Facing West: Oriental Jews of Central Asia and the Caucasus
Amsterdam: Waanders Publishing, 1999. First Edition, First Printing.
This is the definitive visual record of the Oriental Jewish communities, merging rare turn-of-the-century archival photography with high-quality reproductions of material culture. Compiled through a collaboration between major Russian and Dutch institutions, the work serves as both a scholarly survey and a visual preservation of Central Asian heritage.
PHYSICAL FEATURES
+++ Visuals: Extensively illustrated with contemporary color photographs of artifacts and clothing, alongside significant black-and-white archival photographs dating to the turn of the century.
+++ Binding: Fine hardcover in pictorial boards; issued without a jacket. Quarto; 208 pages.
+++ Content: Scholarly summaries of regional history and culture with specialized bibliographies for each subgroup.
Iconography Note: This item contains visuals and historical summaries typical of the late 20th-century ethnographic study which reflect historical attitudes of the period. It is offered as a documentary artifact of Central Asian Jewish history and is presented for its scholarly and research value.
CONDITION: Fine. The bindings are tight and square, showing no evidence of previous ownership or internal markings. The boards are crisp and vibrant, with only the most minimal shelf handling to the extremities. The internal pages are bright and free of toning, maintaining a gift-quality state.
HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE —
This work emerged during a pivotal moment of post-1989 scholarship when previously inaccessible Soviet ethnographic archives were first being opened to international researchers. It focuses on the Mountain Jews of the Caucasus and the Bukharan Jews of Central Asia, groups whose distinct Persian- and Turkic-influenced cultures remained largely isolated from European Jewry for centuries.
The artifact serves as a critical bridge between the 19th-century travels of ethnographers and the modern academic study of the Silk Road’s Jewish presence. By documenting the unique fusion of local Islamic-influenced aesthetic traditions with Jewish ritual life, it preserves a cultural synthesis that has largely been relocated to Israel and the United States.
SCHOLARLY FEATURES
+++ Ethnographic Collaboration: Represents a rare post-Soviet archival exchange between the Russian Museum of Ethnography and Western European curators.
+++ Material Culture: Provides detailed visual analysis of Bukharan and Mountain Jewish costume and ritual objects, serving as a primary reference for textile and artifact scholars.
+++ Archival Significance: The inclusion of early 20th-century photography offers a primary visual document of these communities prior to the massive demographic shifts of the later 20th century.
SUBJECTS: Bukharan Jews, Mountain Jews, Caucasus History, Central Asia Ethnography, Silk Road, Russian Museum of Ethnography, Ethnography, Jewish History.
Item #15643
ISBN: 9040092168
Price: $85.00
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