Aug 02

Wakhani House Architecture

Blogosphere, Tajikistan No Comments »
One of the most interesting things about the Wakhan Valley was the design of private homes. We had the chance to see a couple of houses in Vrang and Langar. The 2004 Lonely Planet Central Asia guidebook gives this description:

They’re built as one large five-pillared room with raised areas around four sides of a central pit. There are few, if any, windows; illumination comes through a skylight in the roof, which consists of four concentric squares, representing the elements earth, fire, air, and water. Carpets and mattresses take the place of furniture and also serve as decoration along with panels of hand-colored photographs–the most prominent of which is often a portrait of the Aga Khan.

 

house2

house1

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Related Post: Hidden Gems: Tajikistan’s Pamirs and Wakhan Corridor

Source: ismailimail

Jul 28

Young Tajik Gymnast Brings Her Talent to American Dance Festival

University of Central Asia, Tajikistan No Comments »

Manizha Mahmudzoda moves from gymnastics into dance
By Louise Fenner
USINFO Staff Writer
Washington – Manizha Mahmudzoda, a 16-year-old gymnast from Dushanbe, Tajikistan, spent six weeks this summer studying modern dance and ballet at the American Dance Festival (ADF), a premier modern dance event in Durham, North Carolina.
Her artistry, skill and flexibility had impressed audiences in Dushanbe, including Jon Larsen, a U.S. Embassy official who saw Mahmudzoda perform as part of an exhibition in commemoration of the first day of spring, or navrouz. Larsen and his colleagues agreed that she “was one of the best dancers any one of us had ever seen,” he told USINFO.
His recommendation and that of another colleague at the State Department convinced the ADF to accept Mahmudzoda on fairly short notice and to offer her a scholarship covering tuition, room and board.
Mahmudzoda, who has trained in dance gymnastics since 2001, made the most of her experience at […]

Source: ismailimail