Holiday Reading 2012: Central Asian Titles

It is that delicious time of the year: lazing around in the garden and the beach and catching up on my Central Asian reading. Here's what is in my pile.

Friendly Steppes: A Silk Road Journey

Finally my copy of Nick Rowan's  Friendly Steppes: A Silk Road Journey has arrived. It was launched at London's National Geographical Society in early December. Nick Rowan is the editor-in-chief of Open Central Asia magazine, and is passionate about the region. The book chronicles Nick's 7-month journey and adventures from Venice through Eastern Europe, Iran and the steppes of Central Asia to China along the modern "Silk Roads" of today.

Update: A Kindle version of this book is now available.

Beyond the Oxus: The Central Asians

Then there's Monica Whitlock's Beyond the Oxus: The Central Asians. Whitlock was the BBC's Central Asia correspondent for many years. Published in 2002 to outstanding reviews for its research, readability and balance, this book has been hard to track down. The focus is on the upheaval in traditional lives since the Soviets arrived in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan.

Pamir: Forgotten on the Roof of the World

A new publication Pamir: Forgotten on the Roof of the World by French photographer Mathieu Paley and his wife Mareile is still waiting for an English publisher, so I have the French edition. (It is also available in German).

In the furthest reaches of Afghanistan, in the Wakhan Corridor, lies an isolated, arid land from which the highest mountain ranges in the world radiate: the Pamir plateau. At over 4,300 metres some 1150 Afghan Kyrgyz live there, suspended in time, trapped by history.

In 2000 Paley encountered a caravan of these proud nomads and their great leader, the Khan. He subsequently returned three more times, in the middle of winter, walking the length of the frozen Wakhan River. The images are extraordinary, revealing a rarely photographed, disappearing world.

Tashkent

This is a marvellous 1977 book from Aurora Press, the great Leningrad arts publisher. It focuses on the architecture of Tashkent, a city that I enjoy very much. It is an excellent record of the gems of Soviet architecture, some of which have already been demolished.

 

Saima: Kyrgyz Embroidery

Kyrgyz embroidery is a design treasure house: experts say that there are about 200 design elements, the combinations of which produce breathtaking compositions.

As I will be spending about 10 weeks in Kyrgyzstan in 2013, I am interested to learn more about the history, the meaning of the patterns and the technique of Kyrgyz ornamentation. This Russian/English bilingual edition is from Bishek publisher Raritet.

 

Max and Dina Penson Photography Books

Max Penson photographed the transformation of Uzbek society from a feudal society into a modern Soviet republic from the 1920s through the 1940s. His daughter, Dina, was the first female photojournalist in Uzbekistan.

I brought back three Penson photography books this year, all of which are stunning. There is Dina's The Unknown Penson, the Archive of the Photographer's Daughter, published in 2005 in an edition of 300. I also bought the catalogue from Dina's retrospective exhibition at Moscow's Galeev Gallery in 2007. The latest Penson book is Max Penson: Photographer of the Uzbek Avant-Garde, 1920s-1940s, which was published by Arnoldsche Art Publishers, Stuttgart in 2011.

Max Penson's unparallelled photographic archive was saved by Dina and her husband, the film maker Fazulla Khodzhaev, after the 1966 Tashkent earthquake.

Suzani: Central Asian Decorative Embroidery

 

This 2011 publication by the International Institute for Central Asian Studies (IICAS) was supported by UNESCO.  It is written by 
Olga Sukhareva (1903-1983) the high-profile specialist on Central Asian ethnography. She was born in Samarkand and started gathering materials on embroidery in the early 1930s while working in the Samarkand Museum. Later, the art historian worked in the Institute of Ethnography in Moscow.

Unfortunately, Sukhareva could not publish the book in her lifetime and in the late 1980s the manuscripts were published in Moscow, in Russian.  IICAS decided to publish these materials in Uzbekistan, in English, to bring the art of Central Asian embroidery to a wider public.

The book covers the history of embroidery in Central Asia from the 19th century, preparation and dying of threads, ornament drawing and embroidery stitches, as well as the changes that have occurred such as the styles shifting, the transformation in meaning of patterns, and the dying-out of old motifs.

It is gorgeously illustrated with photographs from the Bukhara and Samarkand museums as well as detailed hand drawings of stitches. I picked up my copy in Samarkand: the 17cm x 24 cm format makes it easy to travel with.

Islamic Geometric Patterns

This title was strongly recommended by talented Canadian weaver Sharon Broadley, who travelled with Uzbek Journeys in October 2012. I am so glad I ordered it directly from the author, Eric Broug.

