Tashkurkan: Sat., Sept. 14

Sat., Sept. 14
The Meadowlands of Tashgurkan:

Herds of sheep, cattle and goats graze on the rich grasses of the Meadowlands

 
An early start took us to the meadow, which is a huge grassland area on the east side of town where many local farmers graze their sheep, cows and goats. The local government has recently turned this into a tourist attraction, so an elaborate boardwalk, and kind of theater area has been built on part of the meadow for people to view the grazing animals. 

Many small streams flow through the Meadowlands

A very beautiful spot surrounded by towering peaks, it is good that this area is protected now, and it is recognized as an important feature. Like the other cities and towns we have visited, there is a huge amount of building going on, and it appears that Tashgurkan will be slated to become a big tourist area in the future judging by the type of growth that is occurring - hotels and gimmicky tourism sites. However, the surrounding area is so spectacular, it is certainly understandable.

A local museum

Chris, our guide takes a ride..

A statue in Town depicting traditional dancers

 

Tajik women clean the street

The Fort lies behind the grassy Meadowlands

A "Fort"tuitous Moment:
Looming above the meadow on one side is the ruin of an old fort probably about 1,500 years old from the Tang Dynasty. Made of stone and covered with a mud/straw mix, this huge structure once guarded the town from invaders. In fact Kashgurkan gets its name, "Stone Castle" from "kash," which means stone  and "kurgan," which means castle.

The Fort that gave Tashgurkan its name

 

Another view of the Fort

It was built by the Kurgan people, who were ancestors of the Tajiks. We wandered around taking loads of photos of the panorama below us.

 

A local Tajik family farmhouse

The Tajik Farm Family:
Guided by Abdul, the bus stopped at a small dirt lane and we all got off and wandered along the edge of a wheat field until we came to a farmhouse, a typical adobe compound. After a few minutes conversation between Abdul and the farmer we were invited into his home. Through the walled courtyard we came through a foyer and stepped down into a large room. 

The ladder goes up to the roof where fodder for animals and kindling for fires is stored

A donkey cart

There was a platform around the perimeter upon which we sat oat the edge. The platform could be used also for sleeping, as this was the guest room. The only furniture was a simple table in the foyer, a desk in the center of the guest room and a cabinet along one wall. Rugs in the traditional Tajik colors and designs covered the floor of the platform, and against one wall was a huge pile of quilts, again with the same designs. We discovered that his wife had embroidered many of these quilts that were used when company visited.

A farm house including the compound housing livestock and stables for the winter

We spent over an hour asking questions, while Abdul patiently translated between us and the farmer. His wife, holding their baby, stayed in the doorway, watching, but not joining in. Their little boy, about five years old hovered nearby, first interested, then bored with the proceedings.

Another Lifestyle:
Their home was quite large, and very well built with brick walls and floor, while the inside of the roof was a woven mat material over wooden lathe, then covered outside with a plaster/ adobe mixture. The family owned 2 cows, 7 sheep and about 3 acres of land where they grew wheat and vegetables. He explained the animals grazed up in the mountains during the summer months, then he brought them down for the winter in November.

Our farmer friend

Our group listens intently to the farmer

Quilts piled up on a sleeping platform

Piles of quilts topped off by pillows embroidered by the farmer's wife

 

The farmer's wife and son

The man also supplemented their income from doing construction work in the town. Aside from farm equipment they had electricity, a cell phone, television and seemed to own a car. Water, however, came from a pump outside in the field. Curious! (We never asked about the bathroom). The house has a coal, and animal dung burning stove that is also used for cooking during the winter months. He felt that with the modernization of the town and amenities that were now available his family's life improved considerably. These types of encounters with people from different cultures and experiences are fascinating!

Thanks and Poo:
After thanking the man and his wife profusely we wandered down the lane and watched as two very well dressed women (probably the best dressed farm workers in the world can be found here!) and several men were cutting wheat stalks with small sickles, then bundling them into small sheafs. 

Off in the already harvested field were some sheep, goats and a few cows. In the side yard of the farm  were lots of hand (using rubber gloves) compressed patties of animal poo - dung baking in the sun to be used for fuel in the winter. Apparently, dried dung burns much better the coal - so keep that handy little tip in mind, should you ever need it.  Further down past another compound with a huge pile of hay was another group of men threshing the wheat with the help of a tractor. The whole scene, bathed in warm sunlight, was very rich and tranquil. 
 

The hay is drying for winter fodder

Piles of drying dung that are used for fuel in the winter

Rubber gloves and a bucket of poo

A woman tends her flock of sheep and goats

A neighbor comes out to say hello

Farmers bring a yurt

Sheaving the wheat

I DID remind myself, however, that the weather was often baking hot, freezing cold, and all this is very hard physical work. As we started to leave, a tractor passed us pulling a cart loaded down with the now familiar bundles and frames of a yurt.

That afternoon we returned to Kashgar.

Chairs in our hotel lobby

A hotel, but not ours...