(ANSAmed) - ROME, FEBRUARY 13 - Travelling the Silk Road by
camel caravan might be viewed as an act of madness, but this was
"the only way to tangibly perceive the significance of history
inside of us". One of the most fascinating and unique trips of
the contemporary era was born from this incredibly original
idea, which seemed like sheer madness to many. Arif Asci
relived the historic itinerary, one of Turkey's most famous
photographers, who in 1996 decided to journey the ancient
commercial route that linked China and Rome as a caravan
traveller. In Rome, this long route will be brought back to
life starting tomorrow in a photography exhibition entitled The
Last Caravan on the Silk Road at Trajan's Market. The
exhibition consists of 90 snapshots documenting the journey of
these modern caravan travellers who trekked 30km a day, slept in
tents and fed their camels with plants from the desert for 18
months. It is difficult to describe what the photographs were
able to immortalise: the scarlet hues of the silks that were
sold at the old Kashgar Bazaar in Xinjiang, their manufacturing
in the city of Hotan, the crossing of the Taklamakan Desert,
crossing the Tian-Shan Mountains or frozen rivers. It is
difficult to describe the emotion that one experiences during an
expedition while crossing through Uzbekistan, in Samarcanda,
Bukhara and Khiva, or the sensations one feels when travelling
through Kirghizstan, Turkmenistan and Iran to reach Canakkale in
Turkey.
An expedition totalling 12,000 kilometres allowed the group made
up of four professionals (3 photographers and a film director)
to document their experiences, also recorded on video.
Their trip through time started in Xinjiang in China and ended
in Turkey, allowing them to encounter men and women, traditions,
odours, colours and landscapes, which were harsh at times.
Their snapshots tell the story of the daily life of the Uyghurs,
a Turkish speaking Muslim people living in northwest China, who
for years have been fighting with Beijing for recognition of
their rights. It is difficult, said the Turkish photographer
at the beginning of the pamphlet created for the Roman
exhibition, to get a Chinese visa. A letter from the former
Turkish President, Suleyman Demirel, to his Chinese counterpart,
President Jiang Zemin, changed the mind of the Chinese
authorities, he explained.
Some of the most beautiful photographs include Registan Square
in Samarcanda; the bright eyes of a Tajik girl in Bukhara; the
Zoroastrian Fire Temple in Iran and the Selim Mosque and the
Fortress of Bayezid, Ishak Pasa, in Turkey. "A valuable study,"
wrote the Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister, Ertugrul Gunay,
"which Turkey is entering in the first Silk Roads Biennial in
Rome." The exhibition was organised under the Silk Roads
International Cultural Biennial and is being promoted by the
City of Rome's Cultural Affairs and Historic Centre Councillor's
Office - Cultural Heritage Bureau with the collaboration of the
Culture and Tourism Ministry, the Turkish Embassy and Culture
and Information Office in Rome. The Last Caravan on the Silk
Road exhibition will open tomorrow night at 6pm and will stay
open between February 15 and April 15. (ANSAmed).
