1. On his horse, protected from the cold by a flank of felt, Abdul Wakil leads the caravan on a sandy track of Wakhan.
2. Climbing a hill: men and beasts struggling hillside.
3. In a world of endless steppe dotted with sepia spikes and black pebbles, the caravan progresses inexorably.
4. At the camp of Aq Djelga, in the evening, the Kyrgyz enclose the goats and sheeps in a stones enclosure to protect them from cold and wolves.
5. The Bactrian Camel.
6. The caravan crosses a meadow strewn with rushes.
7. As the last rays of the sun ablaze the top of Pamir mountains, camels are posted for resting.
8. The caravan advances at 4000 meters on the roof of the world.
9. Hindu Kush mountains in summer, in the province of Badakhshan.
10. At the crossroads of ancient routes from India to Persia and Bukhara in Chinese Turkestan, Tashkourgan regains its animation on Monday and Thursday, market day.
11. The only fuel of the steppe is the "camel thorn" sold in the markets of small towns in Central Asia.
12. A horseman-player "tchopendoz" quenches thirst.
Scans source: Roland et Sabrina Michaud - Caravanes de Tartarie, au coeur de l'Asie. Sté Nlle des Editions du Chene, Paris. 1977.
ReplyDeleteWhat beautiful pictures to behold! Without pictures like this I would have no idea about this beauty as I am always trying to flee away from the cold and the barren landscapes. There is true beauty here and I love mountains but my body tells me to dwell in the lush and green ones. Thanks for taking this already frostbitten creature that is me to these beautiful views without as much as a prickle in the thawing ears and equally numbed feet...
ReplyDeleteThe camels are a bonus of course...
Welcome back, Bolingo! Yes you're right, really beautiful images. One of the things that fascinates me in these pictures is the splendour of the warm tones diluted in the vastness of the hushed white landscape, sprayed by the strong wind and fixed on the ground by the cold light of the sky.
ReplyDeleteYes they take you right away...
ReplyDeletesome very faded memory...
Thank you Janas!
it's a hard life for these people ,yet the only possible
ReplyDeletethank you/welcome back
Janas, these are gorgeous. The character of the landscape in "On his Horse" is especially nice. Thank you and look forward to more!
ReplyDeleteHello dear friends, welcome back on Chaudron and thanks for the the comments. I think that the beauty of the first image with the horseman comes from the contrast between the sandy track and the snowy horizon.
ReplyDeleteJanas, I'm glad you are "back in action." I linked to some of your posts on 50 Watts and But Does it Float, which I hope will bring you some new visitors.
ReplyDeleteHi Will! You're very kind. Thank you and welcome back on Chaudron.
ReplyDelete