Buy A Carpet Ride to Khiva: Seven Years on the Silk Road First Edition by Christopher Aslan Alexander (ISBN: ) from Amazon’s Book Store . This month my debut novel comes out: Alabaster. Although it’s not set in Khiva, I’ ve drawn on my experiences of living there and elsewhere in. A Carpet Ride to Khiva by Christopher Aslan Alexander, , available at Book Depository with free delivery worldwide.
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The quality of craftmanship and architecture give the country a very specific civilizational identity and it is no surprise to learn that in the midth century, the British began the so-called Great Game with Russia with the goal of protecting trading access to the Uzbek Kingdom of Bukhara. But he stayed, mesmerized by a world of silk and forgotten 15th-century carpet designs — discovering indigo blue, madder red, pomegranate gold and the subtle shades of life in a desert oasis. Maybe I should fill in some of the gaps.
Carpet Ride is not all about the pursuit of reviving an ancient tradition. After university he moved to Central Asia. Though many of us who live overseas may have become quite cynical about ineffectual NGOs represented by either ridiculously naive volunteers or jaded, if not arrogant, development consultants who drive around in SUVS and sip cocktails under ceiling fans among the other foreigners in any given city on the backpacker circuit, the reality is that there are a number of people who are dedicated to doing what they can to make the world a better place.
One of the hat sellers khivx recently and his lithe, sporty nephew fo bloated into a puffy, corpulent version of his former self.
Yet readers who love process or just those who are curious about the minutiae of detail will rejoice when Alexander visits the homes of Uzbeks who raise silk worms. In the form of journalistic reportage, Christopher Aslan Alexander describes how he est I read this while travelling around Uzbekistan and it provided a great deal of context and insight into the reality of life in a country that, as a tourist at least, almost feels too good to be true.
We tried to figure out some kind of logic behind the accusations, not least; why would I be spying for Switzerland and what was worth spying on in the Pamirs?
Enter Aslan, our narrator and volunteer for Operation Mercy, who gets a carpet workshop going based on some ancient designs from the days of the Silk Road which are exquisite, enabling him to provide a number of very decent jobs for Khiva’s most vulnerable citizens, mostly women.
A Carpet Ride to Khiva
In June a vicious pogrom broke out in South Kyrgyzstan against the wealthier minority Uzbeks there. Up until that point, he had used girls interchangeably with women so it’s possible he could have meant either.
Was the driver really “stoned, drunk, or crazy”? I doubt I will A great first book by Christopher.
This one makes a good follow up to Sheila Paine ‘s trilogy of searching the globe in search of the history of a specific embroidery design. Then we start to catch up and the years fall away. With me is Andreas, a world-class German violin-maker turned team-mate.
So much so that he makes ridf a life there, khva and selling carpets but things are short lived because troubles brew and he finds himself separated from the life he is used to. It’s filled with information about the yo and cautionary tales about how the power structure works.
There is a lot of detail about finding places for the workshops, workers, designs, silk, dyestuffs, etc. I stop and do some mental calculations and we realise that actually the ten year anniversary is now, this month exactly.
The hardest thing for most was the feeling of being stripped of their human rights as kidnappings, extortion, theft and flagrant and systematic ethnic discrimination against them became the norm. Development organisations sponsored his setting up a carpet making workshop and later one embroidering cushion covers.
He writes with clear-eye observation and courage, and never fails to emphasize the ingrained hospitality and random acts of kindness that remind you that, in spite of everything, Central Asia is still an exceptionally alluring place.
The final chapters, in ti, offer a sobering account of how precarious life can be as an international development worker, especially for those who choose to work in countries with governments that do not kjiva to Western ideals of democracy and openness.
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Did the experiment inspire others? His pursuit of powdered madder root takes him deep into Afghanistan, whence he emerges after close shaves.
This was commendable, but had put out of business the furniture makes who had traditionally worked with walnut. His project found a way to Fascinating book by a young man who, knowing nothing about weaving or rugs, found himself i Uzbekistan working on a project which was of little interest to him.
Unbelievably, the largest note denomination remains unchanged, despite being worth very around 40 cents, so we insist on blocks of som notes, which quickly fill entire bags.
A Carpet Ride to Khiva | HandEye
I read this in preparation for an upcoming trip to Uzbekistan and thoroughly enjoyed every minute. His project found a way ridde employ women and those who would generally be the last employed.
Hope to hear from him again: An enjoyable but occasionally sad read about the author’s seven years in Khiva in Uzbekistan, much of which was spent reviving the art of handmade silk carpet making.