Grinding Spices In A Stone Market

Under wooden beams inside an arched spice house, workers grind roots and pods into fine powder using stone querns and tall wooden pestles. A woman in blue pounds red spice in a barrel-shaped mortar, while beside her a man turns a hand-cranked stone grinder loaded with pale seeds. Sacks and burlap bags line the shelves, stuffed with turmeric, chili and dried herbs, and labeled jars of pepper, ginger and clove sit along the counter. A brass balance scale weighs out portions of cardamom pods, and bowls piled high with red chili, golden turmeric and green cardamom crowd the front table. Further back, more workers measure and package spices near a second archway. The scale's paired trays already hint at how evenly this pile of pods could be divided.