Siab Bazaar, Samarkand

Siab Bazaar is the oldest market in Samarkand, renowned for its vast array of goods, especially nuts, dried fruits, and oriental sweets. Often compared to Tashkent's Chorsu Bazaar, both are the largest trade centers in their cities, offering shoppers top-quality products and a warm welcome. Siab Bazaar is centrally located, near famous landmarks like Bibi-Khanum Mosque, Khazret-Khyzr Mosque, and the Shahi-Zinda Mausoleum complex.

Entering the bazaar, you pass through a grand three-arched gate adorned with carved wooden columns and vibrant mosaics. The market’s trade pavilions are spread across several covered passages, providing a comfortable shopping experience year-round.

The stalls at Siab Bazaar are packed with goods. You’ll find oily walnuts, juicy apricots, crunchy almonds, and fleshy prunes. Fans of dried fruits will love the dried figs, sweet raisins, and tart barberries, while those with a sweet tooth can indulge in rahat-lukum, kozinaki, and sherbet.

Summer and early fall bring an even greater abundance of fresh fruits, vegetables, berries, and herbs, all sold at reasonable prices. These products come from small and medium-sized Uzbek enterprises and family farms, where people have lovingly worked the land for generations.

Upon entering the bazaar, the aroma of freshly baked Uzbek bread, called "non", greets shoppers. This large, round flatbread, with a deep depression in the middle, is always shiny and golden from being brushed with oil. During celebrations and special events, you can find festive flatbreads decorated with colorful sesame seeds.

Rows of Uzbek sweets are a highlight, particularly the halva, which resembles a cake. In Samarkand, it’s traditional to buy this halva for weddings or present it to young couples during engagements. Decorated with nuts and dried fruits, and often inscribed with messages of love and happiness, halva withstands the summer heat well, making it perfect for outdoor display on the market’s open counters.

Another unusual sweet to try at the Siab market is navat (navvat, novot), a crystalline sugar made from melted sugar syrup and grape juice. Threads are dipped into the thick syrup, where mesmerizing crystals eventually form around them. This treat can be added to tea or enjoyed on its own.

The Siab Bazaar also has a meat section where you can find lamb loin, chicken fillet, and beef brisket. They also offer various offal and mutton fat, perfect for making samsa, shurpa, and many other Uzbek dishes. Nearby, rows of chicken eggs of all kinds, colors, and sizes are available, including double-yolked eggs, affectionately called twins by the sellers.

The spice section is impressive, with fragrant seasonings and spices piled into colorful mounds. You’ll also find tea spices and other unique ingredients that are staples in Uzbek kitchens.

Additionally, there are stores selling traditional Uzbek clothing, tubeteikas (Uzbek skullcaps), souvenirs, and other colorful items to remember your trip by. When hunger strikes, local restaurants and teahouses serve hot dishes like rich lagman, hearty pilaf, juicy manty, and dozens of other delicious meals.

A stroll through Siab Bazaar, chatting with friendly sellers who invite you to sample their goods, offers a fascinating immersion into the culture of Uzbekistan. Discover the vibrant world of the East in this colorful bazaar, where bustling trade continues just as it did hundreds of years ago.