Travelling throughout Central Asia one is dazzled by the geometrical design on buildings, on tiles, on metals, and in metals. It is one of the most distinctive aspects of Islamic art and architecture.

This is a practical book, demonstrating how to create pentagons and hexagons with merely a ruler and compass, just as the masters did centuries ago. The book includes an interactive CD-ROM that contains all twenty designs presented as animations, printable grid paper pdfs, printable colouring designs, interactive photographs and an extensive photo gallery showing highlights of Islamic geometrical compositions.

New Year Wishes

Wishing all Uzbek Journeys clients and readers an interesting year ahead, full of adventures and some time for sipping green tea.

Related Posts: Holiday Reading 2014: Central Asian Titles
Holiday Reading 2013: Central Asian Titles
Central Asian Art & Craft Books, Holiday Reading (2011 post)
Silk Road Media: An Uzbek Entrepreneur in London  (for book orders)

Khiva's Open-Air Cinema

The setting for Khiva's open-air cinema; image courtesy John Payne

This autumn saw the revival of the open-air cinema in the ancient walled city of Khiva, western Uzbekistan.

The cinema is in Kunya Ark, the earliest palace of the Khivan Khans, the foundations of which date back to the 5th century AD. It is a spectacular setting for this initiative.

The open-air cinema was first created in the Ark during Soviet times, but fell into disuse until September 2012. Now visitors can view black and white classics of Uzbek cinema, with English subtitles, free of charge every night of the week during the tourist seasons of spring and autumn.

Movie poster for the evening's film

The cinema has been named in honour of Khudaybergen Divanov, the Khivan-born father of Uzbek photography. He also produced the first Uzbek documentary featuring Asfandiyar, the Khan of Khiva, riding in a phaeton carriage in 1910.

The features start at around 8:00pm and the entrance is from a small, magnificently carved Khivan door on the main street (not through the usual Ark entrance), more or less opposite the Orient Star hotel. There are movie posters all over Khiva advertising the films.

The films are often love stories or comedies. The sets are particularly interesting: viewing how Uzbeks dressed, cooked, and travelled during the period of the the film. Political issues are raised as well as the struggles of family obligations.

In September I saw O'tgan Kunlar (Bygone Days), made in 1969 and based on Abdulla Qodiriy's 1922 book, regarded as Uzbekistan's first novel. (Abdulla Qodiriy was repressed during Stalin’s Great Terror of the 1930s). Set in the Ferghana Valley on the eve of Russian conquest in the 19th century, the movie tells the story of a loving couple who become victims of social traditions on the one hand and political intrigues of the court of the last Khan of Kokand on the other.

Daytime view of the cinema space

Khiva itself makes a splendid film set. The Constantinople section of the 1992 film Orlando, starring Tilda Swinton, was filmed there.

Kudos to Uzbek Tourism and Khiva City government for this special evening treat.

Update May 2016: Regrettably,  it seems the Khiva cinema no longer operates.

Related posts: Khudaybergen Divanov - Father of Uzbek Cinema and Photography
The Jabborov Rope Walking Family of Khiva
Uzbekistan as Film Location

Unforgettable Rano Yakubova, Ayaz Qala Yurt Camp

Rano Yakubova, hamming it up in front of a yurt

Ayaz Qala consists of three fortresses built from the 4th century BC to the 7th century AD. They formed part of a network of fortresses on the edge of the Kyzul Kum desert and are now on the World Monuments Fund's list of the 100 most endangered sites.

A night at the Ayaz Qala yurt camp is one of the highlights of an Uzbek Journeys tour.  The steppe, the silence and the stars are remarkable.

Another highlight there is meeting Rano Yakubova, the impressive, funny and energetic woman who manages the camp. 

Her sister, Dilbar, started the yurt camp in 1998; Rano has been running it since 2006.  In Soviet times Rano studied Uzbek literature at university and was a high school teacher. Now she lives in this beautiful, though rather remote camp, 9 months of the year. And she does so with flair, good humour and a good kitchen.

The yurts are comfortable, sleeping 6 persons. There are wash basins and two flushing toilets at the camp. During conservation work on the fortresses in 2005, UNESCO was impressed with the yurt operation and kicked in funding for solar energy panels and a water filtering system.

Sunrise on the fortress, Ayaz Qala

Rano lives on site from March through November, managing her team of 6 -15 staff,  depending on the season.  Most are family members and neighbours from her village.  Her husband is the handy man. Staff bathe at a hammam (traditional bath house) 8 kms away. Supplies are sourced from the nearest bazaar 25 kms away. Rano has trained all the kitchen staff; the meals served are tasty and nourishing.

