Spices of Samarkand
A great Silk Road city whose Siab Bazaar sells cumin, barberry, dried herbs and spices for plov.
Traded and grown here
Best time: April to June, and September to October.
Samarkand grew rich on the Silk Road. Siab Bazaar, beside the Bibi-Khanym Mosque, is a busy market for bread, dried fruit, nuts and spices.
Spices and trade
Plov, the national dish, is seasoned with cumin, barberry, coriander and black pepper, and sometimes dried chilli. Cumin is also used in lamb, samsa pastries and soups.
The place and its people
Samarkand has Uzbek and Tajik communities. Registan Square and the Timurid monuments are among the finest in Central Asia.
Visiting
Siab Bazaar is best early in the day. Spice stalls often sell ready mixes for plov.
A trail idea for Samarkand
- Siab Bazaar See cumin and barberry in sacks.
- Registan Visit the madrasa square.
- A plov house Eat plov.
- Shah-i-Zinda See the tiled necropolis.
Written by the EveryMasala desk with AI assistance. Background: "Samarkand" on Wikipedia. Opening hours, markets and tours change; check locally before travelling. If something is wrong, tell us.
Nothing matches those filters yet. Take one off, or check back: new spices are written every day.