260 THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



Photograph by M. O. Williams 



IN THE BAZAAR AT mkrv 



The legend and history of Merv date back many, many centuries before the Zoroastrian 

 Books of Wisdom told of the haven that prehistoric man sought and found In the great oasis 

 which bears the name of the present town. 



For centuries, possibly extending back 

 to the Iranian peoples whom Alexander 

 found here on his way to India, the 

 Tekke maiden had been taught to dye and 

 weave. When she was married to her 

 Mohammedan husband, the young bride 

 took with her to her master's hut the 

 rugs her patient toil had formed, and he 

 in turn paid a corresponding price to her 

 parents. Her dowry was her skill and 

 its product. She was a menial, but with 

 the soul of an artist. Her toil was long, 



but it was not drudgery. She was not a 

 slave, for her work demanded the inspi- 

 ration of a soul, and she had an enviable 

 position compared with that of many of 

 her Oriental sisters in polygamy. 



Gradually these masterpieces in ma- 

 hogany, deep chocolate, terra-cotta, old 

 rose, burnt orange and black found their 

 way to America, where their appeal was 

 irresistible. Buyers raced one another 

 across Europe into the Transcaspian 

 home of historv to secure the priceless 



