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Wedding, Shakhrisabz, Uzbekistan

Wedding season seems to be upon us once again. I've received two invitations in the past week (well, one formal invitation and one gentle prod from another bride who is asking if I'll be heading to her nuptuals in Hawaiii). August seems to be the main month this year, as the two weddings are about a week apart.

Every year I think I'm done attending weddings, and every year another invitation appears in the mail. The greatest number of weddings I've attended in one summer is five, which proved exhausting. I think I ended up backing out on one that year from sheer exhaustion.

I took this photo in Shakhrisabz, under a statue of Tamerlane. It's a popular spot with wedding parties, who come to offer flowers to Temur, and circumambulate the plaza. No sooner had one party left than another appeared.

The city itself is the birthplace of Temur, and where he built his Summer Palace. Only part of the monumental front gate of the palace remains, but it's easy to imagine how vast it once was when you stand upon the grounds. Sitting in the shade of the ruins, I shut my eyes to the bustle around us and imagined the cool confines of the once great hall.