Samarkand Shopping

While visiting the Bibi Khanum Mosque our attention was caught by this artist painting quietly in the centre of the courtyard, and by the paintings he had arranged around the great marble Koran stand there. These were mostly very detailed watercolours of some of the exquisite tile-work on Samarkand’s mosques and other monuments. We watched him at work for a while, then checked out the paintings more carefully. The work was very fine, and the prices incredibly reasonable, so it was an easy decision to buy one, though a much harder one to choose which it should be. In the end we selected one that we liked, of an entrance surrounded by blue and green mosaic. For this original watercolour measuring about 15 by 20 cms we paid just $7 – what a bargain, and what a lovely souvenir of our visit to the mosque. It now hangs just by our front door and reminds me daily of the wonders of Uzbekistan’s architecture.

What to pay: Prices ranged from $5 to about $20

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The Registan is the prime spot for souvenir shopping in Samarkand, with many of the former hajira (cells) in the madrassahs turned over to local stall-holders. This can detract (and distract) considerably from the impact of the madrassahs, but is convenient if you want to browse several places before making your selection. You quickly find however that most of the items available are much the same from shop to shop, as are the prices.

What to buy: The standard items you’ll see in almost every shop include suzanni (embroidery, usually wall-hangings or cushion covers), small pottery or ceramic pieces, silk scarves, knives, pictures, rugs, musical instruments, cheap beads etc. We bought a small mosaic picture which reminded us of a typical Uzbek scene, a pre-restoration photo of the Tillya Kari Madrassah and a simple cushion cover for my mother-in-law (see photo 3), all of which we found in various hajira in the Ulug Beg Madrassah.

The best purchase for us though was another cushion cover I found in the shop on the left of the entrance to that madrassah. Here a young girl was working at a suzanne, and the quality of the work on display was very evidently superior to much that we’d seen elsewhere. Whereas the first cushion cover had large areas of plain cotton unadorned by embroidery, the ones here were completely covered with beautifully worked silk stitches. You can see the one we chose in photo 2, now taking pride of place on our sofa at home.

What to pay: Prices do vary with quality, and in the cells haggling is encouraged. We paid $7 for the cheaper cushion cover (and the shop-owner was so pleased to get it he threw in a small clay figure for free!) and $5 for the mosaic picture. The shop in the entrance portal, which proclaimed itself a museum of embroidery, charged higher prices which were fair for the higher quality on offer. We were quoted $35 for the cushion cover that had caught our eye, and when we asked if that was negotiable (polite speak for “can we haggle”) we were told no – but he would let us have it for a discount at $30!

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This was a real find! I’d been searching for a gift for my mother, who likes scarves (which you can find in abundance in Uzbekistan) but prefers square ones (which you can’t find at all!) Then in this little gallery a stone’s throw from the Registan I found what I’d been looking for. It doesn’t sell traditional Uzbek crafts but more modern ones, with a great range of paintings in various media, pottery and hand-painted silk scarves – including some square ones :)

Even if you aren’t interested in buying you’ll probably enjoy a visit to this friendly gallery, where the owner is likely to welcome you with tea and sweets, and will answer (in limited English) your questions about the work for sale. And the building in which it is housed is itself interesting, one of several grouped around a shady courtyard with first floor wooden galleries. Next door is another gallery displaying more paintings and very good photos of Uzbek scenery and Samarkand itself.

What to pay: The prices aren’t cheap, indeed by local standards they are high, and haggling isn’t an option, but the items are of very good quality and worth what is asked for them. I paid $22 for Mum’s scarf, for instance.

You'll find postcards everywhere in Samarqand but it'll be more difficult to find a place to send them. I asked my guide about it and she suggested me to go to Afrosiyab Hotel. There you can find nice postcards and they sell stamps too. You can send your postcards there, they have a box.

What to buy: Postcards, stamps and other gifts

There are nice pottery in Uzbekistan. Every region has its own style, own colors and designs... Pottery from different regions sound even...different!! That's because every kind of pottery is made of different types of clay and they need different times to be baked.
There are local craft shops everywhere in Samarqand but the biggest concentration of shops that i saw was inside the medrasahs of Registan

What to buy: All kind of pottery and other local craft

What to pay: Local craft and souvenirs have european prices. You can bargain if you buy more than a piece but you'll have only small discounts

Read my tip:
Sher-Dor: the main Lecture Room in Samarqand things to do

What to buy: These are the bests carpets of the world. The quality of carpets depends on the materials (silk),natural colors and on the "megapixels". Smaller points, best quality. Some countries use the work of children to do smaller points, which makes carpets theorically "better". In Samarqand they only use the work of women. They sing, chat, listen to music...there is no hurry, women have to be happy and no stressed otherwise bad or sad moods could be reflected on the final carpets.
Another interesting thing: the quality (and price) of carpets grows with their age. A 10years used carpet is much better than when you bought it!!

What to pay: From 1500 $ untill....

The best place for shopping is without doubt Samarkand’s bazaar. You can get almost everything here, fresh fruit, snacks, any delicious sweets and candy (honey for example – yumm). However, I didn’t find any silk here, at least not what I was looking for (best place is still Marghillan in Ferghana Valley).

If you look for souvenirs, you should visit one of the countless stalls in the medressas. Well, of course, there are differences in price and quality. I didn’t actively look for souvenirs, as I was heading for trekking in the Pamirs, so no excess luggage was allowed. But I did see some nice places where I would have shopped if I could:
Ulug’bek Medressa (for tea and stoneware), Gur-i-Amir (for tiles) and the little former caravanseray (?) between Ruchebad Mausoleum and Gur-i-Amir.

What to pay: From what I have heard, the prices are a bit lower than in Bukhara and Khiva, but more expensive than in Tashkent (as of mid 2006).

What to buy: While in Uzbekistan you are likely to encounter the ubiquitous national dish plov - palov in Uzbek - and related to pullao etc. There are various ways of cooking it; a book in Uzbek, Russian and English 'Uzbek National Dishes' (1995) explains them for those who are really keen (but it is not easy to find). As plov is made in Uzbekistan it can be rather heavy on fat for many tastes but it is easy enough to produce for yourself in a more palatable version which retains the real flavour. Essentially it involves frying meat, onion and carrot, adding spices and serving mixed with (or over) rice. Just say 'Plov' in Samarkand market - even though saffron may be what they would prefer to sell you - and you will be given something like ground black pepper, cumin seeds and - the distinctive part - barberries. Thus you have a cheap, portable and unusual souvenir to serve to your friends when you return home. Can't cook? Bet you can cook plov....