Rishtan

Rishtan sits on a bed of red clay in the Fergana valley and has made pottery from it for something like a thousand years, glazed in the blue and turquoise that comes from ishkor, an alkaline ash made by burning mountain plants, which gives a depth that industrial glazes do not. Dozens of workshops operate in the town, several open to visitors, and the craft is part of the ceramic tradition UNESCO inscribed in 2023.

What you actually see

• The ishkor glaze - the blue and turquoise made from burnt mountain plant ash.
• The local clay - the red bed the town has drawn its material from for centuries.
• The workshops - dozens of family potteries, several open to visitors.
• The painting - the freehand decoration applied before the second firing.

When to go

April to June and September to October are the comfortable months. Workshops keep daytime hours. Summer heat is severe.

Honest expectations

Workshop visits end in a sales room and pressure can be heavy. Quality varies enormously between workshops. Pieces are heavy and awkward to carry onward.

Nearby

Kokand is west, and Margilan is northeast.