From clothing shops and salons to stalls selling artwork and handicrafts, all could be found during the opening celebration of the Women’s Business Market in Mazar-e-Sharif, Balkh, Afghanistan.
Photos by Kimberly Stinson
The way I see... 
So inspiring–faces of caution & hopeful determination and stalls ablaze in riotous color…
Thank you AM!..I’m so glad that you saw the determination…and the caution. Cautiously optimistic & determined describes most of the women I met the weekend the market opened. I fell in love with the “riotous color” of the textiles in particular. I have a huge collection of them, and would have bought the red one hanging in the 4th and 5th photos, if I had the money on hand…not always an easy thing outside of Kabul. Cash machines that will work with international cards can be hard to find.
These textiles, especially the older ones, are increasingly special because, I’ve been told, the younger generation is not interested in spending the long hours needed to create these pieces. And, the newer ones may have machine work and inferior materials. The older textiles are made with silk threads and heavy cotton…The colours just sing in the sunshine. I wanted to document the making of one the larger bedcovers because they can take several months of work in difficult conditions and, sometimes, many hands to complete.
Ok..So my simple “thanks for the comment” took a turn and did a little wandering. Thanks again!
I am so enamored with the textiles! I like to spin, weave, dye, quilt etc. and I have really kind friends who bring back lovely exotic materials from around the globe. They are my greatest treasures because they were made by such cautious & determined hands–and eyes that love a good color riot! A friend covered the 2-story windows in her loft with saris she brought back from Tehran–the vast drop of beautiful, bedazzled color with the light shining through is one of the most stunning sights I have ever seen.
I’m floored by the array of goods and the quality of handiwork. It’s striking to be so aware of it (the number of hand-made products) because of its lack in our own culture. It strikes me that each hand-made item — pitcher, blanket, sari — has a story. My sweater from the GAP? Not so much.