TASHKENT 

Fiberchats creator and tour host Irina Shaar will get us started with our Uzbekistan inspired knitalong design. Irina is thrilled to share with you the Uzbekistan of her childhood, especially the food! Making manti with her cousins is one of her fondest memories. She is designing a knitalong project for us inspired by these childhood memories which we will start in the first couple of days of our trip.

We will spend our first two days exploring and meeting local artisans in a wide variety of handicrafts - from tin covered wooden book stands, to lake paintings, miniature paintings, to wood and metalwork. 

One of our stops will be the workshop of a famous family of ceramists in Uzbekistan - Akbar and Alisher Rakhimov. Here we will hear about the history of ceramics and see the unique collection of their exclusive works, as well as participate in a workshop painting a ready-made plate that will be glazed and burned for perfection!

We will also visit with Madina, the founder of Suzani by Kasimbaeva. Since founding her business in 2006, she has established herself as a leading creator of unique suzani pieces and her work has been sought after by fashion icons and global museums. Madina began learning embroidery at a young age and has dedicated herself to the art of suzani. She combines traditional techniques with modern innovation, creating stunning garments and accessories. Her suzanis, once primarily used for home decoration, are now highly sought after by collectors and have adorned political leaders and popular artists.

MARGILAN

We'll catch a morning train to Margilan. Margilan's most famous son is the founder of India’s Moghul Empire, Zaheruddin Mohammed Babur. Margilan has been famous for its wonderful and fine silks. Via the Great Silk Road traders brought Marghilanian silk to Baghdad, Cairo and Athens and it is still the most important silk production center in Uzbekistan.

At our first stop, we'll spend time with Rasul, a famous master craftsman of block printing who has been practicing this traditional craft for over 40 years. His work is highly prized by collectors and enthusiasts all over the world. Rasul's block prints are known for their intricate designs, vibrant colors, and meticulous craftsmanship. He uses a variety of traditional techniques, including hand-carved wooden blocks, natural dyes, and hand-pulled prints. Rasul's work is often inspired by nature, and his prints depict a variety of motifs, such as flowers, birds, and animals. He also creates prints with traditional Uzbek designs, such as geometric patterns and calligraphy. We'll experience this craft firsthand with our own block printing workshop.

Later, we'll visit a family owned workshop to see and learn about the process of ikat weaving (Margilan silk) and coloring which has been kept in the family for many generations.

RISHTAN

After a drive through the Fergana Valley, we'll arrive in Rishtan and visit the master potter Rustam Usmanov. He has an impressive workshop where he produces excellent copies of old ceramics. He also has a one-room museum of old ceramic pieces collected over a period of many years.

TASHKENT
We're back in Tashkent to explore the Museum of Applied Arts. Located in the Russian Turkestan governor’s old mansion, the museum has over 7,000 pieces of traditional folk art including ceramic, glass, porcelain, textiles, carpets, and varnished miniatures.

Next we're off to the Human House, a unique and innovative space that promotes Uzbek culture and arts. The Human House was founded in 2014 by a group of Uzbek artists and intellectuals who wanted to create a place where people could come together to experience and learn about Uzbek culture. 

KHIVA
Khiva is an ancient city in Uzbekistan that was once a major center of trade and culture on the Silk Road. Located in the oasis of Khorezm, in the western part of the country, Khiva is known for its well-preserved medieval architecture, which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. 

In the heart of Khiva is the Ichan Kala, a walled city that contains many of the city's most important monuments. The Ichan Kala is surrounded by a thick brick wall and has four gates. Inside the walled city, we'll find a maze of narrow streets, traditional Uzbek houses, and numerous mosques, madrassahs, and mausoleums. Over the course of a day and half we'll visit the mausoleum of Pakhlavan Makhmud, the Islam Khodja minaret, Operation Mercy textile center, Juma Mosque, the Tash-Khovli Palace, and the Kalta minaret.

For dinner one night, let's have a master class in cooking the national dish “manty” (steamed meat in dough)! Manty is a popular steamed dumpling dish in Central Asia, including Uzbekistan. It is made with a thin dough filled with a mixture of ground meat, onions, and spices and typically steamed in a special pot called a manty-kaskan. 

