A special exposition of unique photographs of the life and traditions of the local population is being prepared at the local history museum of Karakol. The exhibition will be dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the expedition of the Swiss traveler Ella Maillard, who took the photographs in 1932. She became the first foreign woman to travel almost alone throughout Central Asia and capture the way of life of nomads on film.

From the Alps to the Tien Shan

Ella's parents had a small shop selling fur products. Perhaps the daughter would have inherited the family business, but she was not at all interested in furs. The very thought that it would be necessary to sit from morning to evening at the cash desk and see the same landscape from the window made the girl despondent. As she got older, she found any excuse to slip away from work behind the counter. She liked to travel with friends on a yacht in the Mediterranean or conquer the Alps, rapidly descending from the mountain on skis.

As soon as Ella turned 18, she left her home and went first to London, and then to Berlin. There she made a living teaching French and English, starred in episodes in films, and even created a women's field hockey team that participated in the Olympic Games in France.

And yet this was not what the energetic girl wanted. Having been born and lived for many years in Europe, she dreamed of seeing Asia and walking, even if only a little, along the Great Silk Road to find out how nomads live.

In 1930, with only £20 and $50 given to her by Jack London's widow, she arrived in Soviet Russia, a country that radically changed not only the political system, but also people's lives. After spending some time in Moscow and learning a little Russian, she went to conquer the Caucasus, where she made several photographic sketches. The next target was the Tien Shan.

To the country of nomads

"The first acquaintance and contact of Ella Maillard with Asia occurred in 1932, during a trip to Russian Turkestan, and this became her lifelong passion. She first traveled with a small, unremarkable Leica camera, which made it possible to capture her daily meetings and discoveries in Kyrgyzstan and neighboring regions.Today, these photographs are a unique proof, returning not only to a bygone historical era, but also to a surprisingly modern vision of a bold, relentless female traveler who did not obey the general rules, whom fate "gave eyes that love to know," writes in one of his articles, the head of the Swiss association "Friends of Ella Maillard" Anneliese Hollmann.

At the beginning of 1932, Ella Maillard arrived in Moscow and applied to the Central Bureau of the Society for Proletarian Tourism (OPT). The head of the office, a certain comrade Bloch, was surprised by the desire of a young foreigner to visit such a remote land. The official offered the girl other options - a trip to Central Russia, through the Ural Mountains and even on an icebreaker from Murmansk to the Bering Strait. Ella insisted on her own. Then the head, having exhausted all the arguments, said that in the region, due to the difficult political situation and the aggravated struggle against the Basmachi, the representative offices of the OPT were closed and if the girl still wants to go there, then only on her own, and in which case let blame yourself.

The Commissariat for Foreign Affairs also told Ella Maillard that trips to the republics of Central Asia are associated with danger. Especially for a European girl who has no idea about the situation or local customs. Moreover, not knowing any of the local languages. However, a visa was still given, but only to Alma-Ata.

Problems started along the way. Deciding to take some pictures on the train, Ella attracted the attention of the Chekists. The camera was confiscated, and they tried to remove her from the train. The situation was resolved amicably. The camera was returned and ordered not to be taken out of the case to the destination station.

Ella traveled to Kyrgyzstan together with Moscow climbers. Of the things she had only two small trunks with clothes, a sleeping bag, the necessary medicines, a camera and films. The life of the Kyrgyz nomads literally captures a young woman. She went on a journey with them on horseback through the mountains. Despite the winter cold, avoiding meeting with bandits and Soviet inspectors, Ella traveled around the Tien Shan from July 1932 to January 1933. Carefully documenting her experience, Mayar preserved important facts about the formation of the country for history.

- Her photographs today are a unique collection of evidence of the recent past of the Kyrgyz people - says historian Nuraly Turganbaev. - Ella Maillard was a very talented photographer, demanding and objectively looking at the world. Her works are a synthesis of the quality of the chosen subjects and the emotions reflected in them. In 2012, the museum of her hometown of Lausanne donated her personal belongings and photographs from this trip to the local history museum of Karakol.

Caravan on the wayWith special trepidation, Ella Mayar communicated with the women of the south of Kyrgyzstan. Religious traditions were strong here at that time. They then faced an insoluble dilemma - either remove the veil and be on the street, or continue to live in the family as a second or third wife.

“I can imagine what they felt. I am European, and even with open not only my face, but also my arms up to my shoulders and even my legs up to my knees. In the south of Kyrgyzstan, most women still wear a veil, despite Soviet laws prohibiting the wearing of religious clothing. As it turned out "removing the veil is not considered a release. It is just a symbol of freedom, but not herself. However, it was he who was given too much importance, which led to family dramas," Ella wrote in her diary.

After Kyrgyzstan, Ella's path lay in the Kyzylkum desert. She covered 450 kilometers along the eastern shore of the Aral Sea. It was the end of November 1933 outside. Camels moved at a speed of three kilometers per hour. I had to sleep for three or four hours, right on the ground, clinging to the pack animals.

“As soon as life bristles with difficulties, people take on a victorious look, as if they are congratulating themselves for being alive. As I understand them!” Ella wrote at the end of her trip to Turkestan.

In total, the Swiss travel through Central Asia lasted seven months. Upon her return home, she received an enthusiastic welcome. Diary entries and a whole collection of photographs formed the basis of her book "From Heavenly Mountains to Red Sands. Turkestan Solo".

bbabo.Net