Unlike neighbouring countries where 20th-century industrialisation broke most craft traditions, Uzbekistan retains seven distinct living crafts. Some are on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
1. Silk ikat (atlas & adras) — Margilan, Fergana Valley. See kb-experience-ikat-weaving.
2. Suzani embroidery — Bukhara, Nurata, Shakhrisabz. See kb-experience-suzani-embroidery.
3. Ceramics — two centres: - Rishton — turquoise-blue ishkor-glazed ceramics with copper-based colouring. - Gijduvan — earthier greens and browns, with distinctive floral central motifs, made near Bukhara.
4. Miniature painting — Bukhara mostly, painted on paper, wood or camel bone. Themes borrowed from Persian miniature tradition — court scenes, Silk Road caravans, poet Nizami's stories. Master Davlat Toshev in Bukhara is UNESCO-recognised.
5. Paper making — Konigil village near Samarkand. Only surviving workshop making 8th-century-style mulberry-fibre paper. Museums buy for manuscript restoration.
6. Silver jewellery — Karakalpakstan. Heavy ornate belts, headpieces, chest plates in silver with coral, carnelian and turquoise. Traditional Karakalpak bridal costume weighs ~10 kg.
7. Copper work (chekanka) — Bukhara, Fergana, Kokand. Beaten copper trays, teapots, samovars with hand-engraved patterns. Bukharan master Kobil Turaev is a living UNESCO figure.
Where to buy: prefer master workshops over tourist bazaars. Prices are similar or lower at workshops, and you can meet the maker.
Uzbekistan in photos
A short visual companion to this entry — photographs from our Uzbekistan travel archive.
Related entries
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Ikat weaving: watching the atlas process
Ikat is a resist-dye technique — warp threads are bound and dyed one colour at a time before weaving, so the entire pattern is created before the loom starts. Watch it done at Margilan or Bukhara.
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Suzani embroidery: buying the real thing
Suzani are hand-embroidered textiles, traditionally part of a bride's dowry. Real hand-work has irregular stitching, slightly asymmetric patterns, and thread that lies flat but with visible knot texture on the reverse.
- Places
Rishton pottery: turquoise clay of the Fergana Valley
Rishton has produced blue-glazed ceramics since the 9th century, from a naturally red clay under the town and an ash-based glaze made from mountain plants. ~1,000 potters still work here today.
- Places
Konigil village: 8th-century Samarkand paper
Konigil, 15 km east of Samarkand, is the only workshop still making mulberry-bark paper by the 8th-century method that Chinese POWs brought to the city in 751 CE.
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How to shop at an Uzbek bazaar
Food and produce have fixed fair prices — no bargaining. Handicrafts and souvenirs are expected to be negotiated; start at 50–60% of the asking price and settle around 70–80%.
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Afrosiyob high-speed train
Uzbekistan's Spanish-built Talgo bullet trains link Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva at up to 250 km/h. Tashkent-Samarkand takes 2h10, tickets $10–35 depending on class.