Things to Do in Kokand

Khudayar Khan Palace

Seven courtyards of sky-blue tilework where you can still hear swallows nesting in the carved wooden eaves. The palace feels half-asleep, its reception halls empty but for the creak of your footsteps and the faint smell of old carpets stored in cedar chests. Climb the crumbling watchtower for a view over Kokand's jumbled rooftops where satellite dishes glint above mud-brick walls.

Juma Mosque

A forest of 98 carved columns rises from the prayer hall, each one smelling of centuries of candle smoke and wool carpets. The imam's voice echoes off the vaulted ceiling during midday prayers, while pigeons flutter between the columns leaving brief shadows across the worn stone floor. Outside, the minaret leans slightly, giving the whole structure a conspiratorial tilt.

Kokand Bazaar

The market assaults your senses with pyramids of crimson pomegranates, the hiss of coke machines cutting through summer melons, and vendors calling 'kel, kel!' while grabbing your sleeve. You'll smell fresh dill and coriander over the deeper scent of sheep fat from the butchers' row, where whole carcasses hang beside scales that look older than the Soviet Union.

Dakhma-i-Shakhon Royal Cemetery

A quiet enclosure of cracked turquoise domes where Kokand's khans rest under tiles that flake like old pastry. The air smells of wild marjoram growing through the brickwork, and you'll hear only the buzz of wasps and the occasional funeral procession passing outside the walls. The main mausoleum's door sticks - give it a firm push to reveal interior walls where candle smoke has painted ghostly shadows around the marble sarcophagi.

Narbutabey Madrassah workshop

In the cells where students once slept, artisans now carve walnut wood into intricate patterns that smell sweet when sanded. You'll hear the scrape of chisels and catch metallic notes as coppersmiths hammer patterns into teapots, their workshops glowing with reflected light from hanging lamps. The courtyard fountain still runs, its water sounding surprisingly loud in the stone enclosure.

Hotel Kokand on Mukimi Street occupies a converted merchant house where rooms open onto a courtyard with apricot trees dropping fruit onto the tiles

The Soviet-era Fergana Valley Hotel near the train station has rock-hard mattresses but the terrace staff still serve tea in patterned cups and remember returning guests

Guesthouses in the old Jewish quarter south of the palace offer family-style dinners where the hostess might teach you to fold manti if you hang around the kitchen

Budget travelers head to the madrassah-turned-hostel near the bazaar - bathrooms are down the hall but dawn prayer calls are haunting rather than annoying

Mid-range options cluster on Istiqlol Street. Newer hotels there deliver reliable hot water. Balconies overlook the morning bread queues. Book early. Views entertain for free.

For a splurge, the Khan's Summer Palace outside town operates as an overpriced boutique hotel. Swimming in the historic pool at sunset feels unexpectedly decadent. Worth the once-off splurge.