High up on the Central Asian Steppe lies the Caravanserai of Dar Zindeh, a refuge and staging post for the weary travelers of The Silk Road. The caravans heavily laden with silks and spices are easy prey to bandits along the way so these caravanserai offer invaluable protection at least for a night or two before they continue their journey. The walls of Dar Zindeh are unusually high and is known throughout the East as one of the safest places to stay as they traverse the lonely Steppes of Central Asia. Why have these three people declined the safety of the caravanserai and spent the night camping outside? As the morning breaks they have gathered by a fire and prepare for the new day... to do what? Are they waiting to waylay an unsuspecting traveler or are they scouts for a larger party of thieves waiting further up the road?
This is another Orientalist painting destined for my slot on the Beyond The Every Day gallery and if unsold to be shown at IX later in the year. I haven't set many paintings in this part of the world and might well do a few more over the coming months. Samarkand is one of those places that I have wanted to visit for many many years and still regret not going there in the 1970s when there were tours from the UK that visited Moscow and St Petersburg before going on to Bukhara and Samarkand, all for £500.00....
Oil on linen 22" x 16".
There is step-by-step progress through this painting in previous posts on this blog.
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