By Sophie Ibbotson, Uzbekistan Tourism Ambassador for UK
Throughout the centuries, Uzbekistan’s arts and crafts traditions have been passed from one generation to the next, an unbroken line to the past. Today, Uzbekistanis proudly celebrate their applied arts as integral to their cultural legacy. Like the people themselves, the nation’s crafts reflect a history of diverse cultural influences. When you travel to Uzbekistan with Golden Eagle Luxury Trains, you have the opportunity not only to witness the physical manifestations of these art forms, including the magnificent glazed tiled monuments for which the Silk Road is famed, but also to meet artisans and learn firsthand about their crafts. Such cultural immersion is one of the highlights of the Golden Eagle experience.
Since time immemorial, travelers to Uzbekistan have returned home telling stories of artistic sights they have seen. Alexander the Great, for example, declared; “Everything I have heard about Marakanda [Samarkand] is true, only it is more beautiful.” Conditioned in the Western world by mass production, ubiquity, and standardisation, today’s visitors discover something remarkably different in Uzbekistan: painstaking detail, patience, individuality, technical excellence, and even a sprinkling of mystique. You may well return home with bags of souvenirs, unable to resist their allure, but their true value is that these handcrafted items evoke memories of specific people and places, and of a country which still nurtures and celebrates its artisans.
The diversity of applied arts and crafts in Uzbekistan is staggering, and so too are the range and depth of skills required to make jewellery and wood carvings, ceramics, carpet, embroidered silks, metalwork, mulberry paper, and more. To whet your appetite for the creative marvels that you will see, I will highlight just a few examples from the Treasures of Uzbekistan itinerary which together demonstrate the country’s common threads of imagination, skill, and tradition.
Applied Arts Museum, Tashkent
No place gives a better overview of the rich variety of Uzbekistan’s crafts and traditions than Tashkent’s Applied Arts Museum. There are more than 7,000 objects: ceramics galore, gorgeous jewelry, hand embroidered suzanis, and luxurious carpets.
In 1938, this national collection moved to its permanent building, which is the former home of Russian diplomat Alexander Polovtsev. Palatial in style, the building features a central hall modelled on the traditional mehmonkhona (translated as ‘guest room’), which was itself designed on the principles of a mosque. With four elegant columns, 200 ornamental wall motifs, four niches for displaying ceramics, and onion-domed fireplaces, this is a room which awes visitors and is as much an attraction as the applied arts on display.
The Applied Arts Museum is a treasure trove of beautiful objects. But for me, the absolute highlight of the museum’s collection are the suzanis, elaborately embroidered panels sewn by young girls as part of their wedding trousseau. Arranged marriages were commonplace in Uzbekistan, and a bride would rarely meet her husband-to-be before the wedding ceremony. She would sew her hopes and dreams into the suzanis, however, and it was said that in-laws would be able to tell something of the girl’s character just by looking at the suzanis she had made.
Rishtan’s ceramics
Each region of Uzbekistan has its own distinctive style of ceramics, but the most famous workshops are in Rishtan in the Fergana Valley. Here, you will see the renowned blue glaze known as ishkor which is made with a natural pigment from the ash of mountain plants.
Nowadays, markets in Rishtan display ceramics with a range of colours, but it is the azure items which fully express the historical legacy of the great ceramicists whose work was traded along the Silk Road. As a test of authenticity, try tapping a bowl with your knuckle: it should make a rich, sonorous sound.
Ceramic objects in Rishtan are typically decorated with botanical elements, plus images of birds and fish, all of which convey symbolic meaning. As an adventurous traveler, you may be drawn to designs with birds as they convey the concept of freedom.
Today, about one hundred hereditary master ceramicists work in Rishtan, passing on their techniques to the next generation. On Treasures of Uzbekistan you will see them at work and have the chance to ask them about the fascinating clay mixing, pot throwing, painting, glazing, and firing processes.
Margilan. A place of gorgeous silks
You can’t possibly visit the Silk Road without meeting the silk weavers who gave this historic intercontinental route its name! Even today, Uzbekistan is the world’s third-largest silk producer, and the city of Margilan is the beating heart of the industry. With an indisputable continuity of silk production and trade since the 9th century, Margilan and its merchants were fiercely independent even during Soviet rule.
