37 days until the red camera light goes on, and we “roll tape” on our first ADA Majlis. Meanwhile, you see here the current conditions of our set, building (we have the 2nd floor), and neighborhood. The travel agency and beauty parlor, I’m told, will be gone. The weightlifting school stays. Did you know Azerbaijan just won 4 Olympic medals in wrestling, 2 in Judo, and one in boxing!
Sadia is coming over this evening. She’s the 11th floor grandmother/English teacher I met on the elevator my first day and, when she heard me speak English, offered to give me lessons in the Azeri language. I didn’t follow up. However, one week later, she showed up at my door with a manila envelope filled with her academic certifications (who could tell?) Anyway, it can only help, if only just to be able to say to the television director, “more audience shots!” or “cut off his microphone, he’s talking too much!”
Maybe it’s because the skies cleared, or the wind is blowing toward the Caspian Sea, or maybe it’s because I hung the wireless modem over my 9th balcony. For whatever reason, I was able to upload video of my visit on Saturday to the carpet museum inside the walls of the Old City. Ilham Hagverdiyev is our host. I asked if I could videotape his explanation of each carpet to send it to Roberta in advance of her expected shopping trip at the end of the month. Prices, actually, sound very reasonable. Admittedly, I didn’t do a lot of research, but here’s how Wikipedia describes the dyeing process.
Though appearing to be simple at first sight, this work requires high skills of a dyer. To prepare the seven basic colors (red, green, yellow, black, dark blue, white, purple) and their tints used in carpetmaking, professional dyers use green walnut shells, the skin of pomegranates, indigo, leaves of the mulberry, quince and walnut plants, and roots of madder. For example, in order to achieve yellow and its hues, they use bulb onion peels, mulberry leaves collected in the late autumn, etc. To produce red and pink colors, madder is used, and to obtain dark blue, blue and green, indigo dye is used. At the very end of the yarn dyeing process a dyer adds salt, alum or vinegar into the dye solution to increase the intensity, fastness and durability of colours.
What you don’t get in the video is a feel for the amazingly soft texture of the silk. After all, Baku was a main stop along the ancient Silk Road.
Jim,
Hurray for the video! The last silk one is the show stopper. I love the blues. Which is how I’m feeling away from you right now. I’m imagining a visit at the end of the month, after I finish the dupont judging and before jumping into the November sweeps.
Last night when I went to the Kennedy Center concert with Jacqui and Lee to listen to Nancy Wilson, guess what her first song was? “Moondance!” You can imagine the tidal wave of emotion it inspired. Jacqui knew immediately.
Your blog is giving me such a special glimpse of your life in Baku. I hope your Azeri classes are fun tonight. In 37 days I know how you’ll magically pull everything together in the control room, just as you always do. With grace.
How do you say “I Love You” in Azeri.
Always,
Roberta
Get the silk! Forget the wool!
And I love the blue one at the end. Very unusual for those kinds of carpets.
Sabra