Uzbekistan has a very rich cultural heritage. As the major crossroad of the Silk Road linking Europe with Asia, it has been a melting pot of creative influences as well as trade for hundreds of years. This heritage is important to Uzbekistan today, not only because it provides a rich fabric for the national identity of the newly independent country but also because it offers opportunities for income generation and employment through sales within the growing tourism sector. As trading restrictions ease, in the future there are also opportunities for international sales. We have supported a number of local crafts enterprises ranging from Nukus close to the Aral Sea, to Khiva and most notably to Margilan in the Fergana Valley.
Our support to the Yodgorlik Silk Factory in Margilan helped them to develop high quality designs based on traditional hand-dying techniques and patterns but also adjusted to modern style and consumer tastes. The new designs produced by Yodgorlik have resulted in increased sales, helping the factory to grow, and are being copied by other producers across the country.
In 2004 we have established a small workshop in Khiva where traditional embroidery techniques and skills are being put to innovative effect by creating more contemporary designs and products aimed at the modern marketplace. Impressed by early designs, the organisers of EXPO 2005 in Japan have already invited the workshop to participate at the exhibition in the Central Asia pavilion. Our project is in co-operation with Operation Mercy.
If you need to know more about our work in this area, please don't hesitate to contact us.
| 
