A much less sanitised experience than the Silk Factory is Margilon’s fantastic Kumtepa Bazaar, 5km west of the centre. It’s a time capsule full of weathered Uzbek men in traditional clothing exchanging solemn greetings and gossiping over endless pots of tea, with hardly a Russian or a tourist in sight. Margilon’s conservative streak, extreme even by Fergana Valley standards, is in full view here, with Uzbek matrons dressed almost exclusively in the locally produced khanatlas dresses and head scarves and men in skull caps and chapan . Rows of handmade khanatlas and adras silk, available for just 4000S to 5000S per metre, are both the shopping highlight and the visual highlight – have your camera ready. It’s probably the most interesting bazaar in the country. The main day for the bazaar is Sunday, but it also works on Thursdays.
Take a taxi (5000S) or 'Bozor' mashrutka to get here.
