Siyob Bazaar

Siyob bozori

Samarkand's largest market, right next to the Bibi-Khanym Mosque. Piles of Samarkand bread, dried fruit, spices and halva are on sale. It is the place to try plov and buy souvenirs.

Siyob Bazaar (called the Central Market in the Soviet era) lies just north of the Bibi-Khanym Mosque. It is Samarkand's largest everyday market. The covered main hall is divided by product. At the entrance are rows of Samarkand bread, which is thick with a stamped pattern in the centre. It keeps for about a week, costs 5,000 to 15,000 som each, and vendors will vacuum-pack it for you. Next come the dried fruit and nut stalls, where dried apricots, dried figs, pistachios and walnuts are sold by the kilogram and you can taste before you buy. Then there are the spice stalls with cumin, saffron and dried chillies, a dairy section with fermented milk balls called kurt, and stalls selling halva and honey. Fruit, vegetables, meat and everyday goods fill the outer areas. In autumn, trucks loaded with hami melons and pomegranates arrive. Restaurants around the market are good places to eat Samarkand plov. Plov is usually cooked in the morning and sold out by 1 pm. There are several more along Tashkent Street, the pedestrian street between the south side of the market and Registan. The market is free and open from about 06:00 to 19:00. It is busiest in the morning. Shopping tips: dried fruit and bread are good to take home. Spices may be restricted by customs. Bargaining is normal but the discounts are modest. Carry cash in som, since small stalls do not accept cards. Nearby, you can walk 15 minutes to Siyob, or go south to the Hazrat Khizr Mosque, a wooden-pillared mosque on the hill that overlooks the market and the Bibi-Khanym Mosque. Islam Karimov, the first president of Uzbekistan, is buried there. Allow about 1 hour.

Siyob Bazaar

Opening hours

Nearby sights

Places to eat nearby