Souvenirs

                                  Souvenirs from Uzbekistan

Various types of crafts in Uzbekistan, as befits the cultural heritage of a centuries-old country with a rich and eventful history, are truly unique, and therefore arouse genuine interest among tourists from around the world. We invite you to be inspired by the most famous masterpieces of folk art of Uzbekistan.

When you are going to Uzbekistan, you need to immediately take care of a spacious suitcase and a minimum number of things initially brought in it. The place will be useful for souvenirs, of which there will most likely be a lot.

On the one hand, even simple photographs of the locations can become an excellent souvenirs from spectacular Uzbekistan, they are so colorful. On the other hand, folk art items are so masterpiece that it will be impossible to refuse them.

The carpets in Uzbekistan are such that you wouldn’t be embarrassed to hang them on the wall, the ceramics are such that you’ll want to constantly invite guests for tea, and a dress made of Uzbek silk will always maintain a festive mood. But there is also cotton, gold and silver items, wooden boxes and much more. And all this is produced by hereditary craftsmen using ancient technologies.

In today's review of a fabulous stall with Uzbek treasures, all that remains is to make a choice. And you can decide on a travel agency to whom you can entrust all the organizational aspects of a trip to Uzbekistan on the pages of a special project taking place at the ATOR site and dedicated to a wide variety of tourism opportunities in this Central Asian country.

UNIQUENESS OF DECORATIVE AND APPLIED ARTS OF UZBEKISTAN

The originality and uniqueness of Uzbekistan lies not only in its historical appearance, but also in folk artistic crafts, which have glorified Uzbekistan throughout the world over its centuries-old history.

In Uzbekistan, entire dynasties of hereditary masters - artisans live and carefully preserve traditions. And the products they created still amaze the world with their richness of artistic imagination, sophistication and perfection of form.

Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Uzbekistan

Each region of Uzbekistan has its own craft direction. Bukhara, for example, is famous for gold embroidery and silk; the city of Chust in the Namangan region is famous for skullcaps and knives; the city of Rishtan is famous for the production of colored ceramics, and the city of Margilan in the Fergana Valley is famous for its iridescent satin. By the way, according to legend, it was in the Fergana Valley that silk production began in the second millennium BC.

You can get acquainted with the folk art of Uzbekistan, for example, at festivals or while visiting various workshops. There will be no problems with buying unique products either - they are everywhere and attract the eye.

IN UZBEKISTAN- FOR SILK

Just as pilaf is the main character of an Uzbek feast, silk is a guest of any shopping program in this Asian country. Silk products have been produced in Uzbekistan for more than 4 thousand years. During this time, the “silk craftsmanship” here has been honed to an indisputable ideal. Confirmation is the honorable place of Uzbek silk on the UNESCO list of world cultural heritage and recognition of the world's leading fashion designers.

The most famous Uzbek silk fabrics are khan-atlas, ikat and adras. We talked in detail about them and about the “silk power” of Uzbekistan in general here. Let's focus on “silk locations”.

Tourists who will be vacationing in the Fergana region are recommended to visit the Yodgorlik silk weaving factory in Margilan. There you can buy fabric, clothes, and see the production process.

A whole scattering of shops with silk and dresses made from this fabric awaits tourists in Tashkent and Samarkand. A large assortment of silk products is presented in Bukhara. In this city, atlas and adras are made using ancient technologies.

Of course, not only clothes are sewn from silk, but also carpets are made. The craftsmen also know a lot about carpet weaving, one of the oldest forms of art in Uzbekistan. You can watch the carpet making process at the Khujum factory in Samarkand.

This ancient city has preserved the traditions of producing silk carpets using ancient medieval technologies. Bukhara will also delight connoisseurs of real oriental carpets. They make beautiful carpets with multi-colored patterns.

CERAMICS IN UZBEKISTAN

There are many craft schools in Uzbekistan - in Bukhara, Samarkand, Gijduvan, Khiva, Shakhrisyabz, Tashkent and, of course, Rishtan.

Ceramic products from different cities and regions differ in ornamentation, color, and emotional mood.

Rishtan ceramics can always be distinguished by the turquoise tones of the products, painted with intricate patterns. And the painting of ceramics from Bukhara repeats the patterns and colors on mosques and madrassas. The pattern here is blurry. If you look at it from afar, it creates an interesting effect.

It is better to buy ceramics in workshops, there are many of them. Products made by hand will have a visible mark from the potter's wheel on the bottom. Handmade ceramics are more expensive than factory-made options, but in any case the price tag is acceptable.

National clay toys are also an excellent souvenir and a vivid memory of the folk craftsmen of Uzbekistan. The toys are different. There are, for example, whistle toys (khushtak) in the form of domestic animals or painted ceramic figurines of men in Uzbek national costumes.

WOODEN BOXES IN UZBEKISTAN

Artistic wood carving is also an ancient art in Uzbekistan. Particularly valued are the products that are made using ancient technologies by craftsmen in Khiva, Samarkand, Bukhara, Tashkent and Fergana.

As before, the material is mainly noble wood from valuable trees growing in the Central Asian region - elm, walnut, plane tree, juniper, mulberry. Completely different objects are decorated with ornamental carvings - from small chests to doors, columns and ceilings.

Tourists, usually get acquainted with this type of art through boxes or panels. You can buy wooden things decorated with carvings and beautiful patterns in shops and stores. In Tashkent, we recommend trying out, for example, the Center for Applied Arts or Navruz Park.

EMBROIDERY IN UZBEKISTAN

Embroidery is another beautiful heritage of Uzbekistan’s folk art, a piece of which tourists can take with them as a souvenir.

Since ancient times, decorative embroidery, which is most often done with silk threads, has been decorating clothes, tablecloths, curtains, and towels. From region to region, embroidery differs in patterns and colors. Bukhara embroidery is distinguished by elegant floral patterns and multi-colored patterns. Samarkand embroidery is characterized by large motifs and cooler tones. Tashkent embroidery also has large motifs, but the tones are burgundy and bright red.

There is also gold embroidery. Unlike silk embroidery, which was done only by women, gold embroidery was previously done exclusively by men. This craft was especially popular in Bukhara in the mid-19th century. Embroidery was then used to decorate the outfits of the ruler and his retinue.

Nowadays, gold embroidery is mainly done by women, and not only in Bukhara. This embroidery technique is used to make various souvenirs, clothing and, of course, to decorate skull caps, the national headdress of Uzbekistan, the sacred symbol of the country. The most popular are Chust skullcaps, the beauty of which is known far beyond the borders of Uzbekistan. There, in the city of Chust, Namangan region, knives are made using ancient technologies.

Tourists vacationing in the Namangan region also like to bring cotton items from there. Cotton is produced and processed in this region, which is why the products are of high quality and their prices are low. By the way, there are excellent young designers in Uzbekistan who sew amazing clothes from cotton.