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SAMARKAND
Framed and hanging to the side of the amber window is a little picture of a Middle
Eastern carpet seller sleeping among his wares.
The picture is reproduced in cement and glass in the yard and clearly had an influence
on Helen’s art. The caption seemingly refers to Omar Khayyam. Famous for his
contributions to mathematics and astronomy prior to the publication of Edward
Fitzgerald’s translation of The Rubaiyat, Khayyam spent time in Samarkand as a young
man under the patronage of the governor of the city in the eleventh century. Samarkand
is one of the world’s oldest cities and was a vital point on the Silk Road, which stretched
from the north western frontier of China all the way to Syria and Persia.
For thousands of years, the city was a cosmopolitan centre of learning and a vital
node on the trading highway linking civilisations as far apart as ancient Rome and Han
China. In eighth century T’ang China, Samarkand peaches were famous for their size
and rich colour and known as golden peaches.
76 FOR THE LOVE OF LIGHT
FOR THE LOVE OF LIGHT 77