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Uzbekistan Souvenirs - A Piece of the East To Remember
Overview of Uzbek souvenirs, where to buy, export rules
What’s a trip abroad without souvenirs? Souvenirs are not just gifts for
friends and relatives, but also a keepsake, a part of the country which
you have visited. In Uzbekistan where culture mixed nomadic and farming
traditions you will find a lot of Uzbek souvenirs to be taken with you.
What souvenirs can be purchased in Uzbekistan, and where to buy, for
example, ceramics or Uzbek carpets?
Uzbek ceramic souvenirs
 Traveling
along ancient Uzbekistan cities of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva you will
find that every city has its own craft school and own style, different
from other regions. Visiting Khiva,
you can buy a lagan-dish or a badia-plate decorated with blue and
ultramarine patterns with wide horizontal rims, which can be hung on the
wall at home. A Khorezm Hum-vessel can be used as an original vase.
Amazing Chiroki-lamp will create an environment of the East at your home.
Enthusiasts of ceramics should visit the famous center of ceramics in
Uzbekistan, Rishtan town.
Being there, do not forget to visit one of the craft shops and to buy
some pottery of all blue and turquoise shades. Rishtan lagans and figured
vessels in the shape of a duck, “obdasta urdak”, decorated with antique
ornaments of pomegranate and almond flowers are traditional Uzbekistan
souvenirs.
 40
km from Bukhara there is a small town of Gijduvan,
which is famous for its yellow-brown ceramics with green and blue
patterns. Here you will find a renowned ceramics center of Nasrullayev
family, who passes the secrets of pottery craft to the 60th generation.
Average prices in this center are $3 for piala, $5 for kosa and $7-8 for
lagans.
Various hand-painted pottery figures depicting national heroes, miniature
camels and other animals will not leave anyone indifferent. In any
oriental Uzbek bazaar, in shops, located next to almost each
architectural monument, you can inexpensively buy a variety of amusing
figures: this is a tea-house owner with a tea-tray and a cheerful
watermelon trader and cunning old men next to it ...
Carved wood and metal pieces of art
Almost in every Uzbek bazaar you will find shops selling knives, daggers
and even swords, adorned with decorative carvings. Traditional Uzbekistan
souvenir is a “pichok” knife, which has a peculiar form of a blade and
handle. The most famous knives are made by Chust masters.
Light and elegant, they have a curved up blade and dipped handle. Dark
blade steel clanks in light collision and the sheath is decorated with a
cloud patterns. The blade features the engraved Arabic inscription:
Estalik uchun Chust - In memory of Chust.
 Jewelry
is one of well-developed areas of metal carving. Jewelry ofTashkent,
Bukhara or Samarkand craftsmen
are in demand not only as Uzbek souvenirs, but also as bijouterie for
special occasions, where you can show off the originality and uniqueness
of the image. Traditional “Kashgar-Boldak” earrings and domed earring
with tinkled pendants, silver bracelets with cornelian, necklaces with
delicate beads and turquoise will complement your modern outfit and give
an oriental beauty to your image. For Uzbek people jewelries are not only
a decoration, but also an amulet. For instance, tumor is a silver or gold
box with an engraved prayer, featuring a prayer-talisman or a miniature
Koran inside it.
Visiting Uzbekistan, it is impossible not to pay an attention to many
articles made of carved wood. Uzbek masters perfected the art of
ornamentation in wood carving and painting. From time immemorial, ancient
Asian buildings were decorated with carved wood columns and massive
doors, where the intricate floral pattern often featured the name of the
master. You can buy a carved table with stools from elm, walnut and
juniper for your living room. Collectors of oriental souvenirs should buy
a laukh, a stand for books, which is carved from a whole solid wood bar,
without any fasteners and hinges. Carved or painted fine wood boxes,
painted with “islimi” floral ornaments will catch women’s fancy, because
they can be used for jewelry, makeup and other women's stuff.
National clothes, fur and embroidery
 Uzbek
embroidery is noted for originality and uniqueness. The most skilled
embroiderers are from Samarkand
and Bukhara. Famous Uzbek Suzannes resemble beautifully embroidered
carpets. Especially it is worth to say about golden thread embroidery.
Nowhere else you will find such skilled golden thread embroiderers like
inBukhara. Exotic embroidery will be a perfect decoration for
any house.Kashkadarya embroiderers
are noted for nice handbags, decorated with colorful national embroidery.
