The Apak Khoja mausoleum is where five generations of the Apak Khoja family lay to rest. One of them is the subject of two very different folktales. The Han cast her as a romantic Uyghur princess and she is known as the “Fragrant Concubine” who is a loving companion of a Han Emperor who unitedContinue reading “Princess of Two Worlds”
Author Archives: farflungistan
Getting Dusted
There’s only one road to get to the Afaq Khola Mausoleum after getting off bus no. 20 and it’s a dusty one. Walking would be pleasant if it wasn’t for the all the dust made by vehicles operated by senseless drivers. Getting a ride in a horse and buggy can be a good but budgetContinue reading “Getting Dusted”
Pomegranate Tree of Life
A large pomegranate fruit sits in the middle of Kashgar’s Old City just behind the refurbished Id Kah Mosque. The Chinese have long believed that this fruit symbolizes fertility and those consuming it will have a long life and possibly chance at immortality. In ancient Egypt, the fruit represented ambition and prosperity. The consumption ofContinue reading “Pomegranate Tree of Life”
Time to head home
Animals usually travel to and from Kashgar’s Livestock Market on the backs of trucks, inside the trunks and back seats of cars, or packed inside trailers pulled either by a motor bike, horse or donkey. Sheep and lamb are usually tossed in and out like bails of hay, while agitated cows, camels, horses and donkeysContinue reading “Time to head home”
There is more than one way to dress a sheep
Scenes from Kashgar’s Sunday Livestock Market in China’s Xinjiang Province are more typical of neighboring Kyrgyzstan or Kazakhstan then of the Motherland itself. How big your flock is, how well they cared for and their appearance is a reflection on the owner and his family. A respectfully dressed sheep and a nice knife are aContinue reading “There is more than one way to dress a sheep”
Silk Road Market Canteen
Sunday Livestock Market remains unfazed by political skirmishes, religious clashes and regional social shifts. At this point, regional disruptions pass through town like dust storms through the Karakorum desert. Most deals and negotiations being made each Sunday, whether it be an addition to the flock or more horse power, usually involve the parties acting inContinue reading “Silk Road Market Canteen”
The Beauty and the Beast
There’s just one word to describe the Celestial Mountain region in Kyrgyzstan – heavenly. The sweeping valleys are full of playful yaks, wild horses and yurts set up at the foot of the hills. Traders, spiritual nomads and adventurers trekked along these ancient Silk Road passages for centuries. Today, the dirt roads get more traffic,Continue reading “The Beauty and the Beast”
Missing the Point
The American University of Central Asia is housed next to a phantom shadow of the Lenin. Its main building was once headquarters the Kyrgyz’s communist party and supreme council. Eager students here study journalism, law and politics as the larger than life Lenin statue looks on with disapproval.
Smoke ’em if you got ’em
Soviet history hasn’t been tossed away here in Bishkek, but stands proudly on display in the National Historical Museum in the city center. The mural on the top floor pretty much sums up the whole Soviet mantra – from its celebrated beginnings to its bitter Cold War end. The signage is mostly in Russian here,Continue reading “Smoke ’em if you got ’em”
Farflungistan 