Ethnopark (conception). Part II

High precipitous bank of the Volga-river running beyond the horizon from the one side, and dense coniferous forest with its dark sparkling needle playing on the dawning sun from the other, and wide unmown meadow and rich grass covered with drops of dew on the third side.

It is difficult to keep such a harmony. Let’s try to do it by placing the Ethopark on the fourth side…

Far to the east and to the west a wall from the white stone is going away, ending with two transparent towers from both sides.  In the middle there are enormous gates always open to the inside, inviting everyone to enjoy and visit history, to live in the past for some while, remember this past, and to become a part of modern world, born by deeds and lives of thousands generations…

We enter the gates and find ourselves on the central street of ancient oriental town (Samarkand, Cairo, Tashkent, Tsargrad) – the same as it was thousand years ago. Here is a narrow side-street, widening to the complex’s center little by little and with real houses and structures inside them. It is not a death paper town of decorations to old shoot movies, but the life. It is just at arm’s length, not further. Each house is a little museum, but museum without fences and artificial mysteries. Just stretch out your arm and touch the history.

Moving forward along the street we see architectural peculiarities and mode’s features of different groups of people of that time around us. If mob and craftsmen’s quarters are located close to the city wall, then by street widening further the quarters of sellers and merchants start. What is more, you can visit them – from workshops (forge, jewelry and weaving shops) to bakery and small dwellings. And there you can see and touch true historical work tolls, which are not an electric imitation from modern materials, but natural and appropriate to the time we have been plunged in.

Then we are on the market square. Have you ever visited an oriental bazaar (fair)? I mean, the true one? Somewhere in Istanbul or Cairo? If you have, then you would imagine easily and agree that it is not an easy thing to find brighter, louder, flashy refined and more unpredictable place than it is. That is Oriental Bazaar with all its colors, sounds, scents and feeling of sincere excitement of sellers and buyers, which are being formed into the some illogical integrity and even into harmony – difficult to explain by text and impossible to meet anywhere else.

Now we’re moving away through the bazaar. Sellers’ stores and houses are being replaced by luxurious houses of aristocracy and close to royalty people. They are not huddling and bulked hovels of mob, but not disdaining to owe personal separate fences and inner gardens and worthy to have our best look huge houses.

The logical end of our walk along the street through different people strata and after rich people houses becomes a big palace square. A huge fountain in the middle of the square just shades the whole beauty appeared before palace complex’s visitor eyes. The palace itself is like the rest in the Ethnopark – the live museum and live open history. Administrative and service rooms needed for the Ethnopark’s “life” stay invisible for visitors inside the palace.

What else can we see in the palace? There are big eastern restaurant, old theatre and cozy cinema for a few visitors, where you may watch historical documentary and feature movies, comparing artistic “film” history with live world of history surrounding the palace outside.

One of the most noteworthy things in the palace is ethno-hotel. What does it differ from ordinary hotels with? Maybe, with stars number, service quality or interior’s features? Everything is simpler. And at the same time, everything is more complicated. This is a world of historical characters. And every visitor can become one of these characters. There is a wish to live as a philosopher at the beginning of Anno Domini (A.D). You are always welcome! Rooms with all historical peculiarities, clothes and conditions are ready for you. Do you want to play a role of palace guard fighter or oriental sweeties’ seller? Decide who you want to be and “live” the life of some historical person.

One more remarkable place of palace complex is arena. It is a battle field surrounded with rows for spectators and going up like in circus. Demonstrative and entertaining foot and horse combats and different epochs and nations’ warriors battles are held here. There are warriors of Bulgar sultanate and dragoon regiments, the Barsilas’ troops of Hun-Bulgarian Empire of Atilla and Persian army of Albania of the first millennium. Each fight, every warrior’s appearance looking like revived picture of thundered battle are enormous emotional surge and that indelible impression and memory which is something you miss in your daily routine and what you will never get in any museum, film or book. What important here is that every visitor concerning his own inner desire may take part in special battles, where he will be guided by experienced instructor.

After visiting the palace you may walk along other two streets of the Orient. They go in parallel with the main street. The difference is that these streets are ones of other towns and other centuries. Walking from street to street we are free to go anywhere and to move to countries of different age and cover im minutes thousand years and kilometers.

This is the beginning of excursion to the Ethnopark. This is our visit to ancestors of the past for emotions of the future…

P.S. To be continued…