Nearly every journey to Uzbekistan, a country known for its beautiful Silk Road cities like Samarkand, begins in its capital – Tashkent. Unlike Samarkand, which is filled with dazzling blue-tiled mosques and madrasas, Tashkent is uniquely modern, characterized by broad tree-lined boulevards, spacious parks, Soviet style apartment blocks, hotels and civic buildings, a beautiful subway system, and a new modern skyline. Much of this is due to a devastating earthquake in 1966, which destroyed much of the city, requiring a reinvention of the city as a modern gateway to Asia by the ruling Soviets at the time. Yet, remnants of the old still remain, including centuries-old mosques and madrasas, Russian Orthodox churches, and bustling bazaars. On top of that, the city offers its visitors delicious food, numerous fantastic museums, and friendly locals.
I recently took my first trip to Uzbekistan as part of a small group tour arranged by Gate 1 Travel. Our 12-day trip began in Tashkent before heading to other historic cities such as Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand. Expecting an arid, desert city, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of greenery Tashkent offers, due to it being located on a well-watered plain near the border with Kazakhstan. Tashkent is a city where ancient Silk Road traditions coexist with Soviet history and contemporary ambition, offering visitors a fascinating introduction to one of Central Asia’s most captivating countries.
A Brief History
The history of Tashkent stretches back more than 2,000 years. It’s strategic location along the ancient Silk Road led the settlement into an important trading center linking China with Persia, India, and Europe. Over the centuries, Tashkent was ruled by Persians, Arabs, Mongols under Genghis Khan, and later by the Timurids before becoming part of the Khanate of Kokand. In 1865, the Russian Empire captured the city, transforming it into the administrative center of Russian Turkestan. During the Soviet period, Tashkent became one of the USSR’s most important industrial and cultural cities.
In 1966, a powerful earthquake destroyed much of the city’s historic center. The city was rebuilt by Soviet architects and engineers, resulting in broad avenues, towering apartment blocks, public squares, and monumental government buildings. Uzbekistan gained independence in 1991, and the country has worked to reassert its own national identity by promoting the Uzbek language, restoring Islamic monuments, celebrating Silk Road history, and reviving traditional arts, crafts, and cuisine. Today, Tashkent is Central Asia’s largest city with over three million people, with a notably young population. Everywhere we went we noticed crowds of students and younger professionals. Today, about thirty percent of the city’s population is under the age of 18.
The Russian Influence Remains
Since we had the first day to ourselves, we decided to check out some of the city’s sights not included as part of our organized tour. We walked from our hotel to the historic center. Along the way, we passed the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin, a beautiful Russian Orthodox cathedral built in 1871. The cathedral is painted in blue and white, fronted by a five-tiered bell tower, and topped with a large golden onion dome surrounded by three other smaller domes. During the Soviet era, ethnic Russians comprised nearly half of Tashkent’s population, but today, only account for about ten to 15 percent of the population. Yet, Russian culture still shapes everyday life. The language remains widely spoken, especially in business, higher education, and among older generations. Russian literature, ballet and theater remain influential, with performances at venues such as the Alisher Navoi Opera and Ballet Theatre.
A Monument to Hero Amir Timur
We arrived at Amir Timur Square, one of the city’s primary gathering spots located in the city’s center. An imposing equestrian statue of the great conqueror Timur (Tamerlane) stands in the center, surrounded by a manicured lawn, gardens and fountains. His empire once stretched across much of Central Asia. Under Tamerlane’s rule during the 14th century, the Silk Road facilitated the exchange of religious, technological, philosophical and scientific thought. The massive, modernist Soviet style Hotel Tashkent rises above the square, making it one of Tashkent’s most recognizable architectural landmarks. The 17-story hotel was constructed following the 1966 earthquake, and is characterized by a broad, geometric façade with clean lines and repetitive window patterns, with subtle decorative elements drawing on traditional Uzbek motifs. Captivated by the dramatic symmetry, I spent a considerable amount of time trying to capture the right photograph. Inside, the blue painted lobby features traditional Uzbek patterns and motifs, softened by white marble floors and curvilinear staircases.
