Margilan silk · Rishtan ceramics · Kokand
The Fergana Valley is Uzbekistan's most populous region — a green, fertile basin ringed by mountains, east of Tashkent. It has fewer famous monuments than Samarkand or Bukhara, but it is the heartland of Uzbek crafts: silk is still woven by hand in Margilan, and Rishtan's potters still make the blue-glazed ceramics the town is known for. A private guide opens the doors of the workshops and puts the crafts in context.
Margilan has been a silk town for centuries. At the Yodgorlik silk workshop you can follow the whole process: cocoons boiled and unwound, threads tied and dyed for the ikat patterns, and the fabric woven on wooden looms. Margilan's markets are worth a visit too.
Rishtan is famous for ceramics glazed in deep blues and greens. Several families of master potters work here and welcome visitors to watch the throwing, painting and firing. If you want to buy, you buy directly from the workshop.
Kokand was the capital of the Kokand Khanate. Its best-known sights are the palace of Khudayar Khan, the Juma mosque with its hall of nearly a hundred carved wooden columns, and the Narbutabey madrasa. See our Kokand day trip.
Fergana Valley tours
Private · Day trip with car
The former capital of the Kokand Khanate — the tiled palace of Khudayar Khan, a mosque hall of carved wooden columns and the madrasas of the old town.
PriceOn request
View tourPrivate · Day trip with car
The two great crafts of the Fergana Valley in one day — silk ikat woven by hand in Margilan and the blue ceramics of Rishtan's master potters.
PriceOn request
View tourTrains and roads from Tashkent cross the Kamchik pass into the valley; Fergana also has an airport. Our sister company Uzbekistan Transfers can arrange private cars from Tashkent.
Fergana city and Margilan are the usual bases; both are close to Rishtan and within reach of Kokand.
Workshop visits are about watching and learning. There is never an obligation to buy.
One full day covers Margilan and Rishtan. A second day adds Kokand, or Kokand can be visited on the way to or from Tashkent.
Often yes, depending on the workshop and the day. Tell us when you enquire and we ask in advance.
Yes. The valley is a few hours from Tashkent by train or car, so it fits well at the start or end of a trip. Our sister company Tour to Uzbekistan can plan the whole route.
Travel guide
Travel guide
From Sogdian merchants to Timur's empire and the khanates — the story behind the cities you will visit, in ten minutes.
Travel guide
Uzbekistan is a craft lover's country. Here is what to look for, which city each craft comes from, and how to buy well.
More destinations
A walled city you can cross in fifteen minutes — and explore for two days.
Trading domes, madrasas and quiet courtyards.
Registan, Shah-i-Zinda and Timurid tilework.
Metro stations, bazaars and the capital's Soviet-era and modern layers.
The Savitsky Museum, ancient necropolises and the Aral Sea.
Buddhist monasteries, Sufi shrines and the Amu Darya.
Timur's home town and the ruins of his White Palace.
A holy spring, an ancient fortress and Aydarkul lake.
Need a transfer?
Airport and railway station pick-ups and private cars between cities — arranged by our sister company Uzbekistan Transfers.
Book a transferNeed a multi-day tour?
Several days with hotels, trains, guides and transport planned for you — by our sister company Tour to Uzbekistan.
See multi-day toursPlan your private tour
Free and without obligation. We reply within 24 hours with a route and a quote.
