Column: Pack your bags for Arabia

Cue the ‘Aladdin’ soundtrack for some Arabian Nights

Uzbekistan Republic, fall 1991

This is a continuing narrative from Keatts’ visit to her son, Ken Keatts, who worked at the U.S. Embassy in Russia in the 1990s. Earlier installments can be found at lmtribune.com by clicking the “Special Pubs” tab and viewing back issues of Golden Times.

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Never having been to Arabia, it seemed to me that I had stepped back into the era of “The Arabian Nights.” We toured the emir’s prison and were told the punishment for many crimes was death by being thrown from the top of the minaret into the street. We saw a picture depicting a man being hanged and a woman being stoned. Their crime? They had eloped without the family’s consent. The date? 1905.

In two locations, we were shown palaces of the shah, including the harems where the wives and concubines of the shah were kept as virtual prisoners. These operated until about 1925, when the communist government dismantled them. Now the Muslim tourist guides tell us, “You come back in four years and you won’t be able to get into this place. With the new freedom of religion, it will be in operation again.” I find that prospect quite alarming.

Public schools were started in Uzbekistan in the early 1900s, but women weren’t allowed to attend school until the 1930s. Nor did I see any indication that, prior to then, women were educated at all. In both communities the tour guides (who were women) showed us the square where all the women had gathered and burned their veils in the

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every Wednesday & Friday. 1930s. They vowed never to return to them again. They told of many women who had been killed by their husbands, fathers or brothers for taking off their veils and speaking out. Finally, the rest of the women all did it at the same time and, confronted with the numbers, the men had to accept it.

Between gruesome things and Muslim lore, the tour group snooped the markets — again something out of “The Arabian Nights.” People set up stalls along an open street. Down the middle of it runs a ditch about 10 inches wide by 15 inches deep. That is the sewer system. I saw one mother pull down the pants on her toddler and hold her over the ditch. How is that for potty training? There were a lot of exot-

ic and different things to buy at the markets, and we all had to get some things. On one of our flights between cities, one plane developed problems, so everyone got into the other plane. People were standing, holding the baggage racks T R AV E L O G U E for support like they would on a bus. On another Jeanne Keatts flight, I was asked if I’d like to go into the cockpit and watch the plane take off. It was very crowded, and I had to crouch down to see, but what an experience. Keatts is a retired Clarkston businesswoman who ran an accounting offi ce for many years. She loves to travel and shares excerpts from notes sent to loved ones detailing her adventures. Previous tales can be found online at lmtribune.com under the “Special Pubs” tab.

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