Brief information about Rishton district, Fergana region, Republic of Uzbekistan.

 

Rishton district was established on January 9, 1967. The administrative center of the district, Rishton, is located in the west of Ferghana region, on the right bank of the Sokh river, on the edge of the Qoqan-Fergana highway. It is 52 km from Rishton to the regional center Fergana.

As of January 1, 2022, the population is 203,500 people. The average population density is 662 people per 1 sq. km. The population is mainly Uzbeks (161401 people, 79.3%), as well as Tajiks (33176 people, 16.3%), Kyrgyz (8141 people) and representatives of other nationalities.

Pottery is developed in Rishton district center and nearby villages. Agriculture specializes in horticulture and viticulture. The famous Rishton kandak apricots and Chongara devzira rice are cultivated.

         Rishton was considered a fortress of great military and economic importance in the 18th century. Chinese, Indian, later Russian traders stopped here. From here Rishton pottery products spread to foreign countries. The products of the famous Rishton potters were very popular in Eastern markets. Plates, bowls, jugs and ceramic art objects made by Rishton masters are famous even outside the Republic.

 

The history of national crafts of the district and its potential today.

 

Rishton is one of the oldest cities of the Ferghana Valley, founded on the Great Silk Road. Since ancient times, it has been the largest center of exquisite glazed ceramics in Central Asia. The name of the city is derived from the ancient Sogdian word "Rash" ("Rush", "Rushi") - "red earth" according to the location, the potter's soil is red clay - red in color.

Starting from the 18th century, the city of Rishton (Rushdon, Roshidon) was gradually restored, and in the middle of the 19th century, it regained the name of a major center for the production of glazed vessels in the region.

The products of the best craftsmen - master Mulla Madamin Akhun, master Tokhta, master Soli and other masters have been displayed several times at exhibitions and fairs throughout Russia. At the World Exhibition held in Paris in 1990, the connoisseurs of the world's ceramic products highly evaluated Rishton master pottery as the best majolica of Europe and a product that can compete at the international level.

President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Miromonovich Mirziyoev in order to further develop pottery

On February 4-5, 2021, he visited Rishton district and took part in the opening ceremony of the completed "International Pottery Center". After the visit of the head of state to the district, according to his task, on March 23, 2021, Decision No. PQ-5033 "On Measures for Rapid Development and Support of Pottery" was adopted.

According to the decision, prospective plan indicators for increasing the volume of production of pottery products in 2021-2023 were approved. Property and land tax rates for residential and non-residential premises in the newly established pottery centers will be set at 50 percent for three years from the month the property rights are given to the potters. Also, within the framework of family entrepreneurship development programs, a loan of 500.0 billion soums was allocated for handicrafts at the main rate of the Central Bank.

This year, Rishton pottery products are regularly exported to the USA, Lithuania, Germany, Poland, Greece, and Turkey.

Currently, ceramic products produced by Rishton masters regularly participate in exhibitions held in the USA, Germany, India, Malaysia, Japan, Turkey, Greece, Asia and other European countries.

Master potters from Rishton will hold an exhibition of Rishton pottery products in the famous Isetan shopping complex located in Tokyo, the capital of Japan, on August 3-16 of this year,

From September 24 to October 6, he participated in the handicraft exhibition held at the Qatar Cultural City in Doha with pottery products.

Currently, Rishton district has signed a memorandum of sister cities between the city of Deruta in Italy, Maizuru prefecture in Japan, Iznik province in Turkey, and Ismailli district in Azerbaijan. Currently, it is cooperating with these cities in social and economic spheres.