Taking pottery classes in Rishtan, Uzbekistan
We are traveling around Uzbekistan for a month, and on a whim I contacted one of Uzbekistan’s most well known ceramic artists, Alisher Nazirov, and asked if I would be able to stay at his guest house and take some pottery classes. He simply replied “you are welcome to come”. I had no idea what I signed up for, what the accommodations were like, or what to expect. We spent 4.5 hours in a non-air conditioned train from Tashkent, than an hour a taxi, and then another 20 minutes in a local taxi, a 1983 junker that the old Tajik taxi driver was very proud of, searching for the studio. We arrived to what I can only describe as the world’s most picturesque guesthouse. Alisher Nazirov gave us a tour of the studio, talked about Uzbek ceramic traditions, his long career, and my pottery background and what I expect to learn. The first day I spent the morning at the wheel, being guided by one of his students, learning traditional Uzbek vessel structures and the afternoon painting pre-made dishes. All meals are included as well, it’s delicious homemade Uzbek food. I am overwhelmed in the best sense of the word and can’t believe how lucky I am to be here. Word of warning: all instructions have been done on Russian. So if you don’t know Uzbek or Tajik or Russian, it might be tougher going, though you might manage with Google Translate.