Are markets/bazaars found throughout Kazakhstan or only in
large cities? Are they like those in Turkey/Egypt? What are
they like?
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Hi- You are probably sick of me, sorry. I just would like
to say that in general any place in Central Asia will NOT
have the verve and exotic excitement of a place like Egypt
or Turkey or Iran. For one, people are often a lot less
animated, A LOT LESS! There is often very little of the
carnival excited atmosphere of a bazaar anywhere else in
the Islamic world. There are very few traditional
handcrafts/clothes-- certainly less than in the places you
mentioned. A lot of the things you are likely to see are
cheap Chinese consumer goods like pantyhouse(my personal
favorite was one called "Pody-Shaping Pants"), video games,
toy guns, buckets, etc. YOu will see food of course, but
much of it is fairly basic and often it is in short supply,
loofahs, brooms, and stuff like that are often on offer,
too. Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan definately are better
places for this sort of stuff, but I think that in general
Xinjiang is better than those two for traditional Central
Asian Culture. Richard Gere wouldn't never become an
advocate for the cause, but if you really wanted to be
frank, cultural genocide in the U.S.S.R. was much worse
than in the minority areas of the P.R.C...
I wouldn't look to Central Asia for any sort of Ali-Baba
orientalist vinettes...instead think Kafka novels and why
the cold war really WAS important (and why if it was
important, the real issues are unresolved...).
enjoy,
Yawn
p.s. - In the "what are they like" vein, the closest I can
come to describing their appearance is a flea market in a
suburban U.S. strip mall parking lot...Not Khan-el_Khalli
or the Street called Straight...
Sometimes rural ones are better, with choyhannas(raised
platform tea houses) and all that, but they still just sell
snickers and vodka.
Yawn,
who the hell are you and how do know so much about
central asia, egypt, iran, turkey, etc.?
Hi-
There were no bazaars in Kazakhstan (or almost none) during
the 70 year Soviet occupation. Thus, there is little
traditional about the ones that have popped up. The ones I
visited were entirely sterile, just booths with western
goods or food for sale. Some cheap tourist junk can be found
in Almaty bazaar. A really interesting and traditional
Central Asian bazaar can be found in Bandar-e Torkaman,
Iran. It's in an area that has traditionally been
Turkmenistan but ended up in Iran instead of the Soviet
Union. Market day is Monday morning, and it's worth the time
to travel there if you want to see a real Central Asian
bazaar. Another fantastic and genuine Central Asian bazaar
is in Kashgar, Xingxang, China.
Robert
The best market I experienced in Central Asia was the Sunday
market (I think it was Sunday!) in Ashkabad, Turkmenistan.
It was a market of the people and for the people, unlike
Turkey, which seemed much more touristy to me. There must
have been tens of thousands of people there, and it was
a dizzying array of sights, sounds and smells. Everything
from carpets to clothing, to camels and goats. It was really
the only market I enjoyed in Central Asia, and I traveled to
quite a number, most of which have been described in the
above posts. One note, however, is that the Turkmen customs
officials scrutized everything I purchased, and they have
been known to confiscate carpets and other "national
treasures." This was all two years ago. Don't know how much
has changed. Happy travels.