Many people ask where to buy a real silk robe in Samarkand. I recommend doing this at the Hujum carpet factory. You can get there on foot from Shakhi-Zinda — just walk along the road, keeping to the right-hand side in the direction of traffic.
The visit to the factory itself is free. You can come on your own and join any English- or Russian-speaking group there, or you can just walk around by yourself. The actual production hall where the carpets are knotted is one, then there are several rooms where finished items are stored, and on the first floor there are several shops with goods.
And are the robes expensive there? What are the prices?
I can’t tell you the prices, we were just looking and didn’t buy anything ourselves. But as far as I understand, such things simply cannot be very cheap. A real silk robe costs from $100! But you can also buy a viscose robe there for 20 dollars ))
In Samarkand we were at the silk carpet factory. After the tour they showed and let us feel the difference between silk and synthetics. The difference is very noticeable to the touch if you feel a silk robe from the factory and a “silk” robe from any street shop.
They do have robes there. We bought 3 silk scarves ($40 each), and a silk cape like a shirt ($120).
I did eventually get myself a silk robe. At Silk Road I went into the Happy Bird gallery. Silk, cotton with prints, I also tried on the catwalk collection. There are even truly extravagant, unbelievably beautiful pieces with fur that are not for sale. And the Silk Road complex itself is a very atmospheric place, with a little breeze blowing from the canal.
Mine, the one I bought, was 250$, the rest you have to ask about there, but the price goes up to a thousand. In Bukhara I looked in a shop — it was very expensive, starting from $400, and much simpler, while this one is really like a coat and a designer piece.