The Potter at Work
Uzbekistan 2012: The pottery workshop of Abdulla Narzulleaev
It was the day after Eid when we stopped here and there was a sheep slaughtering going on by the front door to the workshop. Maybe they had slaughtered one on Eid and just enjoyed the meat so much that they wanted more. I don’t know. We were told that although most Uzbeks consider themselves Muslim, only about 10% actually practice their religion.
The pottery of Narzullaeav is famous…Hillary Clinton was brought to admire the work…I’m sure she was not ushered into the gift shop as we were at the end of our tour. I’m thinking that Hillary was given a select piece of pottery. Torie and I browsed the pottery for sale, but as this was near the end of our tour, our suitcases were full.
The man above worked in this darkened room. How he could see what he was doing is a mystery to me. I could barely see what I was doing with my camera. I loved this low light for my photo. Low Key, it is called and it is my favorite light as it lends so much atmosphere. Doesn’t it look medieval to see the man working alone in a dark room? He wears his traditional hat, called a tupe, pronounced too-pea or as the Russians call it tubiteka. I must admit I love the word tubiteka. I learned it in 1989 and never forgot it. The Uzbeks and the Kyrgyz both speak Russian or they can get by in it, another leftover from communism.