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Siab Bazaar, Samarkand

Shoppers at a covered hall of Siab Bazaar in Samarkand, fruit and vegetable stalls under a blue-trimmed steel roof
Photo: Davide Mauro, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

The essentials in 10 seconds

Entry
Free
Opening hours
Tuesday–Sunday, 5:00–7:00 to 19:00 — no official schedule
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
Time on site
A typical visit without queueing. In high season add 15–30 minutes.
1 h
With kids
Fine with kids
Closed
Mondays, according to nearly all sources
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
Evenings
Open until midnight, per the Uzbek tourism committee (September 2026); which stalls stay open isn't stated
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
Best time
Morning, before 11:00 — fresh bread, less heat, fewer people
Payment
Cash in som; only some stalls take cards
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
Address
8 Bibi-Khanym St, corner of Islam Karimov St (formerly Tashkent St)
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
Coordinates
39.66189, 66.97992YesGo MapGoogleApple
From the Registan
≈ 1 km, 13–15 minutes on foot
Time needed
≈ 1 hour to wander, 1.5–2 hours with shopping and lunch

Key facts

Oldestand largest market in Samarkand
2 sourcesEnglish and Russian WikipediaOrexca
7+ haof market area (other sources say about 5 ha)
3 sourcesEnglish and Russian WikipediaTonkostiAdvantour and Eurasia Travel give 5 ha
“Black water”the meaning of “Siyob” in Persian and Tajik — after the district and the stream nearby
2 sourcesEnglish and Russian WikipediaSputnik8
Triple archat the main entrance, faced with blue majolica
2 sourcesEnglish and Russian WikipediaAdvantour
7 covered hallsof stalls, plus separate buildings for meat, bread and sweets
SourceEnglish and Russian Wikipedia
17+ kindsof Samarkand bread in the bread row
2 sourcesAdvantourEurasia Travel
Dehqon marketa farmers’ market selling mostly produce grown in Uzbekistan
2 sourcesAdvantourEurasia Travel
Craft rowswhere woodcarvers, smiths and copper engravers work in front of buyers
2 sourcesRussian WikipediaTonkosti
≈ 500 mto Shah-i-Zinda and the Hazrat Khizr Mosque; ≈ 1 km to the Registan
SourceEnglish and Russian Wikipedia
Siyob bozorithe Uzbek name, used on maps and signs
SourceEnglish Wikipedia

Siab Bazaar opening hours

There's no official timetable, and each row keeps its own hours. Unofficially, Siab Bazaar opens Tuesday to Sunday from 5:00–7:00 until about 19:00 and is closed on Mondays. Bread and meat sellers start first; souvenir stalls open closer to 9:00. By late afternoon the choice thins out.

In September 2026 Uzbekistan's tourism committee announced longer hours across central Samarkand and said Siyob Bazaar now stays open until midnight. It didn't say which rows trade after dark, so shop for food in the morning and keep the evening for a stroll and dinner.

Is Siab Bazaar worth visiting?

Yes — it's the easiest look at everyday Samarkand you'll get, and it costs nothing. It sits on the same walk as the Registan and the Bibi-Khanym Mosque, so it barely adds time to your day. This is a working market where locals buy bread, meat and vegetables, not a souvenir street.

Skip it if you've just done a big bazaar like Chorsu in Tashkent and only have one day in Samarkand: the monuments matter more. Otherwise give it an hour, ideally with lunch.

What to buy at Siab Bazaar

  • Samarkand non — dense, glossy round bread stamped with a pattern in the middle. The bread row has more than 17 kinds, and the loaves travel well.
  • Dried fruit and nuts — apricots, raisins, figs, prunes, dried melon, almonds, walnuts and salted apricot kernels. The classic thing to take home.
  • Sweets — navat (crystallised sugar), halva in dozens of flavours, parvarda and pashmak candy floss.
  • Spices — cumin, red pepper, barberries, turmeric and ready plov mixes. Cumin and barberries are the most useful gift for anyone who cooks.
  • Fresh fruit in summer and autumn — grapes, melons, pomegranates, figs and persimmons. Freshly squeezed pomegranate juice is easy to find.
  • Crafts and textiles — skullcaps (do‘ppi), suzani embroidery, ceramics and carved boxes; some craftsmen work right at their stalls.
  • Lunch — the cafés around the market serve plov, samsa, lagman, shashlik and manti.

How to get to Siab Bazaar from the Registan

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On foot

More tips

  1. From Registan Square, walk north-east along the pedestrian Islam Karimov Street (formerly Tashkent Street) — about 1 km.
  2. After about 10 minutes the Bibi-Khanym Mosque appears on your left; the bazaar starts right behind it, through a triple arch with blue tiles. The whole walk takes 13–15 minutes.
  3. By bus: the stops by the market are “Shodiyona — Siyob bozori” and “Siyob bozori”; check the route number in the Yandex Go app or ask the driver.
  4. From Samarkand railway station, where the fast Afrosiyob trains from Tashkent arrive, or from the airport, take a Yandex Go taxi — 15–20 minutes. Say “Siyob bozori”.
  5. Afterwards it's 500 m east to the Hazrat Khizr Mosque and Shah-i-Zinda.

What Siab Bazaar is

Siab is Samarkand's main market and, according to Wikipedia, the city's largest and oldest. It fills a block of the old town directly behind the Bibi-Khanym Mosque, whose walls stand by the main southern gate. The name comes from the historic Siyob district and the stream that runs past it; in Persian and Tajik it means “black water”.

