Sanjar
Bokhara, Uzbekistan 2012 : At the Home Museum of Faizulla Khodjaev
The museum is lots of fun, not only because you can see how a rich fur merchant lived in the 19th century, but because visitors can dress up in antique garments from the same era. At first, we were reluctant, but when I saw that they had a paranja, which is the face covering once worn by Uzbek women, I stepped up to be transformed into an Uzbek woman.
The paranja is made of woven horsehair and is about 18 inches long and 12 inches wide. It has a flap on one end. That flap covered the top of my head. It was held in place by a heavy cape that covered my whole body. I could see through the paranja but my vision was restricted. I couldn’t see my feet unless I held the paranja close to my chest. It was fun to wear for a few minutes, but I wouldn’t want to wear it whenever I left my home.
The man in this photo was our driver, Sanjar. I think he, too, wanted to experience being an emir or prince. His coat or chapan is made of Uzbek ikat silk. Torie and I saw similar antique chapans for sale in specialty shops and they were expensive…a thousand dollars or more.
The museum was the home of Faizulla Khodjaev, who had helped to bring Communism to Uzbekistan thinking it would be a democratic system. It didn’t turn out to be that, however. He was later sentenced to death by Stalin. Several rooms were left trashed to show what the communists did when they came to arrest him.
The light was dim in the museum requiring the highest ISO. Sometimes you just accept the ‘noise’ that comes with using high ISO because it is more important to get the photos. Sanjar posed willingly. Other than gesturing to him to fold his arms in an imperious pose, he needed no encouragement. Arms folded across the chest is a good ‘go-to’ pose for men whether at a wedding or a situation like this one. It’s good to have a pose in your mind. It will help put your subject at ease.