Urgut Bazaar
A craft-filled weekend market
The craftsmen's trail
© Betta27, Public domain
From the suzani of Urgut's bazaar to Konigil paper, and from the Eternal City's workshops to the silk-carpet weavers — Samarkand's crafts in a single day.
Practical information
Start early in Urgut: the bazaar is about an hour's drive away and trading is liveliest in the morning. It's busiest on Sundays and Saturdays; on other days you could skip it, begin at Konigil and enjoy a slower morning. Urgut to Konigil takes 45–60 minutes, and Konigil and the Eternal City are close neighbours. From there it's a 15–20-minute taxi ride back into the old town for the carpet workshop.
Have lunch in the Eternal City. The Konigil mill usually opens 9:00–17:00 in winter and 8:00–19:00 in summer. Bring cash for purchases, as small workshops don't always take cards.
Shopping tips
Exporting antique carpets, suzani and other items of cultural value may require a special permit, so ask the seller for paperwork and a receipt. The price of a hand-knotted silk carpet depends on its knot density and size. When choosing a suzani, turn it over: hand embroidery has slightly irregular stitches, whereas machine work looks too uniform.
Stops
- 08:00
Urgut Bazaar
Urgut's suzani rows are among the best places in Uzbekistan to see old and new embroidery. Sundays are richest; bargain politely.
- 11:15
Konigil Meros Paper Mill
Mulberry-bark papermaking was revived here in the 1990s. Watch the pulp being boiled, formed into sheets and polished, then try making a sheet yourself.
Konigil Meros Paper Mill
Samarkand paper, reborn
- 13:00
Eternal City (Boqiy Shahar)
After lunch, explore more than 50 workshops — woodcarving, pottery, jewellery, carpet weaving. Book master classes in advance.
Eternal City (Boqiy Shahar)
All of Uzbekistan in one ethno-park
- 15:30
Samarkand Bukhara Silk Carpets
Follow the whole process, from dyeing silk thread with natural dyes to hand-knotting. The workshop usually closes around 18:00.
Samarkand Bukhara Silk Carpets
A family carpet workshop on Hujum Street
- 16:45
Islam Karimov Street (formerly Tashkent Street)
Compare skullcaps, ceramics, suzani and knives in the shops along the pedestrian street.
Islam Karimov Street (formerly Tashkent Street)
The pedestrian street from the Registan to Bibi-Khanym
