Kumtepa Bazaar, Margilan

A few kilometres outside Margilan, the Kumtepa (Qumtepa) Bazaar is where the Fergana Valley comes to trade. It is not a tourist market. Farmers, weavers and families arrive from across the valley, many of the shoppers wear traditional dress, and the atmosphere is noticeably more local than in the bazaars of Samarkand or Bukhara.

The single most important fact: Kumtepa trades properly only on Thursdays and Sundays, with Sunday the busiest day. On other days you will find it largely empty, so it is worth building a valley itinerary around one of those mornings.

What you find

• Textiles first. Margilan is the home of Uzbek ikat, and Kumtepa has long rows of khan-atlas and adras sold by the bolt or the metre, in everything from bright traditional patterns to quieter modern colourways.
• Embroidered doppi skullcaps, suzani, scarves and inexpensive ready-made clothes.
• Food: bread from tandoor ovens, dried fruit, nuts, spices and seasonal fruit from the valley's orchards.
• Household goods, and on the edges of the market a livestock section with sheep and cattle changing hands.

Buying silk well

Ask your guide what a fair metre of adras costs that week before you start. Prices here are lower than in Tashkent or Bukhara, and bargaining is normal for textiles, though food is sold at near-fixed prices. Check the back of the cloth: hand ikat is dyed in the thread, so the pattern is almost as strong on the reverse, and the edges of each motif are soft and feathered. Printed imitations are pale or blank behind and too regular in front. Traditional widths are narrow, so ask how many metres you need for a dress or cushion before you buy.

Visiting

Go early. Trading starts at dawn and the best stalls are winding down by late morning. Carry cash in som, as cards are rarely accepted. Ask before photographing people, especially women and older traders, and keep valuables in a front pocket in the crowds. A taxi from Margilan or Fergana is cheap and quick. The classic plan is Kumtepa at around 08:00, then the Yodgorlik silk factory, both on the same Thursday or Sunday morning; on other days, Margilan's central bazaar trades daily and is still good for silk.