Beggars. Samarkand

1905
Seen here are three beggars in Samarkand, huddled in the sun for warmth against a massive stone wall. The two men wear turbans and colorful padded robes, while the woman is in a tattered robe, with a well-worn cloak over her head and shoulders. Each has a simple wooden staff. As an important trading and religious center, Samarkand would have offered ample opportunities for begging. However, the gnarled faces and tense expressions of the beggars suggest anything but a secure existence. The large granite blocks and the remnants of ceramic tile decoration on the right indicate that the scene is at the base of one of the city’s Islamic monuments. 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 on a number of occasions, including a trip from February to April 1911. Turkestan appealed to him not only for its Islamic architecture but also for ethnic types and scenes from traditional life.

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Filename: 5821.jpg
Copyright: acku Afghanistan
Image Size: 1800x1661 / 606.4KB; 1905 Uzbekistan Samarqand Samarkand Beggars Men Women Photo WDL 010479
Contained in galleries: UZBEKISTAN

1905<br />
Seen here are three beggars in Samarkand, huddled in the sun for warmth against a massive stone wall. The two men wear turbans and colorful padded robes, while the woman is in a tattered robe, with a well-worn cloak over her head and shoulders. Each has a simple wooden staff. As an important trading and religious center, Samarkand would have offered ample opportunities for begging. However, the gnarled faces and tense expressions of the beggars suggest anything but a secure existence. The large granite blocks and the remnants of ceramic tile decoration on the right indicate that the scene is at the base of one of the city’s Islamic monuments. 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 on a number of occasions, including a trip from February to April 1911. Turkestan appealed to him not only for its Islamic architecture but also for ethnic types and scenes from traditional life.