Fergana Valley
The craft heartland east of Tashkent: the khan's palace in Kokand, silk looms in Margilan and the blue-glazed pottery of Rishtan.
- 2–3 days
- Daily train from Tashkent at 09:20 through the Kamchik tunnel: Kokand at 12:28, Margilan at 13:00
- Kokand, Rishtan, Margilan and Fergana are a short drive from one another
About Fergana Valley
The Fergana Valley is the green, busy east of Uzbekistan: a basin about 300 km long and up to 70 km wide, with the Did you know? The tulip's family tree is said to begin in the Tian Shan Long before Ottoman gardens and Dutch bulb fields, wild tulips grew in Central Asia's mountains, and the Tian Shan is often named as their homeland. In April they flower on the slopes around Chimgan. Read more → to the north and the Alay range to the south. The Andijan, Fergana and Namangan regions alone are home to about ten million people, so towns, orchards and fields run into one another. For travellers the valley means crafts: woodcarving in Kokand, silk in Margilan and pottery in Rishtan, much of it made by families who have done it for generations.
Margilan was a settlement more than two thousand years ago and has made silk since antiquity. In 1740 Kokand became the capital of the Kokand Khanate, which ruled the valley until it was abolished in 1876. That same year a new town was founded next to Margilan; since 1924 it has been called Fergana. Today a railway under the Kamchik pass links the valley with Tashkent, and since September 2026 a new fast electric train runs every day.
History in brief
- 2nd–1st century BCA settlement appears on the site of Margilan, a town that has woven silk since antiquity.
- 1740Kokand becomes the capital of the Kokand Khanate, founded in 1709, and the khans rule the valley from here.
- 1870Khudoyar Khan completes his palace in Kokand, with seven courtyards and more than a hundred rooms.
- 1876The khanate is abolished, and a new town, New Margelan, is founded next to Margilan; it has been called Fergana since 1924.
- 2016The 19.2 km Kamchik railway tunnel opens under the Qurama range, the longest tunnel in Central Asia.
- 2017UNESCO recognises the Margilan Crafts Development Centre's work to keep handmade atlas and adras silk alive.
- 2026On 10 September a new CRRC electric train starts running every day between Tashkent and the valley.
What to see
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Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors
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1Khudoyar Khan's palace, Kokand
The palace Khudoyar Khan completed around 1870 had seven courtyards; five survive, with 19 rooms. Look at the tiled facade in yellow and green, rare colours in Uzbekistan, and the carved and painted ceilings inside. It has been a museum since 1925.
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2Juma Mosque, Kokand
Kokand's Friday mosque from the early 19th century, with a long iwan, a covered porch, on 98 carved wooden columns. Walk its full length: it shows off the woodcarving for which Kokand was named a World Craft City in 2019.
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3Rishtan potters' workshops
Rishtan has made pottery for about a thousand years from its red local clay, decorated with the blue-green ishkor glaze. In the workshops you watch the wheel, the painting and the kiln, and buy dishes from the people who made them. The International Ceramics Center in town has a museum of Rishtan.
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4Yodgorlik silk factory, Margilan
Here the whole chain is done by hand: cocoons are boiled, the thread is reeled and dyed, and ikat is woven on traditional looms. A guided walk takes you through every stage, so give it a morning.
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5Kumtepa bazaar
A big market about 5 km west of central Margilan, held on Thursdays and Sundays. People come from the surrounding villages for textiles, produce and household goods, so it is a market for living, not for show.
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6Fergana city
The regional centre of the valley, founded in 1876, with wide tree-lined streets and late 19th-century buildings. The local history museum is in the centre, and the city is a convenient base for the night.
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7Kamchik pass and tunnel
The road from Tashkent crosses the Qurama range at the Kamchik pass, 2,268 m high. The train goes underneath, through a 19.2 km tunnel between Angren and Pap. In winter the road can close because of avalanche risk; the train is the simple choice.
Photos: Juma Mosque columned hall, Kokand — Arina Pan / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0; Yodgorlik silk factory, Margilan — Peretz Partensky from San Francisco, USA / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
Neighbourhoods
- Old Kokand The khan's palace, the Juma Mosque, the Narbutabey An Islamic college: student cells and classrooms around a courtyard behind a grand portal. In the old towns many now house museums and craft workshops. of the 1790s and the Dakhma-i-Shokhon necropolis of the khans, all in the centre of town.
- Margilan The silk town: the Yodgorlik factory, the Crafts Development Centre in the old Toron mosque and, twice a week, Kumtepa bazaar on the edge of town.
- Rishtan A small town of potters about 45 km from Kokand. Workshops are spread through its streets, and many are run by families of hereditary masters.
