Rishtan ceramic workshops

Rishtan has made pottery for many centuries. Its success is due to its local red clay, which is fine and plastic and needs little preparation, and to the knowledge passed down through families of potters. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Rishtan supplied ceramics to the whole Fergana Valley and beyond. In the Soviet period, production was concentrated in a factory, but several families kept the traditional methods alive at home. Since independence, family workshops have flourished again, and Rishtan has become a destination for visitors interested in crafts.

The secret of Rishtan’s colour is ishkor, a glaze made from the ash of plants that grow in the deserts and mountains of the region. Mixed with quartz sand and minerals, it produces the deep, luminous blue and turquoise for which Rishtan is known. Painters decorate the pieces with natural pigments in blue, green, brown and white, creating dense floral and geometric patterns: pomegranates, almonds, birds, fish and stylised plants, each with symbolic meaning. Many workshops still use these natural materials, while others use modern glazes.

A visit to a workshop shows the main steps:

1. Preparing the clay, which is washed, kneaded and left to rest.
2. Throwing on the wheel to shape plates (lagan), bowls (kosa), jugs and vases.
3. Drying, then covering with a white slip (engobe).
4. Painting the designs by hand with fine brushes, often by women artists.
5. Glazing with ishkor.
6. Firing in a kiln at high temperature, traditionally fuelled with wood.

Many workshops have small museums of old pieces and collections of tools. The masters are proud of their work and happy to explain their techniques; some have exhibited and taught abroad.

Popular pieces include large serving plates (lagan), bowls, tea sets, jugs, vases and tiles. Prices depend on size, complexity of the painting and the reputation of the master. Buying directly from the workshop ensures authenticity, and the potters will wrap pieces carefully for travel. Pack them in your hand luggage or in the middle of a suitcase surrounded by clothes. Large orders can sometimes be shipped.

Location: Rishtan, in the south-west of the Fergana Valley, about 40 minutes from Kokand and around an hour from Fergana city and Margilan.

Getting there: by car with a driver, as part of a Fergana Valley tour. There is no formal ticket for most workshops; visits are free, and buying is optional.

Time needed: 1–2 hours, depending on how many workshops you visit.

Tips: visit in the morning to see the full process, including the wheel and the painting. Ask your guide to arrange visits to one or two well-known family workshops. Combine with Kokand and Margilan in a day. See our Fergana Valley itinerary.

Some workshops offer short master classes, where visitors can try the potter’s wheel or paint a simple design on a tile or plate, which can be fired and collected later or sent on. It is a memorable experience, especially for families. Ask your guide to arrange it in advance.

Each region of Uzbekistan has its own pottery tradition: the browns, greens and yellows of Gijduvan near Bukhara, the blues and whites of Khorezm, and the work of Samarkand and Tashkent potters. Rishtan’s blue is the most widely recognised. Compare styles at the Museum of Applied Arts in Tashkent, and see shopping in Bukhara for Gijduvan ware.