"Bread and roses" Top 5 Page for this destination Uzbekistan Off The Beaten Path Tip by TheWanderingCamel

Delicious bread is not the only thing sold in the Shahrisabz bazaar. Gaily painted traditional cradles, a neat line in pressed and pierced tin bathroom fittings, a witch's brew of fermenting yoghurt, whole vegetables and fruit , padded coats wide enough to cover a family of four were some of the more unusual things we saw as well as the usual array of spices, nuts, fruit, honeycomb and all the other goods that a Central Asian bazaar has to offer. Not as crowded as some but, like all bazaars in Uzbekistan, this one is wonderfully untouristy, the sellers are (for the most part) friendly and welcoming without being at all pushy and you can spend a great hour or so wandering up and down the aisles of the covered bazaar, out in the open-air section and strolling along the shady main street as you make your way from the palace to the other historic buildings you have come to see here.

2009 update And the roses? It was cotton harvest time when we were in Uzbekistan this time. Mid-October is late for this but failed early crops had meant resowing and now the chill and rain of late autumn was expected at any time so it was all hands on deck as they raced to beat the weather. The bazaar opened early to allow the pickers to do their shopping before leaving for the fields so a dawn walk found the stallholders already setting up for their day. There were none of the general goods that had caught our eye on our first visit - no cradles or bathroom fittings this time but October is wedding season so bouquets of red roses were lined up ready for the wedding guests.