“Marhaban, kayfa haluk? Lazward?” (مرحبا، كيف حالك؟ لازورد)Asks a merchant who has traveled for weeks to see the dark blue waters of Constantinople. Amid a row of stalls with horses and a mix of faces, this man is looking for the stone for the painters, jewelry makers, and soldiers back home. After many tries, he finds an Afghan that’s willing to sell to him. Covered in the dust of the Korkaram highway, he stores a bag full of the stones in with his belongings and starts the trek back to Italy.