BUKHARA

Today, we set out for Bukhara across the famous Kyzyl Kum (red sand) desert where the Great Silk Road once routed trough. This vast desert stretches across Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan and is the 15th largest desert in the world. It's known for you guessed it - it's red sand dunes - but also salt lakes, oases wildlife and over 200 species of birds. 

Our full day drive will take us more or less along the path of the modern road. Don't worry, en route we will make several stops to see the flora and fauna of the desert as well as the banks of the Amu Darya River (the fabled "Oxus" of antiquity).

Bukhara is one of the most famous names of medieval Islam, and is home to hundreds of registered monuments that will be all around us. We plan to visit 

-Lab-i-khauz ensemble, a modern centre of traditional Uzbekistan madrassah

-Nadirkhon Devanbegi, 

-Khanaga,

-Poi Kalon minaret and mosque, 

-Hunarmand UNDP Assisted workshops near Lyabikhauz. 

We will see see block printing, metal chasing, suzani embroidery, carving, miniature painting and gold embroidery. We will even have our own workshop of suzani embroidery with Rakhmon Toshev – one of the best suzani makers of Uzbekistan. The best food in Central Asia is cooked at home - without question! We'll follow our workshop with an onsite taste of the traditional Uzbek dish – Plov. 

There are also great sights and monuments to see just outside of Bukhara.

Sitora-i-Mokhissa, also known as the Summer Residence of the Bukhara Emirs, is a palace complex located in the outskirts of Bukhara. It was built in the 19th century by the Emir of Bukhara, Nasrullah Khan, as a summer retreat for himself and his family. The palace complex consists of a number of buildings, including a main palace, a harem, a mosque, and a bathhouse. 

The Shrine of Bahauddin Naqshbandi is a Sufi shrine located in the village of Kasri Orifon, northeast of Bukhara. It is the burial place of Bahauddin Naqshbandi, the

founder of the Naqshbandi Sufi order, which is one of the largest and most influential Sufi orders in the world. The shrine was built in the 15th century and is a popular pilgrimage destination for Muslims from all over the world, as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

SAMARKAND

On our way to Samarkand we'll stop for a visit and workshop in the city of Gijduvon – a center of famous handmade ceramic, see the process of making this unique ceramic and local life of the small town. 

We'll spend a full day in Samarkand visiting the incomparable Registan Square , Bibi Khanum Mosque and Gur Emir Mausoleum. 

Later, we'll visit the Ulubek Observatory. Built in the 15th century by the astronomer Ulugh Beg, Ulubek was one of the most advanced observatories of its time. It played a key role in astronomy, with Ulugh Beg’s team creating precise star charts. Though much of the observatory is in ruins, it remains a significant symbol of scientific achievement during the Islamic Golden Age.

We're invited for an outdoor dinner at the local Uzbek home of Ilkhom Ibragimov, where we will enjoy delicious home-made food and the authentic and homey atmosphere of Uzbek hospitality. We'll even get to try our hand at making one of the tastiest national dishes “Dimlama”. The flavor of stewed vegetables and fresh lamb will remain in the memory of every guest for a long time.

Before leaving Samarkand, we'll visit a paper factory known for producing traditional handmade paper. This factory continues the ancient craft of paper-making that dates back to the 8th century, when paper was first introduced to the region. The production process utilizes local mulberry bark and natural dyes, resulting in high-quality paper often used for calligraphy and artistic projects. Visitors to the factory can observe the intricate techniques involved in making the paper and appreciate the rich cultural heritage it represents, as well as the preservation of traditional craftsmanship in modern times.

You'll have free time to explore the local markets for shopping, or just relaxing on your own before we return to Tashkent for our last dinner and evening together.

DEPARTURE 

After breakfast, and with a new wealth of knowledge, we'll head back to the airport for our departing flights. 

 Irina Shaar is a passionate knitter and the creator and host of Fiberchats, a YouTube channel dedicated to celebrating the global fiber arts community. Through her engaging video interviews, she spotlights knitters, crocheters, and designers from around the world, exploring their stories, techniques, and inspirations.

Anna is an avid knitter and fledgling spinner with a general passion for all things fiber and textile. After being intimidated early in her crafting, Anna feels strongly about creating a welcoming environment within the fiber community for people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. She enjoys knitting and fiber traveling, test and service knitting, a good challenge (knitting or otherwise), and is likely to have at least 3 WIPs at any one time. She lives with her husband and fur babies (dogs) in Minnesota.