State Museum of the Temurids
We explored the nearby State Museum of the Temurids, devoted to the remarkable history and cultural achievements of Timur’s empire. Here, we joined throngs of local uniformed school children and walked through an impressive intricately patterned domed lobby that held a massive crystal chandelier. The museum’s exhibit space includes an impressive collection of artifacts, manuscripts, frescoes, historic paintings and other exhibits from the middle-ages. The rotunda is surrounded by large paintings of Amir Timur throughout key moments of his life.
Modern Tashkent – Tashkent City Mall and Park
We headed to the Tashkent City Mall, a new enclosed shopping center that offers a glimpse of modern Tashkent’s rapid development and emerging cosmopolitan character. The upscale shopping and entertainment complex offers numerous restaurants, cafés, retail stores, and international brands in a polished design that stands in contrast to the city’s traditional architecture and bazaars. Next door is Tashkent City Park. We strolled through landscaped areas dotted with topiary, and along elevated walkways that curved over a large man-made lake filled with fountains, offering views toward the growing skyline in the distance.
National Park of Uzbekistan
One of Tashkent’s largest and most popular green spaces is called Milliy Bog, also referred to as the National Park of Uzbekistan. The expansive park features shady walking paths, open lawns, a central lake, fountains, and monuments honoring prominent Uzbek writers and cultural figures. We visited the nearby Museum of Tashkent housed within the former Exhibition Hall of Culture and Arts. Its collection of over 1,000 objects showcase Tashkent’s more than 2,200-year history. Exhibits include ancient tools and household items, and models of important Tashkent landmarks. Others are devoted to Tashkent’s role as a center of science, culture, and education.
Later that evening, we were welcomed to Tashkent by a friend who happens to serve as the U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission (equivalent to Deputy Ambassador) for Uzbekistan. We used a local rideshare service to reach her home located on the city’s outskirts. We enjoyed dinner with her family, all the while having an enlightening conversation about the history, culture and food of Uzbekistan. On our way back to the hotel, Hasan, our friendly driver, didn’t speak English but was eager to communicate with us using a translation app on his phone, asking about our trip and life in the U.S.
The Historic Khazrati Imam Complex
The next morning, we met Davron, our tour guide and the rest of our tour group. We were provided our wireless audio guides, and departed by bus for the Khazrati Imam Complex, the religious center and most historic part of the city. Along the way, we made a stop at the Monument to Courage, a Soviet style memorial commemorating the 1966 earthquake that left over 300,000 people homeless, with remarkably few casualties. It features a granite cube displaying the date and time of the earthquake, and behind it, a large bronze statue of a man, woman and child symbolizing the resilience and solidarity of the city’s residents.
The Khazrati Imam Complex is the spiritual heart of Tashkent that dates to the 15th century. It includes a mix of both old and new buildings, and some of them were in the process of being restored during our visit. The centerpiece is the Muyi Muborak Madrasah and library. We viewed up close, behind glass, the famous Uthman Quran. It is believed by many scholars to be one of the world’s oldest surviving Qurans, traditionally associated with the third caliph, Uthman ibn Affan during the 7th century. The manuscript was written in an early Kufic script on large parchment pages. The Quran was being read by Uthman when he was assassinated, and several dark stains on its pages are believed by some to be his blood, attracting pilgrims, scholars, and visitors from around the world.
Nearby, the Tilla Sheikh Mosque, built in 1856, features elegant blue domes, while next door, the newer Hazrati Imam Mosque has towering minarets and turquoise domes designed to complement the historic architecture. The Barak Khan Madrasah was built in the 16th-century by the Shaybanid dynasty. It is recognized for its ornate tilework, massive entrance portal, and traditional Central Asian architectural style.
The Colorful Chorsu Bazaar
If you want to capture the rhythm of everyday life in Tashkent, head to the Chorsu Bazaar. This sprawling market has served merchants since Silk Road days. The current market is housed beneath a massive futuristic blue and green painted dome that somewhat resembles a spaceship. Inside are dozens of aisles filled with hundreds of vendors selling a variety of goods like fragrant spices, dried fruits, nuts, fresh produce, pickled vegetables, colorful textiles, ceramics, and traditional clothing. One of the highlights was being treated samples of lepeshka, the Uzbeki bread which is beautifully designed and freshly baked in clay ovens.
