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 Tashkent
City
With a population of 2.3 mln inhabitants the Uzbek capital,
once the fourth largest city in the former USSR, is Central
Asia's hub. Unfortunately following an earthquake in 1966
and the subsequent enthusiasm of Soviet planners, little
remains of the city's 2000-year history.
The wide spread city is located in the Chirchik valley
in the foothills of the Western Tien Shan mountains. Tashkent
(stone city) is known from the 2nd century B.C. as a settlement
with a well developed fortification system. En route into
the Fergana valley and the mountain passes it has seen
much of the Silk Road traffic between China and Central
Asia. At the end of the XIX century Tashkent became the
administrative centre for Turkestan Governor of the Russian
Empire. In 1930 Tashkent was proclaimed the capital of
Uzbek Soviet Republic.
Eki
Shakhar / Old city
It's worth taking a stroll around the remnants of the
old town, eski shakhar. This maze of narrow dusty streets
lined by low, mudbrick houses, mosques and medressas (Islamic
academies) seems to have been spared by Soviet planners
to show what things would have been like without the glories
of socialism.
Kukeldash Medressa
Kukeldash Medressa is a grand 16th century academy
undergoing restoration, whose plaza overflows with worshippers
on warm Friday mornings; the tiny 15th century Jami mosque
nearby was used during the Soviet era as a sheet metal
workshop.
Kaffal Shashi mausoleum
Kaffal Shashi mausoleum was constructed in honour
of a 10th century philosopher and medician and dates back
to 1542. The mausoleum was followed by most of the other
constructions around Khasty Imam Square.
Built by a descendant of Timur Barak Khan Madrassah
is a complex of two mausoleums with attached Madrassahs
of later construction. The building serves now as the
residence of the Maufti, the Head of Islam for Central
Asia.
Chorsu Bazaar
Chorsu Bazaar, a huge open market beside Kukeldash,
draws crowds of people from the countryside, many in traditional
dress.
Mustakillik / Independence Square
Mustakillik / Independence Square initially known
as Cathedral Square for the Orthodox Church & bell
tower built here by General Kaufmann, the first Russian
Governor General. Destroyed in 1930, the square became
later Tashkent's Red Square, and since independence venue
for various festivities. This is also where extremists
attempted a bomb attack on Uzbekistan's president in 1999.
Amir Timur Square
Amir Timur Square with the enormous Uzbekistan
hotel as one of the finest examples of Soviet architecture
displays a monument to the ruler.
The Museum of Fine Arts
The Museum of Fine Arts has a fine collection of
the art of pre-Russian Turkestan, including Zoroastrian
artefacts, serene 1000-year-old Buddhist statues, and
Sogdian murals.
The Museum of Applied Arts
The Museum of Applied Arts opened in 1937 as a
showcase for turn-of-the-century applied arts. The building
was owned by Alexander Polovtsev, a wealthy tsarist diplomat
- designed in traditional Tashkent style. The museum displays
an excellent collection of Uzbek textiles, jewelry and
ceramics and a replica of the Osman Koran. There are other
museums devoted to History, antiquities, literature, geology
and railways.
Navoi Opera & Ballet Theatre
Navoi Opera & Ballet Theatre is the venue for
some of the world's cheapest classical opera. The characterful
building dates back from 1947 and was mainly built by
Japanese prisoners of war.
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