It seemed appropriate to visit the Markets in the Silk Road countries in Central Asia I visited last June.   Actually for photographers a high priority.  Markets are very visual and  the claim to fame of this region in the world it is its central role  in the Silk Road.  

Let’s digress and review what that meant.  For several thousand years, enterprising entrepreneurs and travelers  traversed from the Orient to Europe and back exchanging  goods ranging from silk, porcelain, lacquer, jade and bronze, horse, camels, precious stones and gold embroidery and more.

Not only goods but ideas and inventions.  It has been described as the “Internet of the Middle Ages.” Think about that.  I’ll describe this more in future blog posts.  

So, the people of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan  have a history of buying and selling that extends back thousands of years.

I loved visiting the many markets in these countries because they were real people shopping, not set up for tourists.  Sure some areas had those souvenir stalls strategically placed and I’ll show some of those images, but the places I really enjoyed were for every day people to buy the goods they needed.  

I suspect some socializing goes on as well. 

Let’s start with the one in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, my first stop on the Photo Tour with a company called Fantastic Photo Tours. 

Our first sign that we were entering a cool place  was the huge dome, making me think of some kind of sports stadium.  Instead inside it held circles of booths of tantalizing goods to eat.

As you can imagine, if you follow my blog, I had to play a bit with the shapes of the ceiling.  

The market or bazaars of the Silk Road as they might be correctly called are magical.  Humble stacks of spice, bags of rice and grains in a row, piles of fruit and even a pig’s head on offer, are beautifully arranged and fascinating.

I especially enjoyed seeing bread in all  the three countries I visited on this trip, decorated and looking very fresh to me.  

These traditional gathering places are a great spot for people watching.  

Of course, I saw stalls of goods in highly touristed areas, most of whom seemed to be from Central Asia or the Middle East.  

 I resisted bringing one of those large platters home although I really wanted one.  It would have been appropriate.  Ceramics have been a part of the Silk Road for a thousand years.  Chinese porcelain was sent with great care to the West. 

Alas I’m at a stage in life where I need to get rid of things rathe than acquire.  A challenge for someone like me who loves dishes.  But I had fun looking and capturing on my camera.  

It was satisfying to take portraits.  I found the people in these countries very comfortable with our taking their photos. They were friendly and interested in us and where we were from.  

To finish this post, here are  a couple of photos that didn’t fit above.  I loved this rug covered cart for moving goods around.  And how about this wee bird looking for lunch.  Made me smile.  

The photography tour was organized by Mehmet Ozbalci, owner of Fantastic Photo Tours.  FantasticPhototours.com

I took lots of photos on this almost three week trip  so come back to DesignDestinations.org to see more.