At the outdoor section of the market, everything from kitchenware to handicrafts are offered. Savory aromas led us to nearby vendors cooking at open-air kitchens, serving freshly made plov (the national dish of Uzbekistan) from giant cauldrons, and grill skewered shashlik meats over open flames. For the more adventurous, a thick and unappealing Uzbeki sausage known as hasip is sold, which is made of ground meat, rice, and offal, such as heart, lungs and liver.
A Home Cooked Uzbeki Meal
For lunch, we were welcomed to the home of a local family that served us an elaborate home cooked meal of delicious Uzbeki cuisine. We were sat at long, beautifully set tables and served tea with a variety of fresh fruits and nuts, followed by an appetizer of sweet and savory pumpkin filled samsa (stuffed pastries), heaping plates of spicy lamb plov, and ending with sweet, sticky and delectable walnut and pistachio filled baklava.
Plov, the national dish, has become a favorite of mine. It’s a hearty combination of rice, lamb, carrots, onions, and spices traditionally cooked in enormous cast-iron cauldrons. When served, it is colorful, delicious and wonderfully satisfying and filling.
Tashkent Metro
Fully stuffed, we took a ride on the Tashkent Metro. Opened in 1977, it is considered one of the world’s most beautiful subway systems. Each station has its own unique theme, with art and mosaics embedded in the walls and columns. Other features include marble columns, crystal chandeliers, and stained glass. The stations resemble underground museums as much as they function as commuter platforms. One of the more unique is Cosmonought Station that is decorated with space related motifs and images of Uzbeki cosmonoughts. At one time, photography was prohibited, but Davron, our guide, explained that the rules were recently changed to allow visitors to forever remember these remarkable works of Soviet-era design.
Uzbkeki State Museum of Applied Arts
Our last stop in Tashkent, before heading to the city of Khiva, was at the State Museum of Applied Arts of Uzbekistan. Housed in a beautifully restored late 19th-century mansion originally built for Russian diplomat Alexander Polovtsev, the museum is as much an architectural masterpiece as it is a showplace of art. We marveled at the richly decorated interior, with its carved and painted wooden ceilings, colorful ceramic tiles, ornate plasterworks. The museum’s collection includes more than 7,000 objects, such as handwoven silk and textiles, carved woodwork, ceramics, metalwork, jewelry, carpets, and traditional musical instruments.
Getting There and Around
Most international visitors arrive through Islam Karimov Tashkent International Airport, the country’s primary gateway, which offers nonstop flights to major cities throughout Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and neighboring Central Asian countries. Tashkent also serves as Uzbekistan’s rail hub, with modern high-speed trains connecting the capital with Samarkand, Bukhara, and other major destinations. Travelers arriving overland can also reach the city by train or road from neighboring Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
Once in Tashkent, getting around is fairly easy. The clean, convenient and inexpensive metro provides access to many of the city’s major attractions. Rides are about US$0.15 regardless of distance. Buses and modern trams supplement the public transportation network. Taxis are abundant and affordable, and ride-hailing apps, like Yandex Go, MyTaxi and Fasten have become increasingly popular. Much of the city center is also pleasant to explore on foot, especially around Amir Timur Square, Broadway pedestrian street, and the city’s many parks and public gardens.
The current exchange rate is approximately 12,000 som to one US dollar. It is recommended to exchange some currency upon arrival at the airport. We tried numerous ATM machines in Tashkent before we found one inside lobby of the Hotel Uzbekistan that would dispense cash. Others had technical issues or were out of cash. Credit cards are accepted at most hotels and some restaurants and are becoming more widely accepted. However, it is a good idea to carry some cash for taxis, markets, and tips.
When to Go
The best times to visit Tashkent are spring (April to early June) and autumn (September through October), when the weather is warm, dry, and ideal for sightseeing. During these seasons, daytime highs typically range from 70–85°F (21–29°C). Spring also brings blooming flowers and lush greenery to Tashkent’s many parks, while autumn offers clear skies, pleasant evenings, and colorful foliage. It is also harvest season, when markets overflow with fresh melons, grapes, pomegranates, figs, and other local produce.
Summer (June through August) can be intensely hot, with average daytime highs ranging from 95–100°F (35–38°C) and occasional heat waves exceeding 105°F (40°C). Winter (December through February) is generally cold, with average highs in the 40s°F (5–9°C) and occasional snowfall. Advantages of visiting in winter are the lower hotel rates and quieter atmosphere.