Our City Lost It's Heart

I've been told the bazaar is the heart of a city.  Last week the heart of our city was closed.  So, for now, our city has no heart and everyone is unsure where to purchase everyday items needed for life.  This is the big news in Taraz right now.

The old bazaar was built upon ancient ruins.  There has been talk for several years of moving the bazaar in order to allow for excavation of what is below.  The other reality is that the location of the bazaar made it difficult for parking.  The bazaar kept expanding in number of sellers and items, but had no room to expand in space.  As a result, it was getting extremely crowded and did not provide much protection for shoppers or sellers from the elements.  All of this is going to change ... at lest that's what seems to be in process.

Last Sunday was the official last day of the bazaar.  Even into the end of last week, there were rumours that it wouldn't actually close.  On Thursday I made a trip to the bazaar to buy a few items with someone from a boarding school for children with disabilities, despite trying to convince her it was closed.  It was extremely strange to see what was once a thriving, crazy bazaar look like a ghost town.  The only people around were police (enforcing the closing) and sellers trying to move their items and sell a few items while they had a chance.  Thankfully, we were actually able to get the items we needed from a couple sellers.

The bazaar is being divided into several new bazaars.  Each one is supposed to sell all the items the old bazaar sold.  This should decrease the number of people at each bazaar.  The problem with the planning is that no one believed that the bazaar would actually close.  So, none of the sellers wanted to move.  They didn't start the moving process until they weren't allowed to sell at the old bazaar.  Without renters, the new bazaars did not finish construction. So there are outside shells of buildings, but the small stores inside are not finished yet (no lights, doors, etc).  So, we have been without a real bazaar for over a week now and everyone is confused as to where to shop.

Today, Aben and I went to see the new bazaar on our way back into town from the village.  It looks great.  The new bazaars are composed of buildings.  Each building holds a different type of product and each seller has a small, numbered store within the building.  There are still a few areas with cheaper items that will be sold from tables outside, but almost everything is at least under a roof.  There is also plenty of parking.  In the long run, I think it will end up being a good thing, but at this point it is a bit chaotic.  Before the next delegation season I will have to learn where meat, teapots, scarves, souvenirs, and candy are sold as these are the primary items delegates tend to look for.  It will definite be a new experience for everyone who visits!