A very important ceremony in Turkic culture for the welcoming of a leader. Accompanied by music and the placement of a chapan and qaraqul style headwear.

researchgate.net/publication/35…

My article on the identity and culture of the descendants of Islamic saints in Kazakhstan. academia.edu/39072995/La_id…

Officers of Western Turkic khaghanate. 650 CE, Afrasiyab murals, Samarkand.

Two inscriptions in Persian were carved on the rocks of the gorge in the Jizzakh region: the first one was ordered by the Timurid Mirzo Ulughbek in 1425, and the second in 1571 by the order of Shibanid Abdullah Khan II.

Real story: a guy from Samarkand region has found a bronze pot while digging in his garden. He was happily cooking in this pot for 29 years. By a lucky chance recently some scientists have seen it. And it is appeared that pot is a super rare thing of Sak nomads. 2nd century AD.

Only 49 days until #navruz #nowruz #nevruz!

And, of course, no Azerbaijani celebration goes without Yallı 🇦🇿

Say it with cake and roses. A loving husband in #Kazakhstan surprises his wife who is a schoolteacher on her birthday t.me/qumash_kz/8012 Arriving on a black donkey adds a touch of class to the event.

2025 is the 30th Anniversary of Silk Road Dance Company! Our repertoire include #Uzbek #Tajik #Afghan #Persian #Turkmen #Kazakh #Kyrgyz #Azeri #Georgian #Uyghur dances - and many more!

April 2024 marked the publication Women's Dance Traditions of Uzbekistan: Legacy of the Silk Road (Bloomsbury Academic Press) by Laurel Victoria Gray. Highlights of the international book tour to follow. #uzbekdance #uzbekistan #centralasia #uzbekwomen

One of the earliest group photos of #SilkRoadDanceCompany, after a #Persian themed concert in #AlexandriaVA. We did not have matching #Persiandance costumes then, but that would change.

Wish for 2025 #goodthoughts #goodwords #gooddeeds #silkroaddancecompany

Our exquisite #SilkRoadDanceCompany logo was created for us by the talented #Turkish #calligraphy artist, Aydin Cayir. #culturalunderstandingthroughbeautyanddelight #artisticdirector #laurelvictoriagray

#silkroaddancecompany #30thanniversary One of early performances took place at the #BaltimoreArtsFestival and included a #choreography inspired by #persianminiature paintings. And our first set of matching #persiandance costumes.

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Moment from Georgian dance Samaya facebook.com/share/v/15XoLN…

facebook.com/silkroaddance/… Persian wedding procession - if you can catch glimpses in between the guests.#wedding #persianwedding #culturalunderstandingthroughBeautyandDelight #silkroaddancecompany

Thank you to everyone who joined cultural event organized by the Azerbaijan Embassy US! 🇦🇿 We were honored to host Dr. Paul Taylor from the Smithsonian, who shared his fascinating research on the Azerbaijani traditional headscarf “kəlağayı”. A beautiful day of heritage, history, and