Located about 30 minuted drive from Bukhara, small town of Gijduvan boasts with the reputation as one of the most important centres of ceramics in Central Asia. Narzuallaevs dynasty mastered this art for nine generations.
Having its own style of dark green and brown patterns, handmade dishes, vases, cups etc. from Gijduvan were famous along the regional part of Silk Road for centuries rivalled only by blue ceramics of Rishtan in Fergana Valley.
Narzuallaevs mastered the art for nine generations now with current patriarch Mr Alisher Narzullaev recognised by multiple international awards and personally presenting his masterpieces to persons like HRH Prince of Wales and Hillary Clinton.
Three generations of the family will demonstrate you the whole process of sourcing the clay, mixing it with organic plants and portering the object (and you can join them in this excessive!), drawing in dried ones, preparing on donkey-powered mill the glaze powder, burning the objects in big oven.
Meanwhile, women of this incredible household also possess skills and glad to demonstrate how to make suzanee – traditional silk and cotton embroidery of symbolic ornaments on handmade fabric. They dye threads using only plants and other organic materials, saying that final color depends on makers mood.
Gallery room exhibits not only samples of Gijduvan ceramics and embroidery, but also best objects made by there colleagues in other Uzbek towns – “just to compare”.
And the best way to make your visit to the Narzullaevs is to stay there for lunch or dinner with local food and delicacies.