People have traded here for centuries, since the Silk Road, but there's no reliable founding date — guidebooks range from first mentions in the 9th century to “almost 2,000 years”, so we don't give one. Today's halls are modern; the gateway is a triple arch faced with blue majolica.

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Siab Bazaar vs Bibi-Khanym and the Registan

Siab Bazaaryou are hereThe city's main marketFree≈ 1 hMorning, not MondayFood and crafts, haggling
Bibi-Khanym MosqueTimur's congregational mosquePaid≈ 40 minDaytimeA few stalls
RegistanSquare with three madrasasPaid1.5–2 hMorning and eveningShops in the madrasa cells

All three are on one pedestrian street — Registan, then Bibi-Khanym, then the bazaar — an easy half-day on foot. Buy sweets and bread at the bazaar rather than at stalls by the monuments.

The old town on foot in half a day

The Registan in the morning, then Bibi-Khanym and the bazaar with lunch, then Hazrat Khizr and Shah-i-Zinda. YesGo fits in the timing and walks.

  1. Registan1 h 30 min · 100,000 UZS for foreign visitors
  2. 13 min walk from the previous stopBibi-Khanym Mosque40 min · ≈ UZS 75,000, unofficial
  3. 3 min walk from the previous stopSiab Bazaaryou are here1 h · Free entry
  4. 6 min walk from the previous stopHazrat Khizr Mosque30 min · Free, donations welcome
  5. 7 min walk from the previous stopShah-i-Zinda1 h 15 min · ≈ 50,000 som for foreigners

5 places · about 5 h 24 min with walks · 29 min on foot in total

Go · my route

Nearby — add to your day

Bibi-Khanym Mosque

Samarkand, Uzbekistan

40 min · ≈ UZS 75,000, unofficial · 3 min walk

Hazrat Khizr Mosque

Samarkand, Uzbekistan

30 min · Free, donations welcome · 6 min walk

Shah-i-Zinda

Samarkand, Uzbekistan

1 h 15 min · ≈ 50,000 som for foreigners · 12 min walk

Registan

Samarkand, Uzbekistan

1 h 30 min · 100,000 UZS for foreign visitors · 15 min walk

How to do it right

  • Start at the bread row early — the loaves are hottest just after dawn.
  • Taste before you buy; dried-fruit and halva sellers will offer. If you like it, ask for it from that same tray.
  • Don't buy at the first stall — walk a couple of rows and compare prices.
  • Ask for dried fruit to be packed tightly for the flight, and carry bread in a paper bag rather than plastic.
  • Make it your lunch stop: plov and samsa at the market cafés, with Bibi-Khanym two minutes away.
  • The separate nasvay hall sells chewing tobacco — it's not a sweet or a souvenir.

Questions

What are Siab Bazaar's opening hours?

There's no official schedule. Unofficially it's Tuesday to Sunday, from 5:00–7:00 until about 19:00. Since September 2026 the tourism committee says it stays open until midnight, though not every row trades late.

Is Siab Bazaar open on Monday?

Probably not — almost every source lists Monday as the day off. Plan another day.

What should I buy at Siab Bazaar?

Samarkand non bread, dried fruit and nuts, halva and navat, plov spices, skullcaps, suzani and ceramics.

Is Siab Bazaar worth visiting?

Yes, for an hour: it's free, lively and on the same walk as the Registan and Bibi-Khanym. Skip it only if your Samarkand day is very short.

Can I pay by card at Siab Bazaar?

Only at some shops. Bring cash in som in small notes; ATMs near the Registan dispense som.

Do you have to haggle?

On dried fruit, spices and souvenirs, yes — it's expected. Bread and meat usually sell at a fixed price.

How do I get to Siab Bazaar from the Registan?

Walk north-east along pedestrian Islam Karimov Street past the Bibi-Khanym Mosque — 13–15 minutes.

How long do you need at Siab Bazaar?

About an hour to look around, 1.5–2 hours with shopping and lunch.

What's the best time to visit?

Weekday or weekend mornings before 11:00, except Monday: fresh bread, less heat and fewer people.

Have you been? Was it worth your time?

1 — no, 5 — absolutely

Your vote counts towards the YesGo score.

Sources and fact-check

  • English and Russian Wikipedia: Siyob Bazaar; Wikidata Q13534449
  • Uzbekistan Tourism Committee (Uzbektourism), gov.uz: extended opening hours in Samarkand, September 2026
  • Orexca: Siab Bazaar, Samarkand
  • Advantour: Siab Bazaar, Samarkand
  • Eurasia Travel: Siab Bazaar
  • Sputnik8: Siab Bazaar — hours, transport and what to buy
  • Tonkosti: Siab Bazaar
  • Outlook Traveller: 5 Old Bazaars in Uzbekistan; Dook International — hours and closing day
YesGo editorial team · facts checked 30.10.2026 ·
How we checkedThe market has no official website or published schedule, so hours and the closing day are unofficial and marked “verifying”. Outlook Traveller, Trip.com, Komoot, Dook International and Sputnik8 all list Monday as closed, but Sputnik8's own table says “daily 8:00–20:00” and Advantour says the bazaar “practically never sleeps”. Opening time is given as 5:00 or 7:00, so we show both. The midnight closing comes from a September 2026 tourism committee announcement on gov.uz, which doesn't say which rows stay open. The area differs: Wikipedia, Sputnik8 and Tonkosti give more than 7 ha, Advantour and Eurasia Travel 5 ha; we show both. Guidebooks disagree on the bazaar's age (9th century, “almost 2,000 years”), so we give no number.

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