Workshops of Samarkand
Over the centuries, Samarkand’s craftsmen have been accumulating knowledge, developing skills, perfecting various techniques, and improving the quality of their products. Many different crafts were practised here, and a wide range of goods was represented in the market. Today, masters revive the traditions of the past by honing the skills developed by their ancestors, and sometimes they add a touch of modernity to their work. Here is a selection of famous workshops in Samarkand where you can watch artisans at work and buy memorable gifts.
Happy Bird
Elena Ladik runs the Happy Bird art gallery, where she makes fashion dresses. She creates her collections from vintage fabrics that are more than 30-40 years old. Her clothing style, in which European patterns are combined with Uzbek satin fabrics, can be labelled ethnic avant-garde. She not only creates new outfits but also repairs old garments, giving them a new lease on life.
Location: Islam Karimov St., 43A
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2. Hamida Inoyatova Art Fashion
Ethno-bags, scarves, skullcaps and dressing gowns embroidered in gold are particularly popular among Hamida’s creations. Her clothes include women’s dresses of various styles, youthful jackets in bright colours, and men’s tunics, shirts, waistcoats and ties with national elements in the decoration. Today, her collection of clothes is a unique combination of folk traditions and modernity.
Location: Ethnopark Eternal City
3. Silk carpet factory
The tradition of carpet weaving by the Badghisi family goes back 200 years. It is a skill spanning six generations, and one that the family carries on today. Badghisi says his family is not just making carpets – they are reviving a lost art. Carpets are created exclusively from natural materials. The threads are made from mulberry silkworms and coloured with vegetable dyes. Visitors can watch as the carpets are being woven.
Location: Khudjum St., 12A
Visit their website: www.silkcarpets.uz
4. Meros paper factory
The paper factory, which was founded by the Mukhtarov brothers, revived and commercialized the production of Samarkand paper by the ancient method – a technology used long before the advent of paper-making machines. The main features of this technology are manual labour and the use of natural raw materials. Visitors can see the process of making Samarkand paper with their own eyes.
Location: Konigil village
Visit their website: https://meros.uz/en/object/fabrika-meros-i-samarkandskaya-bumaga
5. Gold embroidery workshop
Bakhtiyor Baratov is a gold embroiderer originally from Bukhara. He is a fourth-generation master who has been at his craft for more than 15 years and continues the work of his mother. He loves his work and sews for locals as well as tourists; sometimes he fulfils orders from abroad. You can see his work and attend his masterclasses in the Eternal City.
Location: Ethnopark Eternal City
6. Ceramics workshop
Abduvali Nabiyev is a third-generation ceramist who has been practising his craft for over 18 years. He is a specialist in the ancient techniques of Samarkand pottery, which he has been studying and mastering for many years. He focuses on carved pottery and ceramic crockery. In his products he always tries to adhere to high quality, following ancient traditions to create elegant forms.
Location: Ethnopark Eternal City
