Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaWednesday, October 21, 2009
Ever since arriving in Ulaanbaatar almost three months ago, I have been admiring the Kazakh wall hangings that hang ubiquitously in homes and buildings here. They are used to line the inside walls of Kazakh yurts--Kazakhs are an ethnic minority here in Mongolia.
Until this week, I haven't had one minute for bazaar wanderings or even for the shops that sell new versions of the things. But, at last, I found a shop that had a modest pile of older ones in the corner--AND I had the time to look through them. Vacation is a wonderful thing, no?
Of course the hangings were quite dirty and ripped in an odd number of places. But I found the one I'd been looking for right there in that stack. Now all it needs is a bit of TLC and on the wall it goes.
It's beautiful stuff.