Bukhara also is
famous for fur coat and karakul fur hats. Warm, thick and shiny fur of
Bukhara karakul sheep has a refined appearance and healing properties.
Traditional holiday clothes can also be a great Uzbek souvenir. These are
a men's robe, "zarchapan", or women’s coat, "kamzul", decorated with
golden thread embroidery. But the main souvenir for all guests coming to
Uzbekistan is a tubeteika, skullcap, traditional Central Asian headdress.
Each region of Uzbekistan has its own kind of tubeteika.
 Traditional Chust tubeteika,
made from black satin with a white pattern of four peppers, are an
obligatory accessory of men's national dress. But not only men wear this
hat. Uzbek women traditionally adorned their skullcaps with various
ornaments and even with precious stones. Women's skullcaps are very
colorful: Bukhara skullcaps are traditionally embroidered with golden
thread.
Oriental fabrics and carpets
Most famous Uzbek fabrics are abr and ikat, cloud-like silk fabrics with
blurred patterns. Silk, made in Margilan, is one of the most famous Uzbek
national fabrics, along with khan-atlas and adras. Uzbek carpets are
renowned for its beauty and high quality. Khiva,
Bukhara, Samarkand, Kokand, Shakhrisabz, Karakalpak carpets
and rugs are differed in techniques, patterns and purpose. Hand-woven
carpets, made from natural fibers are quite valuable and expensive.
Traditionally, rugs and carpets are not only laid on the floor, but also
decorate walls of houses. Samarkand silk carpet is famous for its natural
soft and contrast pile, luxurious colors of which make it desirable to
any interior.
 Souvenirs
for collectors
Traditional Uzbek musical instruments can become a very unusual Uzbek
souvenir or even a subject for a collection.
Strings, percussion and wind instruments: kobuz, dombra, dutar, tanbur,
ud, rubab, surnay, karnay, doira and many others are decorated with
elegant patterns and provide rich deep sound.
Uzbek wine
A bottle of wine Uzbekistan may also be a good souvenir from Uzbekistan.
Uzbekistan is famous for Samarkand winemakers. In Samarkand,
tasty Uzbek wine is sold in shops near attractions; sometimes small wine
shops hold “shows” of Uzbek wines tasting, where for a small fee you can
try white and red, sweet and dry, dessert and table local wine.
Samarkand paper
 Also,
the famous capital of the Tamerlane’s empire is noted for Samarkand
paper, based on technologies of 10th-11th centuries and made from
mulberry bark, silk fibers and flower petals. The Samarkand paper was in
great demand due to its smoothness and color, but its main quality was
the durability. The majority of documents written on the Samarkand paper
preserved in good state up to date and are still kept in different
museums of the world. It was this paper which was used by calligraphists
for the texts and artists for the miniatures. The Samarkand paper was
also preferred in book production.
Tips for travelers:
The rich and unique culture of the East does not leave anyone
indifferent. Original souvenirs from Uzbekistan are a decoration of any
house and bright memory of Central Asia. However, you should remember
that in Uzbekistan, as in any other country, there
are bans and custom restrictions on the export of art objects and
antiques, which age is 50 years or more and are of cultural value.
Therefore, buying paintings, carpets and other pieces of art as a
souvenir, it is better to have a receipt confirming that the subject is
not an antique and does not have a historical or cultural value, as well
as a certificate to export the subject with a photo and description.
Uzbekistan Travel &
Tourism Guide
 Why
Visit Uzbekistan?
Practical
tips for Traveling to Uzbekistan
Top Tourist Attractions of Uzbekistan
10 things to do in Uzbekistan
General Information of
Uzbekistan
History of
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan and the Great Silk Road
Art Galleries, Craft Centers and Museums
of Uzbekistan
Festivals of Uzbekistan
Uzbek Food Festival of Taste
People of
Uzbekistan
Culture of
Uzbekistan
Weather & Climate of
Uzbekistan
Traditional Uzbek Souvenirs
Uzbekistan Visa Requirements
Uzbekistan Visa Information
Uzbekistan Satellite View & Map
Uzbekistan Tour Packages
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Days Three Star Hotel
7
Days Four Star Hotel
7
Days Five Star Hotel
10
Days Uzbekistan
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