City of flowers · Uzbekistan
Namangan travel guide
Gardens, a flower festival and early-20th-century madrasahs on the northern edge of the Fergana Valley.
Namangan is the second-largest city of the Fergana Valley, on its northern side, about 4–5 hours from Tashkent by train through the Kamchik pass. Known as Uzbekistan’s city of flowers, it hosts a flower festival in May. Its main sights are the Mullah Kyrgyz madrasah and the Khoja Amin mausoleum; one day is enough.
Namangan grew from a group of villages into a trading town in the 17th–18th centuries and became one of the main cities of the Kokand Khanate. Today it is a large, green regional capital with long avenues of plane trees, parks and rose gardens, and a strong religious and craft tradition. Few foreign tourists stop here, which is part of its appeal: the bazaar, the teahouses and the madrasahs are used by local people, not staged for visitors.
Namangan is also the base for the crafts towns of the northern valley. Chust, an hour to the west, is famous across Uzbekistan for its knives and its black-and-white embroidered skullcaps (doppi), and the ruins of Aksikent, an early medieval capital of Fergana, lie on the banks of the Syr Darya nearby.
- Time needed
- One day
- Best time
- Mid-May for the flower festival; April–June and September–October
- Getting there
- Train from Tashkent through the Kamchik pass and the Pap tunnel (about 4–5 hours); domestic flights; about 1.5 hours by road from Fergana or Andijan.
Don’t miss
What to see in Namangan
- 01
Mullah Kyrgyz madrasah
A brick madrasah completed around 1910, with fine decorative brickwork on its portal and towers.
- 02
Khoja Amin mausoleum
An 18th-century mausoleum with a richly tiled facade, the oldest decorated monument in the city.
- 03
Babur park and the flower festival
The city’s central park and the setting for the flower festival held each May.
- 04
Chust knife makers
Workshops in the town of Chust, an hour away, still forging the knives sold in every Uzbek bazaar.
The flower festival
Namangan’s flower festival (Gullar sayli) has been held since the 1960s and is the city’s best-known event. Parks and streets fill with flower displays, competitions between districts and regions, music and dance, and visitors from all over the valley. It is usually held in mid-May, but dates are set each year by the regional authorities, so confirm them before planning a trip around it.
Outside the festival, the city is still noticeably green. Its gardens and parks are at their best in April and May, when the roses bloom, and again in autumn.
Monuments of Namangan
The Mullah Kyrgyz madrasah was built in the first decade of the 20th century, late enough that its decoration uses carved and moulded brick rather than glazed tile. Its tall portal and corner towers make it one of the most photographed buildings in the valley. The Khoja Amin Kabri mausoleum, from the 18th century, is smaller but more colourful, with a tiled portal and a ribbed dome. Several mosques in the city, including the large Atavalikhan-tura mosque, were restored after independence.
Planning a visit
Namangan fits into a loop of the Fergana Valley: from Tashkent through the Kamchik pass to Namangan, then across the Syr Darya to Andijan, Margilan, Rishtan and Kokand. One full day lets you see the madrasahs, the bazaar and a park, with a side trip to Chust if you start early.
Namangan is a conservative city. Dress modestly, especially near mosques and madrasahs, and ask before photographing people. English is rarely spoken, so a guide or a driver who speaks your language helps a great deal.
Namangan: frequently asked questions
When is the Namangan flower festival?
It is usually held in mid-May, but the exact dates are set each year. Check the current year’s dates before you plan around it.
What is Chust famous for?
Chust, about an hour from Namangan, is known for its hand-forged knives and for the black-and-white Chust skullcap, one of the best-known styles of Uzbek doppi.
How do I get from Tashkent to Namangan?
The direct train through the Kamchik pass takes about 4–5 hours. There are also domestic flights and shared taxis over the pass.
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