We’re at the stage of buying tickets to Uzbekistan. A few questions:
Accommodation options there are kind of scarce.
Oh, I was in Urgut a loooong time ago and would love to go back. The flea market there is a fairytale! If official registration or paperwork (business trip documents, etc.) isn’t essential for you, feel free to just call the places without websites and book directly — most likely they’ll be guesthouses. The kind where you stay with the hosts, but have a separate entrance, and they’ll cook for you themselves. Just make sure to agree on payment upon arrival.
Thanks for the tip.
Spending a whole day alone at the flea market has been my two-year dream. Two years ago, we stopped there with a guide, and I asked him to take me to the antique rows. There were a huge number of containers filled with different pieces in suzani technique — old ones, patched, with repairs — everything from napkins to bags and bedspreads. Huge bedspreads were 1,500 rubles (about $17), napkins 100 rubles (about $1). And that was without bargaining. I wanted to buy everything. I drove my family crazy after just an hour of digging through those piles 😂 and bought only one tablecloth. Ever since, I’ve been dreaming of going back to the market alone. Well, my dream is about to come true. And my husband will head to the mountains. By the way, at the main market I also bought some very beautiful Uzbek-style fabrics — adras silk and a whole bunch of gorgeous things.
Okay, can you give more details about the market? Name and location?flea market at the Urgut bazaar
There’s only one market in Urgut, it’s huge, people come there from all over Uzbekistan. You won’t miss it.
There’s also a flea market called “Dalniy Lager.” It’s a bazaar in Samarkand. Of course, it’s smaller than in Urgut, but I like it too. You can find national fabric cuts and items made from them, as well as ceramics. And the plov there is delicious.