- Fergana city The modern regional centre with wide streets, hotels and restaurants, right next to Margilan. A good place to spend the night.
What to eat
- Fergana Valley Rice cooked in a kazan with carrots, onions and meat: the dish of every Uzbek celebration. Each region cooks it its own way. Each district of the valley has its own plov, and the best known is made with devzira, a red-brown local rice. Andijan plov with devzira is registered as a geographical indication.
- Kokand halva Halva made to old recipes is Kokand's sweet speciality and a good gift to take home.
- Fruit at the bazaar The valley is farming country, and from summer to autumn the bazaars are piled with grapes, melons, pomegranates and apples.
Getting around
Most trips start with the train: get off in Kokand at 12:28 or Margilan at 13:00 and continue by car. Kokand to Rishtan is about 45 km, Rishtan to Margilan about 50 km, and Margilan and Fergana are next-door neighbours. In town, Yandex Go taxis work in Kokand, Margilan and Fergana; there is no metro.
Local tips
- Check the current train timetable on eticket.railway.uz before you book anything else.
- Kumtepa bazaar is held on Thursdays and Sundays: plan your Margilan morning around it if you can.
- Carry cash for bazaars and small workshops.
- Ceramics are heavy and fragile: ask the workshop to wrap them well and keep them in your cabin bag.
- In winter take the train: the road over the Kamchik pass can close because of avalanche risk.
Our take: how many days you need
Two days with one night cover Kokand, Rishtan and Margilan: the daily train makes it easy, and this is how our 14-day route does it. Our 3-day Fergana Valley extension from Tashkent adds a second night and a slower pace.
When to go: month by month
Daytime temperature, rainfall, public holidays and our rating for every month.
- Jan6° Cool, fewer people Cold: 6° by day 32 mm of rain ★ 1, 14
- Feb8.6° Cool, fewer people Cold: 8.6° by day 41 mm of rain
- Mar15.5° Great Cool: 15.5° by day 47 mm of rain ★ 8, 21
- Apr22.5° Great Comfortable: 22.5° by day 42 mm of rain
- May28.7° Great Comfortable: 28.7° by day 26 mm of rain ★ 9
- Jun34.1° Good Hot: 34.1° by day 8 mm of rain
- Jul35.9° Hard Hot: 35.9° by day 2 mm of rain
- Aug34.5° Hard Hot: 34.5° by day 2 mm of rain
- Sep29° Great Comfortable: 29° by day 3 mm of rain ★ 1
- Oct21.9° Great Comfortable: 21.9° by day 12 mm of rain ★ 1
- Nov13.4° Great Cool: 13.4° by day 30 mm of rain
- Dec7.5° Cool, fewer people Cold: 7.5° by day 31 mm of rain ★ 8
- 1 Jan — New Year
- 14 Jan — Defenders of the Motherland Day
- 8 Mar — International Women’s Day
- 21 Mar — Navruz
- 9 May — Day of Remembrance and Honour
- 1 Sep — Independence Day
- 1 Oct — Teachers’ Day
- 8 Dec — Constitution Day
- Ramadan Hayit (Eid al-Fitr): the date changes every year
- Kurban Hayit (Eid al-Adha): the date changes every year
Climate source: Википедия, статья «Samarkand», таблица климата (нормы 1991–2020; Pogoda.ru.net, NOAA) — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samarkand; Википедия, статья «Bukhara», таблица климата (нормы 1991–2020; NOAA) — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bukhara; Википедия, статья «Urgench» (метеостанция в 35 км от Хивы; нормы 1991–2020; Pogoda.ru.net, NOAA) — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urgench; Википедия, статья «Tashkent», таблица климата (нормы 1991–2020; Pogoda.ru.net, NOAA) — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tashkent
Rating by daytime temperature: great — 18–30°, good — 12–18° or 30–33°, cool, fewer people — below 12°, hard — above 33°; heavy rain (100 mm and more) lowers great to good. For the cities we also follow our expert: the season is March–June and September–November, with March and November the best months (start and end of the season, few people); winter is not marked as a bad time.
How to see Fergana Valley
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Fergana Valley: questions before the trip
How many days do I need in Fergana Valley?
2–3 days
How do I get to Fergana Valley?
Daily train from Tashkent at 09:20 through the Kamchik tunnel: Kokand at 12:28, Margilan at 13:00 More in the article: Uzbekistan tours from Australia: flights, entry, seasons and how many days
When is the best time to go to Fergana Valley?
Spring (April–May) and autumn (September–October) are the most comfortable; summer days are hot. More in the article: Uzbekistan in April: spring weather, long days and tips
What can I add nearby?
Kokand, Rishtan, Margilan and Fergana are a short drive from one another
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