SYNOPSIS: About life at and around the Bazaar in Kerman. About two museums and a library. Ancient Crafts and Modern Art in Kerman.The stroll at the Bazaar this morning turned out to be a lot more fun than I had expected. The bazaar was not as crowded as to be uncomfortable. I did not have to hold on to my bags and I was not pushed around. That was a big plus. Shortly after I entered I heard loud drumming. Street musicians! I realized that this was the first time in all of these weeks that I came across street performers. I think the reason for this can be found in Shariah law which, if strictly applied, is not very fond or supportive of music. Lots of people had formed a circle around a group of about 5 guys in ethnic dress – meaning white baggy pants and white shirts – I think they were Baluchis. Three were drumming, one was later joining them piping, and one had shells. The first drummer was mesmerizing. He was fully engaged in his music, whirling and shaking his body pulling the others along. The crowd got engaged clapping, encouraged by a band leader who shouted things which I could not figure out. People were snapping photos with their mobile phones and having a good time, except for a few, who stone-faced watched the spectacle. Once I got into the first row of the circle taking pictures, many cameras turned to me snapping my picture as well. It is just too funny. Good for them, I wore my red, baggy outfit.Many stores were selling the usual house wares, clothing, shoes, textiles, kitchen items, and spices. But I found a few oddities which captured my interest. Two stores were selling embroidery which I had read was specific to the Kerman region. I had to buy one to bring back home. It was great to meet the embroider women themselves. One was obviously a much better craftsperson than the other. She is now teaching her craft to students. She showed me some of her and some of her students’ work for comparison – you could tell the difference in the stitch and in the delicacy of the design. For a small embroidered table cloth she needs a full month of work! If you consider the price you have to pay for such an item it is an insult to the labor and skill these women possess.A few rows down, an old man had a book binding workshop. For three decades he has worked with leather creating everything from small purses, notebooks, bags, to special book covers for collectors or anything else you might want. He had on display covers for books he made depicting designs by Paul Klee, Miro, and Picasso! His good items were out of my price range and the ones that were did not excite me too much. But how would I have loved to have one of those book designs!Perhaps less impressive, but still admirable was the rope maker. What fascinated me was that this work is still not all done by machine. This man sits in his shop at the bazaar every day knotting hammocks and the like by hand. He spoke no English, so I could not ask him more about his work.As I strolled along I photographed people sitting or standing around. Usually, I snapped their pictures without them knowing it with my long lens and then approached them with an official request afterwards. Almost all the time I was turned down by males and females alike. I am not quite sure, why. I, of course, had to pose for I don’t know how many pictures with total strangers. And I did, with a smile.The bazaar was full of interesting architectural details, a wonderfully restored hamam (bath house) and a restored caravanserai turned into a small coin museum. This bazaar was relaxed, yet full of life. After two hours I wanted to go back to the hotel. I had turned so many corners that I was no longer sure where I was. Using the sound of the drummers as an orientation point, I started my way home. I turned in and out of many alleys but kept anxiously track of my general direction. When I actually got out of the jungle of small streets and found myself near the hotel I could hardly believe it myself. I got a taxi and moved to my new hotel at the other end of town.To do justice to Kerman, I put two museums and the local library on my agenda for the afternoon: The “Defense Museum” and the “Museum of Modern Art”. The first is a bit outside of my normal range of sights. But I was curious to see how the Iranians deal with and display their last big war, the Iran-Iraq conflict. Images of martyrs of this war are displayed in every town. Some are faded posters; others are shiny mosaics lining streets, bazaars, government buildings and parks. I ventured all the way out to a corner of town walking, hiring a clueless taxi driver and finally arriving to a closed door! I had checked the opening hours carefully and could not make out for the life of me why that museum was not open. Bummer!All the way back in town I found the doors of the Museum of Modern Art open. This was the first museum of this nature I had found anywhere in the Middle East so far. To find it of all places in Kerman, was unexpected. It was located in a beautifully restored caravanserai. Almost all of it was dedicated to one artist: Ali Akbar Sanati(e). Even though not all of his works are to my taste, he is without question an amazing artist mastering a full range of media and subject matter. A small section of the museum was dedicated to other Iranian artists. I wonder if these were his students. Everything was there from portraiture, to landscapes, to abstract works of art. Most surprising was the smallest section of the museum tugged away into the farthest corner which contained a selection of pieces by Western artists. There was a bronze hand by Rodin, a small Wassily Kandinsky landscape, a Ben Nicholson, a Vazareli, and even a Nolde. How did these pieces get here? No information whatsoever was available in English and none of the four staff people spoke a lick of English, so I wonder and speculate again, if this small collection perhaps, was in the personal possession of Sanati? He may have been a contemporary of some of these artists and may have known them? Had he gotten these as gifts or in exchange for his own works? I could not even find out the dates for this artist! Labels were restricted to the redundant and inconsistently spelled name, many mislabeled media, and often self explanatory titles. But now I am curious. For those of you with more access to the internet, look him up and post a comment if you like to enlighten us all. More homework for me…In the Lonely Planet it had stated that at this museum you might run into enlightened, like-minded young Iranians. I have to say that I was the only visitor for the entire hour I was there… Tickets were 20,000 Iranian Rials. That is $2 which does not sound like too much. If you consider, however, that even the visit of the famous sight of Persepolis was only 5,000 Rials, or 50 cents, you may understand the reluctance of the locals to just stop by at the museum. In comparison to any other museum, a visit to the Modern Art Museum is a real expense. There was absolutely no photography allowed here. I had to leave camera and bag with the museum attendant. I hope that there are images by Sanati(e) available on line. One of his strengths was portraits. From politicians to unknown people to Einstein, he painted them all, many in water colors. I wonder if he painted the more famous people from life or from photographs. So many questions!My final visit was the local library. It was built as a hall of many columns, reminiscent of bazaar and mosque architecture. It was busy with people checking out books, men and women, old and young. It was set in a wonderfully tranquil park of its own and a great place for me to chill with a bowl of ice cream before heading home to my new hotel for another splendid dinner.Good night.
