Silk, Suzani and Ceramics: Uzbekistan's Living Crafts

Uzbekistan's crafts are not museum pieces. Many are still made by families who have practised them for generations, and visiting their workshops is one of the most rewarding experiences we can offer travellers.

Silk and ikat in Margilan

Margilan in the Fergana Valley has been a silk town for centuries. In its workshops you can follow the whole process: cocoons boiled and unwound, threads tied and dyed in patterns, and finally woven into ikat fabrics known as atlas and adras. The blurred, shimmering patterns come from dyeing the threads before weaving, a slow and skilled process.

Ceramics in Rishtan and Gijduvan

• Rishtan: also in Fergana, known for its deep blue and turquoise glazes, made with local clay and plant-ash glaze.
• Gijduvan: near Bukhara, famous for warm browns, greens and yellows, and for a family of potters who welcome visitors.

Suzani and gold embroidery

Suzani are large embroidered textiles, traditionally made for a bride's dowry. Bold flowers, pomegranates and suns are stitched in silk or cotton. Bukhara, Samarkand and Shakhrisabz each have their own styles. Bukhara is also home to gold embroidery, once reserved for the court.

How to buy well: ask whether a piece is hand- or machine-embroidered, look at the back of the stitching, and buy from workshops where you can see the work being done.

Paper, wood and metal

• Silk paper in Konigil: made by hand from mulberry bark near Samarkand.
• Wood carving: Khiva is known for its carved doors and columns.
• Knives and metalwork: Chust in Fergana is the best-known centre.

Craft-focused programs

We build programs around workshop visits, hands-on sessions and meals with artisan families. They suit special-interest groups, design and textile travellers, and anyone who wants to bring home something with a story.