The Foreign Service Journal, December 2022

Please submit your favor- ite, recent photograph to be considered for Local Lens. Images must be high resolution (at least 300 dpi at 8” x 10”, or 1 MB or larger) and must not be in print elsewhere. Include a short description of the scene/ event, as well as your name, brief biodata, and the type of camera used. Send to locallens@afsa.org . 106 DECEMBER 2022 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL LOCAL LENS BY MARYUM SAIFEE n SAMARKAND, UZBEKISTAN T his photo was taken in October on a cold, rainy day in the Silk Road city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Pictured here, a beekeeper selling honey and beeswax at the Siab Bazaar, which is next door to the 14th-century Bibi Khanym Mosque. e mosque was built on the orders of Timur (Tamerlane) in honor of his “senior” wife, whose nickname was Bibi Khanym. The bazaar was full of spices, nuts, tea, vegetables, fruit, and beautiful textiles. n Foreign Service Officer Maryum Saifee has served in Cairo, Baghdad, Erbil, and Lahore. Before joining the State Department, she served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Jordan and an AmeriCorps volunteer in Seattle, Washington. She is currently a senior adviser in the Secretary’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion. This photo was taken with an iPhone 12.