Description
Book SynopsisA Kyrgyz cemetery seen from a distance is astonishing. The ornate domes and minarets, tightly clustered behind stone walls, seem at odds with this desolate mountain region. Islam, the prominent religion in the region since the twelfth century, discourages tombstones or decorative markers. However, elaborate Kyrgyz tombs combine earlier nomadic customs with Muslim architectural forms. After the territory was formally incorporated into the Russian Empire in 1876, enamel portraits for the deceased were attached to the Muslim monuments. Yet everything within the walls is overgrown with weeds, for it is not Kyrgyz tradition for the living to frequent the graves of the dead.
Architecturally unique, Kyrgyzstan's dramatically sited cemeteries reveal the complex nature of the Kyrgyz people's religious and cultural identities. Often said to have left behind few permanent monuments or books, the Kyrgyz people in fact left behind a magnificent legacy when they buried their dead.
Tra
Trade Review
Gorgeous.
* The Lineup *
Travel to Kyrgyzstan from the comfort of your couch with this stunning series of photographs.
-- Necee Regis * The Boston Globe *
Captures the intriguing panoramas of sprawling, lifeless cities whose inhabitants rest in underground chambers while the edifices above send reminders of their presence into the far distance….Margaret Morton’s hallucinatory, fine-toned images may soon be the final remains of Kyrgyzstan’s silent cities.
-- Claudia Steinberg * Bomb Magazine *
Table of ContentsPrologue / Margaret Morton
Preface / Nasser Rabbat
Introduction / Elmira Köchümkulova
On the Border of Two Worlds / Altyn Kapalova
Photographs / Margaret Morton
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