

I love the knife-sharpening men, I don't know why. Maybe because it reminds me of the old Italian man who used to go around my Toronto neighbourhood with his whetstone cart. I find all these photos amazing, questa, not the least because it's a part of the world I will probably never see.

[questa]

Just to finish off the pics the people on the Silk Road

Our lovely guide took us home to meet his family

We crossed Torugart Pass into Kyrgyzstan in heavy sleet and ice. At once these drunken nomads were push/shoving each other in front of our bus.

tight-rope walkers practicing...a national sport here.

Summer is the time for weddings

Fanfare for the bride

Most of the other pics have been posted in different threads, but labelled with their locations.

[Deleted]

I'm wondering if those horns sounded harmonious or were just annoying blasts.

[questa]

K2...The horns were tuned together and played a simple melody with hand drum accompaniment, but it was not New Orleans!

Didn't meet many people in Kyrgyzstan, so here is a bit of scenery...the aspect of this country I most remember.

The cemetery pic...I tried to line up the domes over the graves with the peaks of the mountains behind them...almost got it!

[nycgirl]

I'm just now noticing this thread. What a beautiful land, filled with beautiful people. Once again, I admire your skilled, sensitive portraits. You always capture such warmth and character in your subjects.

It's really fascinating seeing the daily life in a part of the world that I know very little about. But yikes, watching that headless goat game would make me lose my lunch.

[lugg]

Fascinating and most excellent photos

They really bring home the history and ethnic mix of the people in this area so at odds with modern day country borders
If you had not identified that the market photos were taken in Kashgar , I never would have guessed they were taken in China.

Some of the street food looks interesting - did you try any? What kind of things did you eat here and was it good? The produc certainly looks good.

[questa]

Lugg,
Food was good...meats were mainly chicken, mutton, goat and beef, usually in kebabs and stews. Veges used a lot of eggplant (aubergine), capsicum, beans and leafy greens, corn etc.
Sweet foods were similar to Turkish sweets. The large round breads, like naan breads but baked in pottery oven were delicious. You could have them sprinkled with various spices before baking. Noodles or rice were usually served up.
Melons of all sorts were in season as were apricots and pistachios...my travel food.

[anshjain97]

Wow! I feel like I'm there, really good photos!

[Deleted]

So many great photos here! The baby in the first picture is just too cute, makes me want to pick her up.

and the lady with the long hair. Amazing. She must have grown that her entire life?

Questa, you have captured every day life so well in these pictures. Thanks for sharing.

[tod2]

More wonderful photos Questa! The scenery is awesome!