There are so many things to do in Samarkand that I didn’t make time to explore the surrounding region on my first visit to the city – it was only on my second trip to Central Asia that I was able to visit one of Uzbekistan‘s best bazaars: Urgut.
Just outside of Samarkand at the foot of the Zeravshan mountains, the village of Urgut hosts perhaps the best little traditional weekly bazaar in all of Uzbekistan.Fresh baked samsas, of course, are the only way to start a good day of market browsing.From there, the stalls of Urgut are run by friendly and outgoing bunch of folks who are happy to stop for a quick chat.The diversity of stalls around here is amazing, with anything from cleaning products to traditional clothing (and hats!). Each one, at least as far as I can tell, is it’s own family-owned small business.At many, the ‘family-owned’ is especially apparent as the kids in the family help with bargaining and making change and running the store in general.At the end of the day, there’s a whole section devoted to delicious fresh-cooked food. Plov, seen here, is THE Uzbek food. A delicious dish, for sure, and a satisfying end to a day walking around the colorful chaos of an Uzbek market.