During your visit to the Margilan History Museum you will gain insights into the logistics and history of silk production. Then, you’ll explore the amazing Yodgorlik Silk Factory, and on this tour you will see the whole process, from steaming and unravelling silk cocoons to the weaving of the sumptuous khan-atlas (or ‘king’s silk’) fabrics for which Margilan is justifiably world famous. Production at this traditional factory is both by hand and by vintage machines. Brightly patterned Margilan silk is synonymous with the national identity of Uzbekistan, used for everything from traditional wedding dresses and festival costumes to stylish contemporary homeware.
Paper in Samarkand
The fascinating story of paper production in Samarkand starts with conflict. It was the year 751, and the Abbasid Caliphate and Tang Dynasty China clashed at the Battle of Talas in what today is Kyrgyzstan. Some Chinese troops were captured; they were granted their freedom only when they revealed how to make paper, a secret the Chinese had hitherto guarded fiercely.
During the reign of Amir Timur in the 14th century, it is estimated that there were more than 40 paper making workshops in Samarkand. Production had by now shifted away from the historic strongholds of China and Egypt, and hardwearing Samarkand paper made from mulberry bark pulp, cotton, and silk was exported the length of the Silk Road. Its durability and smooth surface made it highly desirable, and consequently many medieval texts — including in Europe and India — were inscribed and, later, printed, on paper from Samarkand.
By the 20th century, Samarkand was all but extinct, replaced by cheaper, mass-produced papers made from wood pulp. Fortunately, with the help of UNESCO and master paper makers from Japan, Samarkandi brothers Zarif and Islam Mukhtarov have revived this ancient art. Now, Samarkand paper is sought after again by artists and calligraphers, as well as by restorers of ancient manuscripts. You will visit the brothers’ paper mill in the leafy village of Konigil just outside Samarkand and see them making their fine papers by hand.
Bukhara. Rich, colourful embroidery
It is one thing to watch entranced as an artisan works before you; focusing on the repetitive stitching or brush strokes is like a meditation. But at the other end of the sensory spectrum is a walk through the ancient trading domes of Bukhara, the sights, sounds, and smells all competing for your attention. Here, textiles lovers will be in their element, and it is the closest you will come to experiencing the original atmosphere of a Silk Road bazaar.
Merchants bring handicrafts to Bukhara from all over Uzbekistan: you will see suzanis in every style, plus the silk ikat and velvets produced in the factories of Margilan. Some of the products are local to this UNESCO-listed city, however, such as the gold-embroidered skull cap (tubeteika). Historically, only the emir of Bukhara and his courtiers were allowed to wear clothing embroidered with gold or silver thread, but such social conventions have been relaxed now, and it is a wonderful way to bring bling to any outfit!
You will notice that Uzbek skull caps differ in shape as well as in the patterns which decorate them. Sometimes they are round, but often they are tetrahedral. You might pick one out with a flamboyant fringe or geometrical tassels. Look out in particular for the chilli pepper motif known as a kalampur: it is a protective talisman said to ward off evil.
Khiva’s woollen marvels
Having visited Central Asia, Marco Polo reported: “You should know that the finest and most beautiful carpets in the world are made here.” He wasn’t wrong, and thanks to UNESCO and an Englishman named Chris Aslan Alexander, traditional carpet making is thriving once again in Khiva, Uzbekistan.
You can read about the revival of carpet making, from the sourcing of dyes to the recreation of Timurid-era patterns, in Chris’ excellent book, Carpet Ride to Khiva. I often recommend it as a pre-trip read, and Treasures of Uzbekistan makes a stop at that very same carpet weaving workshop in Khiva’s Ichan Qala. Yes, there are silk carpets, but wool carpets are a local speciality: weavers use the fleece of the Takaynamat breed of sheep. Khiva’s carpets are traditionally brightly coloured, using a geometric base behind a pattern of stylised floral patterns.
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I advocate buying arts and crafts directly from artisans in Uzbekistan. Not only does this ensure that they receive the most for their labours, but it also means that you — the fortunate possessor or something unique and beautiful — have a direct connection with its creator. When I am home and look at the suzani hanging on a wall, the ikat cushions thrown on the sofa, or the ceramic tea bowls laid out on the table, every piece has a story, a memory of a special person and a special moment in time.
