Rishtan
Rishtan is a center for the manufacture of ceramic products and the pottery art of local artisans is known throughout the world.
Although each region of Uzbekistan has its own pottery school, the Rishtan school is considered the best and this well-deserved title is confirmed by the skillful work of local artisans, and ceramic products covered with blue “ishkor” glaze were very popular not only today, but also during the Great Silk Ways.
Pottery in Rishtan originated over a thousand years ago and the ceramic products of Rishtan potters became known all over the world thanks to the endless caravans passing through Rishtan. As they say, God himself ordered the locals to engage in pottery, because. this was facilitated by the abundance of local raw materials - different types of clay, including red clay, which was perfect for making ceramics without pre-treatment and additives. For decorating ceramics, only natural dyes were used: cobalt, herbs and quartz sand.
Centuries later, when the exchange of goods along the Great Silk Road was no longer relevant, the demand for Rishtan ceramics remained the same. Many ceramic products of Rishtan masters are kept in the expositions of museums in Europe.
Today, potters are divided into two categories: potters, who make baking ovens and other kitchen utensils, and potters, who make painted glazed ware. There is a ceramics factory in Rishtan that produces a wide range of dishes in bulk, but the factory products cannot be compared with products made on a potter's wheel by hand, where each pattern was painstakingly drawn by a skilled craftsman. Each master carefully keeps the secrets of preparing a particular paint, which are passed down from generation to generation.
Among the ceramists of Rishtan, there is always an invisible competition in skill, especially since there are about fifty master ceramists and each of them demonstrates skillful and skillful work day after day. What else is remarkable about Rishtan ceramics is that not a single ceramic object that came out from under the skillful hands of a master is repeated and is unique. The fantasy of every craftsman, which is embodied in each product, is truly amazing, and the fact that the functionality of each item is necessarily combined with a decorative and applied solution is amazing, creating a unique image of “celestial ceramics”.
It is not for nothing that Rishtan is considered the cradle of ceramic art in Uzbekistan, and even an experienced traveler will be delighted with the acquisition of unique “blue” ceramics, because each plate or bowl is not only a unique work of art, but also keeps the warmth of human hands and a piece of the soul of a master who put all the love and skill into each clay miracle.
Pottery in Rishtan originated over a thousand years ago and the ceramic products of Rishtan potters became known all over the world thanks to the endless caravans passing through Rishtan. As they say, God himself ordered the locals to engage in pottery, because. this was facilitated by the abundance of local raw materials - different types of clay, including red clay, which was perfect for making ceramics without pre-treatment and additives. For decorating ceramics, only natural dyes were used: cobalt, herbs and quartz sand.
Centuries later, when the exchange of goods along the Great Silk Road was no longer relevant, the demand for Rishtan ceramics remained the same. Many ceramic products of Rishtan masters are kept in the expositions of museums in Europe.
Today, potters are divided into two categories: potters, who make baking ovens and other kitchen utensils, and potters, who make painted glazed ware. There is a ceramics factory in Rishtan that produces a wide range of dishes in bulk, but the factory products cannot be compared with products made on a potter's wheel by hand, where each pattern was painstakingly drawn by a skilled craftsman. Each master carefully keeps the secrets of preparing a particular paint, which are passed down from generation to generation.
Among the ceramists of Rishtan, there is always an invisible competition in skill, especially since there are about fifty master ceramists and each of them demonstrates skillful and skillful work day after day. What else is remarkable about Rishtan ceramics is that not a single ceramic object that came out from under the skillful hands of a master is repeated and is unique. The fantasy of every craftsman, which is embodied in each product, is truly amazing, and the fact that the functionality of each item is necessarily combined with a decorative and applied solution is amazing, creating a unique image of “celestial ceramics”.
It is not for nothing that Rishtan is considered the cradle of ceramic art in Uzbekistan, and even an experienced traveler will be delighted with the acquisition of unique “blue” ceramics, because each plate or bowl is not only a unique work of art, but also keeps the warmth of human hands and a piece of the soul of a master who put all the love and skill into each clay miracle.
