Better one day of adventure than 1,000 of boring days! Sometimes, all we need to be happy is to look at familiar things in a new way. Just 13 km away from Samarkand there is one special place – Konigil tourist village. The place is famous for its unique traditions of craftsmanship, pure nature, shady trees, flowing nearby river Siab. But perhaps the main attraction of this place is the Meros factory, where paper production is carried out.
The paper factory was founded by Mukhtarov brothers, artisans. Thanks to them, the factory revived and started manufacturing paper by the ancient method, a technology that was used long before the appearance of paper machines. The main feature of this technology is manual labor, which uses only natural raw materials. For this reason, the paper turns out a slightly yellowish color, because it is not bleached with chemicals. The strength of the paper is very different from modern bleached paper. Compare: an ordinary sheet of paper can be stored for 40 years, but Samarkand paper is ten times longer – 400 years.
In order to see with your own eyes the process of making Samarkand paper, excursions to the factory are organized. Here you can walk around the picturesque area, see the water wheel – charkhpalak, sit in a traditional teahouse by the river. Every guest is welcome here, so be sure to try Samarkand pilaf and local fruits.
Of course, you will be familiarized in detail with the technology of production and demonstrate the products made from Samarkand paper, which are great souvenirs, postcards, notebooks in the national style, handbags, dolls, and even dresses. You can buy the products you like in a souvenir store at the factory.
It is worth noting that Samarkand paper is used not only for souvenirs but also for the restoration of ancient manuscripts. Such paper is ordered all over Uzbekistan and abroad.
In the near future, the village of Kanigil is planned to expand. There will be new tourist routes, guest houses and craft centers. For example, there will be production of pottery, carpentry, vegetable oil production by ancient technology. The guests will be able to see the process of growing Samarkand rice. Entertainment and cultural programs will be organized in the village, where guests will be able to taste pilaf cooked of Samarkand rice and oil, listen to a performance on national musical instruments and take part in making pottery.