Dish · Samarkand
Samarkand plov
A layered plov in which nothing is stirred: the rice stays pale, and the carrots and meat are served on top of it.
Culture
Food, crafts and tradition
Plov and tandoor bread, Rishtan ceramics and Margilan ikat silk, weddings and festivals — every region has its own flavours and crafts.
Plov (osh)Tashkent plovSamarkand plovBukhara plov and oshi sofiFergana plovKhorezm plovSamsaJizzakh samsaKabob (shashlik)Gijduvan kebabTandir kabob (tandoor lamb)Qozon kabobLagmanMantiChuchvaraSumalakHalimShurpaUgra oshi (noodle soup)DimlamaMastavaKazyAchichukUzbek bread (non)Samarkand nonPatir (Tashkent patir)QurtTukhum barakShivit oshiKarakalpak beshbarmak (turama)Juvari gurtikNo‘xat sho‘rak (chickpea stew)Novvot, parvarda and halvaDried fruit and nutsUzbek melonsNorin (naryn)Rishtan ceramicsGijduvan ceramicsMargilan atlas and adrasBukhara gold embroideryKhiva woodcarvingChust knivesChust doppi (skullcap)Samarkand paperSuzani and Bukhara embroideryNurata suzaniSamarkand and Urgut suzaniShahrisabz embroidery and the iroqi skullcapCarpet weavingCopper chasing (kandakorlik)Jewellery making (zargarlik)Karakalpak jewelleryGanch carvingTilework (koshinkorlik)Musical instrument makingThe Karakalpak yurt and feltNaqqoshlik, illumination and miniature paintingHospitality and the dastarkhanTea culture and the choyxonaThe Uzbek weddingBeshik to‘yi (cradle feast)The mahallaHasharNavruz customsShashmaqom and the maqom traditionBakhshi artLazgiAskiya, the art of witKatta ashula (‘great song’)KurashKupkari (ulak)National dressRamadan and iftarNasreddin Afandi anecdotesThe cultural space of BoysunNew YearDefenders of the Motherland DayInternational Women’s Day (8 March)Navruz holidayDay of Remembrance and HonourIndependence DayTeachers’ and Mentors’ DayConstitution DayRamazon hayiti (Eid al-Fitr)Qurbon hayiti (Eid al-Adha)
01 · 3 dishes
Cuisine
From plov to samsa and sumalak: what to taste, where and how.
Dish · Samarkand
Samarkand non
A tandoor loaf with a thin stamped centre, a thick rim and a glossy crust — Samarkand’s best-known taste and the souvenir everyone takes home.
Dish · Samarkand
No‘xat sho‘rak (chickpea stew)
A thick stew of lamb and soaked chickpeas cooked in a kazan, best known in the Samarkand region.
02 · 2 crafts
Crafts
Ceramics, ikat silk, gold embroidery and woodcarving — the workshops and their schools.
Craft · Samarkand
Samarkand paper
Paper made from mulberry bark — the finest writing material of the 9th–10th-century Islamic world, revived at Konigil at the end of the 20th century.
Craft · Samarkand
Samarkand and Urgut suzani
Big red-and-black circles and rosettes on white define the Samarkand school; Urgut is a living embroidery centre and a favourite bazaar for suzani hunters.