Jon Michael Anzalone

For a decade, I wanted to see the great monuments of the Silk Road, the tiled mausoleums and mosques in the cities of Samarkand and Bukhara. From a distance, we imagine these central points to be the heart of a city and a culture, and they are indeed treasures. But it was in the off-hours, and in the wanderings through quiet streets where I encountered the soul of the place.

These photos are from Uzbekistan, from the cities whose names we hear in a dream, but they are from the quiet corners of those places where families live and children play. Now, in dreams and recollections, I find myself walking down these narrow streets, peaceful and at home.