Women’s Hammam or Bath
Bokhara, Uzbekistan 2012: The Women’s Hammam
What is it about a public bath that seems so intriguing? Perhaps it recalls the mysteries of the harem, an aspect of life in the East that has fascinated many artists and writers. Whatever the reason, Torie and I entered the women’s bath in Bokhara, cameras in hand.
We were welcomed by a completely unselfconscious woman dressed only in her underpants: the old “bloomery” style of panties that were popular in the 1950’s. I know this because not only did I wear those, but I used to sell them in a variety store when I was in high school. There were several woman in various states of undress standing about. I’m pretty sure Torie did not censor her photos as I did. I couldn’t bring myself to photograph the women in their old-fashioned knickers, but I think Torie thought it was funny. (I haven’t asked her.)
The Massage
A young woman, completely dressed, lay on the floor with two older women giving her some kind of massage. They sat on either side of her supine body, placed their feet against her hips and grasped each other’s hands. Leaning back for added strength, they applied pressure to her joints with their feet. Then they exposed the young woman’s abdomen and one of the women began to palpate her organs: specifically her uterus…I was trained as a nurse, remember. I asked the girl being massaged if she were going to have a baby and she smiled and nodded. Later, I got the idea that perhaps she wanted to have a baby and this technique was supposed to help in that endeavor.
Although the woman who ran the hammam offered to take us into the steam rooms, we declined. We were afraid for our digital cameras.
I blurred the photo of the women giving the massage. There isn’t much of a chance that they will see this blog, but I’m sure they wouldn’t like their photo on the internet.
I’ve been concentrating on the Stans again. I can’t help it. The Stans were my last trip and those photos are so interesting to me. If you have other places you’d like to see, let me know. I’ll be happy to show some for you.
In the meantime, please contact Penelope if you have gotten interested in visiting the Stans: www.uzbekjourneys.com