Cities of the Dead: The Ancestral Cemeteries of Kyrgyzstan

Photographs by Margaret Morton

Ismaili Centre Toronto, Toronto, Canada (May 9-July 30, 2015)

Curated by Zulfikar Hirji, the exhibition features a collection of photographs by photographer Margaret Morton of Kyrgyz cemeteries. Morton’s extraordinary photography of these buildings highlights the unique architectural expression and complex nature of Kyrgyz religious and cultural identities, and bears witness to the architectural and cultural legacies of Central Asia. A symposium on the Kyrgyz included lectures by Margaret Morton, Elmira Köchümkulova (University of Central Asia) who discussed her work recording the oral history and exploring cultural traditions surrounding Kyrgyz funeral practices and Jeff Sahadeo (Carleton University), who discussed Kyrgyzstan’s rich history of intercultural exchange and pluralistic traditions.