Bus stop

Shymkent is located in southern Kazakhstan near the Uzbek border. The town was originally founded in the 12th century as caravaneserai, or resting place for merchants traveling along the Silk Road. The town has been invaded and destroyed a number of times — for instance by Genghis Khan, the Mongolian warrior king. During the Stalinist mass deportations of political dissenters and other convicts, a prison camp ('gulag') was built near the town, which explains why Shymkent still hosts a relatively large Russian-speaking minority. As many other former Soviet republics, the area surrounding Shymkent has unique designs for the bus stops. Captured by photographer Christopher Herwig as part of the series “Soviet Bus Stops," this particular bus stop is no longer entirely unique. With the copy in Superkilen, there are now two.