The market at Margilon

After Termiz, we flew back to Tashkent long enough to drop our bags, then flew on to the Fergana Valley that stretches to the east between flanks of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. From the plane, we could see the peaks of the Tajik Pamirs that we had visited a month earlier. As the crow flies, it was only about 160 kilometers (100 miles) back to Sary-Tash, the small Kyrgyz town where we had begun our trip across the Pamir Highway. Because of recent unrest, we had skipped Osh, which lies just across the Kyrgyz border at the east end of the Fergana Valley.

The Fergana valley is the breadbasket and industrial heart of Uzbekistan. Half of the country’s population lives here, and it is well irrigated by the Syr-Darya (Jaxartes) River that flows down from the Tian Shan. It is also the most conservative area, with strong Islamic traditions that have fueled rebellions from time to time. More people were wearing skullcaps and headscarves than we had seen anywhere else.

Our first stop was the historic silk-making town of Margilon. When we landed, we went immediately to the Kumtepa Bazaar, which takes place only twice a week on a huge lot five kilometers west of town. Although it sells everything from housewares to auto parts, the market is best known for its rows and rows of vendors selling bright-colored cloths. Sewing machines nearby were ready to turn them into the fantastic dresses that people wear the streets of Central Asia.