Sart House. On the Outskirts of Samarkand

1905
The caption identifies this house as belonging to a Sart, a term used in the previous century to refer to town dwellers, as well as to people who inhabited this area before the coming of Uzbek tribes in the 16th century. Built of stuccoed adobe brick, the structure has an extended porch with a cornice supported by wooden posts. The cornice shows a mixture of Western and local patterns, including a painted decorative band. At the center is an elevated section, or coffer, covered with painted figures. Of special interest are the floral motifs on the stuccoed wall. On the left is a firewood shed with a thick covering of snow. A man—presumably the owner—is bundled in a padded robe to protect him from the cold. The image is by Russian photographer Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii (1863–1944), who used a special color photography process to create a visual record of the Russian Empire in the early 20th century. Some of Prokudin-Gorskii’s photographs date from about 1905, but the bulk of his work is from between 1909 and 1915, when, with the support of Tsar Nicholas II and the Ministry of Transportation, he undertook extended trips through many different parts of the empire. He was interested in recently acquired territories of the Russian Empire such as Turkestan (present-day Uzbekistan and neighboring states), which he visited several times. On two winter trips, in January 1907 and February 1911, he photographed scenes of local life in Samarkand.

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Filename: 5826.jpg
Copyright: acku Afghanistan
Image Size: 1800x1666 / 502.4KB; 1905 Uzbekistan Samarqand Samarkand Sarts Houses Men Architectural Decorations Porches Courtyards Photo WDL 010484
Contained in galleries: UZBEKISTAN

1905<br />
The caption identifies this house as belonging to a Sart, a term used in the previous century to refer to town dwellers, as well as to people who inhabited this area before the coming of Uzbek tribes in the 16th century. Built of stuccoed adobe brick, the structure has an extended porch with a cornice supported by wooden posts. The cornice shows a mixture of Western and local patterns, including a painted decorative band. At the center is an elevated section, or coffer, covered with painted figures. Of special interest are the floral motifs on the stuccoed wall. On the left is a firewood shed with a thick covering of snow. A man—presumably the owner—is bundled in a padded robe to protect him from the cold. The image is by Russian photographer Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii (1863–1944), who used a special color photography process to create a visual record of the Russian Empire in the early 20th century. Some of Prokudin-Gorskii’s photographs date from about 1905, but the bulk of his work is from between 1909 and 1915, when, with the support of Tsar Nicholas II and the Ministry of Transportation, he undertook extended trips through many different parts of the empire. He was interested in recently acquired territories of the Russian Empire such as Turkestan (present-day Uzbekistan and neighboring states), which he visited several times. On two winter trips, in January 1907 and February 1911, he photographed scenes of local life in Samarkand.