Well I still say you are a lucky man .. you have had a chance to visit these places which is excellent. I have to agree with you about the crazy prices often asked in the countries of origin ... I was in Dharan in the 1st Gulf War and found a lot of very good stuff but at prices at least 2x what I would pay in England !
Richmond
QUOTE=Dom]Hi
collected weapons on the field, became a real "treasure hunting",
when by chance (extremely rare) you found something interesting,
the price requested is 3 to 4 times above the reasonable ...
much more easy, convenient, to purchase from auction room,
or by default through some Internet auctions sites,
largest choose, and prices are more in line with the market
I've been to Bukhara, I searched all the local market (suk),
I found nothing, and in Samarkand same thing ...
in Egypt, the market is dry, ...
I pass by often through Istanbul and his the "Great Bazaar",
full up with India's copy, otherwise nothing ...
Syria is the exception, indeed as well as,
the suks from Saudi Arabia, but the access to the last country it's very restrictive
also no reason to envy those who travel,
fortunately (I mean for me) the pleasure and interest to discover other persons, societies, civilizations,
compensates for the frustration of not finding the "object of my dreams"
à +
Dom[/QUOTE]