Posts Tagged ‘Islam’
Usaq toy
Posted by Ryan Schaffer in My photos Saturday, 2 January 2009 20:14 No Comments
Azerbaijani people love to have their photos taken. However, you will rarely see many smiles in any of the photographs. This picture was taken in December of 2007 at a “Child Wedding”. The party being held in the tent behind us is for the boy with the red ribbon tied on his arm. Tomorrow he will be circumcised according to Islamic traditions. In Azerbaijan, as in many Muslim regions, boys may be circumcised at later ages than is typically found in western societies. This boy was about 7 years of age which is typical for Azerbaijan and the region. The party was a grand affair and attended by nearly 75 men, women and children. In this photo I am flanked on my left by my host father Arif and on my right by his father. Standing next to Arif is his long time friend who served with him in the Soviet army around 1980. They had great stories from the era and how when they were stationed in Siberia they saw a polar bear.