Namangan is the major city of north-eastern Uzbekistan, located in the northern part of the fertile Fergana Valley. It is known as one of the greenest cities in the country: flower-filled parks, gardens, tree-lined avenues and neighbourhoods where everyday life flows at a calm, family pace.
The name “Namangan” is often linked to “namak kan” (“salt mines”), and the city grew especially from the 17th century, when inhabitants of Axsikent — an ancient city destroyed by a powerful earthquake — moved to this safer area. Since then, Namangan has evolved into a key industrial and agricultural centre of the region, with a strong identity within the Fergana Valley.
Travelling to Namangan feels different from visiting Samarkand or Bukhara (which focus more on classic historical monuments). Here the focus is on real local life: markets, food, flower festivals, living mosques and residential districts full of people strolling at sunset.
The story of Namangan does not begin in Namangan, it begins in Axsikent, a medieval city that was once one of the most important commercial and craft centres of the Fergana Valley. A devastating earthquake forced much of its population to move and settle in the area that would later become today’s Namangan.
That human movement brought with it ceramic craftsmanship, weaving techniques, agricultural knowledge and trade routes. Thanks to this, Namangan grew quickly and became a strategic point between oases, caravans and, later on, modern routes linking it to Andijon and Fergana.
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, during Russian and then Soviet presence, the city was transformed into an industrial hub (textiles, food processing) and an urban reference point in the north-east of Uzbekistan. Today it remains a very lively and growing city, proud of its role within the region.
If you are interested in historical ruins, you can visit the remains of Axsikent: adobe walls, fragments of fortifications and archaeological excavation areas. It is not “beautiful” in the classic tourist sense like Samarkand; instead it is a place to imagine the valley’s past, with dust in the air and a landscape that still feels filled with history.
Namangan is famous throughout Uzbekistan for its culture of gardens and flowers. In spring the city explodes with colour during flower festivals and plant fairs. That is why it is sometimes called the “garden city” of the Fergana Valley.
Strolling through the main parks at sunset is one of the best ways to feel local life: families eating ice-cream, children playing, traditional music coming out of old loudspeakers, couples walking slowly. It is a very domestic, very human atmosphere, totally different from the large-scale tourism you see in Bukhara or Khiva.
You do not come here just to “take monument photos”; you come to see how people really live in the Fergana Valley, one of the richest and most densely populated agricultural regions in Central Asia.
In Namangan you will find mosques full of life, madrasas still in use and a strong religious and cultural presence in daily life. Unlike the madrasas of Samarkand or Bukhara, which today function mainly as historic and tourist landmarks, many religious schools here still host real students. That gives the city a very strong identity.
The local bazaars are another must. They are perfect places to see, smell and touch the Fergana Valley: mountains of spices, dried fruit, freshly baked tandoor bread, honey, homemade preserves, textiles and typical embroidery. It is common to see embroidered veils, traditional caps and hand-worked tablecloths that you later do not easily find in Tashkent.
Important: ask permission before taking photos of people indoors, especially older women and traditional vendors. They usually say yes, but they like you to ask first.
Quick tip: if you see a local tea house (chaykhana) with low benches and colourful blankets, go in. Order green tea and ask for freshly made “manty” or “somsa”. It is the most direct way to connect with Fergana Valley hospitality.
Namangan’s cuisine is hearty, homely and deeply connected to the countryside. Here you find local versions of Uzbekistan’s classics: plov (rice with meat, spices and yellow carrot), filled manty (often with pumpkin or meat), shashlik (skewers cooked over charcoal), and soups rich in vegetables and fresh herbs.
Traditional sweets made with honey and nuts are very popular as edible souvenirs. Buy small amounts at the bazaar and taste your way through them.
The best part is that almost everything comes from the Fergana Valley itself, one of the most fertile agricultural areas in Central Asia: huge fruits, fragrant melons, sweet tomatoes, grapes, almonds… You can tell straight away that ingredients are local, not brought from far away.
If you travel with a driver or guide into the nearby mountains, they often stop at small family stalls along the road: hot bread, pickled vegetables, homemade yoghurt. Say yes to those stops. It is 100% local experience.
Namangan is connected by road and rail to Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, as well as to nearby valley cities such as Fergana and Andijon.
There is frequent internal transport via minibuses and shared taxis between the cities of the Fergana Valley, which makes it easy to create an eastern Uzbekistan itinerary that is different from the classic Tashkent → Samarkand → Bukhara → Khiva route.
Namangan also has a domestic airport, so you can fly in if you prefer not to spend several hours on the road from Tashkent.
Within the city, it is easy to get around by local taxi or on foot. Many of the most pleasant areas (parks, bazaars, mosques) are relatively close to one another.
Namangan’s climate is continental: hot summers and cold winters. Spring and autumn are ideal times to visit because the valley is green, harvests are underway and the atmosphere is very photogenic.
Culturally, Namangan is more traditional than Tashkent. Wear light but respectful clothing (shoulders and knees covered if you plan to enter active mosques or madrasas). Ask before photographing people.
At the bazaar, pay in cash (Uzbek sum) and carry small notes. If you want to buy handmade textiles or typical embroidered caps from the valley, this is the right place. Negotiate politely and with a smile, not as if it were an aggressive auction.
Would you like to combine Namangan with other cities in the valley, visit Axsikent and then continue on to Andijon or Fergana with a Spanish-speaking guide? Write to us via the contact page and we will help you with private transfers, rural viewpoints and homemade food stops along the way.
This eastern part of Uzbekistan receives far less international tourism than the historic gems like Samarkand or Bukhara, and that is precisely why it feels so authentic. It is Uzbekistan without filters.
