Uzbek ceramics

Pottery has been made in Central Asia for thousands of years. Archaeologists have found painted ceramics from the Bronze Age and fine glazed wares from the Samanid period in the 9th–10th centuries, when Samarkand and Bukhara produced elegant bowls with Arabic calligraphy on white backgrounds. Under Timur and his descendants, ceramic tiles covered the domes and portals of mosques, madrasahs and mausoleums, creating the blue cities of the Silk Road.

Today, ceramics are still made in family workshops across the country, each region with its own style.

Rishtan, a small town in the Fergana Valley, is the most famous ceramic centre in Uzbekistan. Its potters use local red clay and a glaze called ishkor, made from the ash of desert plants, which gives a deep turquoise and cobalt blue. Patterns include pomegranates, almonds, birds, fish and geometric designs, often with a white background.

Visit the Rishtan ceramic workshops, where master potters show every stage: preparing the clay, throwing on the wheel, painting, glazing and firing in the kiln. See Rishtan.

Gijduvan, about 45 km from Bukhara, has a very different style: warm brown, ochre, yellow and green tones, with dense floral and geometric patterns radiating from the centre of plates and bowls. A family of potters has worked here for generations and runs a workshop and museum where visitors can watch the process and see historic pieces. See Gijduvan.

• Khiva and Khorezm: blue and white tiles and pottery with intricate geometric and floral designs, inspired by the tiles of Ichan-Kala.
• Samarkand: a revival of medieval styles, including tiles and pottery with calligraphy.
• Shakhrisabz and Urgut: green and brown glazed wares.
• Kattakurgan and other towns: simple everyday pottery.
• Toys and figurines: clay whistles and figures, such as the colourful figures of Uzbek life made in Samarkand and Tashkent.

The domes and portals of Uzbekistan are decorated with several kinds of ceramic work:

• Glazed bricks, forming geometric patterns and calligraphy on minarets and walls.
• Carved terracotta, as on early monuments like the Samanid mausoleum.
• Mosaic faience (kashin), small pieces of coloured tile cut and assembled into patterns, as in the Shah-i-Zinda.
• Painted tiles (majolica), as on the Kalta Minor minaret and the palaces of Khiva.

Restoration workshops today use traditional techniques to repair the monuments.

Uzbek families still use ceramic plates for plov, bowls for tea and large platters for celebrations.

Clay is dug locally, cleaned and kneaded. The potter shapes pieces on a wheel or in moulds, then dries them in the sun. A white slip is applied, then the design is painted with mineral pigments. After the glaze is applied, the pieces are fired in a wood or gas kiln. Traditional glazes, such as Rishtan’s ishkor, require great skill: the colour depends on the temperature and the mix of ingredients.

• Where: directly in the workshops of Rishtan and Gijduvan, and in craft shops in Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva and Tashkent.
• Quality: hand-painted pieces show small irregularities; check for cracks and chips.
• Use: many pieces are decorative; ask whether the glaze is safe for food.
• Transport: ask the shop to wrap pieces well, and carry them in hand luggage. Large orders can often be shipped.
• Antiques: old ceramics need an export certificate. See Uzbekistan customs rules.

See our crafts route, suzani embroidery and ikat silk.