If you are traveling to Uzbekistan, be sure to add the Fergana Valley, one of the most authentic destinations in the country, to your list of places to visit. You will enjoy the beautiful landscapes, interesting activities and discoveries, and delicious food.
The Fergana Valley can undoubtedly be called an oasis among the desert lands of Uzbekistan. It is located in the southern part of the country and is famous for its fertile lands, irrigated by the Syrdarya and Naryn rivers, which makes it a perfect place for agriculture. There you will see endless fields of cotton and various fruits and vegetables. It is from this part of the country that the most delicious watermelons, grapes and melons come to the counters of the largest bazaars in Tashkent, Samarkand and other cities of Uzbekistan.
Fergana is also one of the most densely populated regions of Central Asia. 3.5 million people live in the Kyrgyz part of the valley, in the Uzbek part there are 9.5 million people, and the Tajik part has 2.5 million people.
Andijan
Andijan is the birthplace of the famous military leader and poet Babur. During the Great Silk Road period, many caravans loaded with different goods passed through the city. The well-known sights of the city include the Jami madrasah, built at the end of the 19th century. It has an impressive size and extraordinary beauty: the wooden columns with carvings, the ceiling decorated with amazing patterns and the dome with bright mosaics. Babur complex and the sacred place of Bibi Seshanba are other famous places that you can visit in Andijan .
Margilan
Silk from Margilan has been highly valued all over the world since the times of the Great Silk Road. And to this day, local craftsmen make it using ancient technologies, creating amazing and colorful silk products: carpets, scarves, interior items, and much more. By visiting the silk workshops, you will be able to see the labor-intensive process for obtaining silk: from the appearance of caterpillars to fabric production. You can visit also other places such as Chakar Mosque, Turon Bazaar, Said Ahmad-Khoja Madrasah and Pir-Siddiq Complex.
Kokand
Kokand was the capital of the powerful Kokand state. The favorable location of the city, through which important trade routes passed, played a big role in the development of the settlement. Traveling through the Fergana Valley, be sure to visit Kokand to admire such historical monuments as the palace of Khudoyar Khan, the Kokand fortress, the Narbuta-bey Madrasah and the Mausoleum of Modari Khan.
Rishtan
The town of Rishtan is famous as a center of ceramics. Here you find the best workshops producing fine ceramic products covered with a special bright blue glaze. To this day, Rishtan craftsmen make dishes and other articles using age-old technologies, passing down the secrets of obtaining glaze from generation to generation. Each product is skillfully hand-painted, this process is complex and requires great skill. Be sure to check out the workshops in Rishtan to appreciate these works of art.
