Of third goal and bhurkas

One of the things Peace Corps talks a lot about is third goal. There are three main goals of Peace Corps, and the third is the one that really never stops – helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans. And even though they switched taglines long ago, they never tell you that, in that respect, the toughest job you’ll ever love never ends.

I came across this story in the back of one of my seventh grade textbooks, and I thought it would definitely be a fantastic piece for third goal. It’s called “Bibi-Khanym and the origin of the Muslim Veil.”

If you recall, not long after September 11, there was a bit of an anti-Muslim backlash in the United States. One of the things that gained serious (negative) attention was the bhurka (spelling??), the garment that some Muslim women wear that completely covers their face and body.

Like all cultural things, there’s usually a story to explain it all. And so, without further ado, here’s one story that explains the Muslim Veil.

“Bibi-Khanym and the origin of the Muslim Veil.”

Almost seven centuries ago in Central Asia there lived a great king called Tamerlane. He was a very powerful soldier, and he wanted one day to rule a great empire stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the West to the Pacific Ocean in the East.

He made his capital in the oasis city of Samarkand which he planned to make the most beautiful city on Earth. Many mosques were built with blue ceramic tiles outside and gold inside.

Tamerlane’s wife Bibi-Khanym was the most beautiful and the most important of all his wives.

She was deeply in love with him. In order to show her love to Tamerlane she decided to build a magnificent mosque to honour him when he was away fighting in a distant war. She found the best architect who designed the most magnificent mosque one could imagine. And then she found the best master builder who began the work immediately.

As the weeks and days passed by the master builder began to fall in love with her.

He threatened to leave the mosque unfinished unless she let him kiss her just once.

Bibi-Khanym wanted the mosque to be finished and at last she let him kiss her once.

But that was her terrible mistake because the master builder’s love was so big that when he kissed her he left a permanent mark on her face.

King Tamerlane returned and saw his wife’s face. So the master builder was executed immediately.

And then thinking that a woman’s beauty can be a dangerous thing, Tamerlane ordered that from that day all the women in the kingdom should never be seen in public without a veil that covers their face.

(Taken from the 7^th grade English book by Ayapova, 2007 edition. And edited significantly for grammar, but not content. Probably still some grammatical errors…. I’m too lazy to translate for a proper citation. Plus I’m not sure that I’d even be able to do a proper citation at this point. I’m a little out of practice)

So there you have it folks. The legend behind the veil.

Also, today is Soviet Army Day. It’s not an official holiday here – Kazakhstan celebrates a similar holiday in May – but it was celebrated in the Russian Federation today. And with those two intercultural tidbits I bid you farewell until next time!