Evenings at Ayaz Qala are special: watch the sun set from a tapchan (a raised platform used for relaxing and reclining in Uzbekistan), then watch the stars decorate the black sky. Rano arranges a concert after dinner - outside if possible, or inside the very big yurt if it is too cold or windy - with musicians and a traditional dancer from the village. It is a simple and authentic performance. By now, Rano's major responsibilities are over for the day and she lets loose, making sure everyone has vodka or beer and insisting everyone dances.

Almost a movie set: camels at the yurt camp

This is when she enjoys herself most, sitting and dancing with her guests, telling stories or reciting poems.

Next morning, after a spectacular sunrise and a simple breakfast, Rano will see you off, begging you to come again, to stay longer, to keep her company and to dance again on the steppe.

Returning to Rano's warm welcome at Ayaz Qala is one of my great pleasures. I am sure you will like her very much indeed.

Images: Courtesy of Richard Marshall, who travelled with Uzbek Journeys in October 2012

Related post: 
Yurts of Central Asia Part #1 

Paolo Veronese's Lamentation of Christ *Discovered* in Tashkent

Veronese's Lamentation of Christ in the Tashkent Fine Arts Museum

Uzbekistan's State Museum of Fine Arts has been making headlines again.

Hard on the heels of its stash of Picasso ceramics, forgotten in storage for over 40 years, this week the museum revealed that it has a masterpiece by the Italian Renaissance painter, Paolo Veronese. Veronese, Titian and Tintoretto constitute the triumvirate of pre-eminent Venetian painters of the late Renaissance (16th century).

Like the Picasso treasures, the back story about this work is intriguing.

Grand Duke Nikolai Konstantinovich Romanov, grandson of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia, was a gifted military officer and a great womaniser.  He fell passionately in love with an American divorcée, Fanny Lear. They travelled through Italy and France and his personal diary records that he purchased a painting by the Italian master Paolo Veronese in 1871-1872. Following a scandal in which he allegedly stole three diamonds from one of his mother's icons to give to his mistress, Nikolai was arrested and banished from Russia to Tashkent.

In 1891 the Grand Duke, in permanent exile, constructed a palace for himself in Tashkent, today used as the Reception House of the Uzbek Foreign Affairs Ministry. This palace housed his art collection and, according to his will, on his death in 1918 the collection became the property of the Tashkent University.

The entire collection was moved to the State Art Museum in 1920 and then transferred to the newly built museum in 1974. There the painting has hung attributed as artist unknown. For decades art students have viewed and copied the piece unaware of its origins.

Restoration expert Dilshod Azizov; image RFE/RL

Fast forward to 2010 when Samarkand-born Dilshod Azizov joined the Fine Arts Museum and was assigned several older paintings to restore. Azizov, a graduate of the Tashkent Institute of Art and Design, had pursued further restoration studies at St. Petersburg's Academy of Arts under the Hermitage's famous restorer Mikhail Devyatova.

Delicate compositional, infrared and ultrasound studies, as well as analyses of palette, colour relationships, the  silk canvas and soil composition etc, were carried out. Under 19 layers of paint and laquer, the title of the work was revealed. Azizov was convinced that it was a Veronese original.

On 27 November, a media event was held at the museum to announce the authenticity of the work. The museum was transformed into a Renaissance palace. The Italian Ambassador to Uzbekistan addressed the audience as did the Archbishop of the Russian Orthodox Church, Tashkent, and the Catholic Church's Bishop of Uzbekistan.

The announcement has generated controversy: Veronese's famous painting The Descent from the Cross, hangs in the Hermitage. The paintings are very different from each other in construction and perspective.  However, experts are convinced that Veronese engaged the same sitter to pose as Christ in both works.

Azizov explains the authentication process

According to UZ News, which covered the event, Azizov stepped the audience through the layers of the painting and the verification process. On the screen Azizov showed how Veronese corrected the initial position of Christ's arm, removing his second leg; Christ's thigh was initially uncovered, but in the final version the painter covered it, probably in line with the Church's preference for modesty. At one stage the owners cut off Christ's fingers to squeeze the painting into a frame.

Uzbek specialists suggest that it may take two or three years to restore the painting after which it will be displayed again at the museum.

The video clip below shows the museum decked in Renaissance splendour and the unveiling of the work. (If the clip does not how on your device, please go directly to http://www.youtube.com/embed/vFbIP0JxNg8).

Related post: Pablo Picasso and Nadejda Kashina Exhibition in Tashkent