Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan and the largest city in Central Asia. The city of “Tashkent”, which means ‘Stone village’ in Uzbek, was first mentioned in text in the 11th century but it’s origins are thought to go back much further than that, as the city is known to have been conquered by the Arabs at the beginning of the 8th century. After Muslim rule it fell to the Mongols in the 13th century, and since then has been part of the Russian empire and a city of Turkistan in the USSR until 1924 when Uzbekistan became independent and Tashkent became the capital city in 1930.

An important stop on the Silk Road trading route between the East and the Mediterranean, the city has long been a centre of trade and commerce. With a population of around 3 million people, the city is very built up and is the most industrially developed area of Uzbeksitan.

Tashkent forms a modern gateway from Europe to Central Asia as the London Heathrow and Paris have flights direct to the Uzbek capital. If you do fly in here, make sure you schedule a couple of days to see what the city has to offer.

When to go: Winters here are extremely cold, and summers extremely hot. Shoulder seasons are the best time to visit - April to June and September to November. We visited in October and it was still around 28 degrees Celsius most days.

Essentials to pack: Trainers for easy city traversing, long sleeved tops and trousers, sun cream, cardigans for covering up in religious or sacred places

Currency: Som - £1 is approximately 15,000 Som

Must see: Amir Temur Square, Independence Square and riverside walk, Chorsu Bazaar, Alisher Navoiy theatre, City Park, Hazrati Imam Madrassah, metro stations

How to get there: Flights from London Heathrow to Tashkent (capital of Uzbekistan) are direct and take around 7 hours - approx. £600pp return

Public transport: There are busses in the city but they are often crowded and there can be language barriers; it’s also impossible to find a route map or timetable. Metro is best for going longer distances, or taxi’s can be good - ask a restaurant or hotel to book you a Yandex, they are a fraction of the cost of a regular taxi and work like Uber. Walking is possible depending on the heat and distance.

Where to stay: We wanted to stay somewhere that was within easy reach of the main attractions in the city but also wanted to keep the costs down so naturally we looked for a hostel. We wanted a private bedroom rather than a dorm as we thought we might be jet lagged. We stayed at Light Hostel, which was quite a good location - not too far from the airport or train station and central sights; https://www.booking.com/hotel/uz/light-hostel.en-gb.html - it cost around £25 per night for both of us.

A pavement under construction in Tashkent

Two day itinerary:

Day 1:

Start your day off by getting to Amir Temur square; whether on foot or via the metro system. The metro is a wonder - some stations feature chandeliers, marble pillars, granite, ceiling art and engravings in metal and other precious stones. It has been called one of the most beautiful metro stations in the world and until recently you were not allowed to photograph once you were inside them. There are armed guards and staff members in the metro and they can make you feel quite intimidating. Be aware of all times of pickpockets just like in metro’s in other parts of the world!

The statue of Amir Temur in the park named after him is worth the visit alone; it is a huge bronze effigy of Temur on horseback. Temur was the ruler of Central Asia and founder of the Temurid dynasty, and he played a very important role in the development of the region.

Leaving the square, walk towards the nearby Alisher Navoiy theatre, a stately building which dates back to the 1940’s when it was erected. It is one of the largest cultural and entertainment venues in Central Asia and is the State Academic Opera and Ballet theatre, hosting regular performances. Check out if there’s one whilst you’re in the city, as they are said to be spectacular.

If you fancy, go to the State Museum of the History of Uzbekistan to get under the skin of the city a bit more and find out its ancient and recent history. It is just around the corner from the theatre.

Once you leave the museum, you are perfectly placed to wonder around Independence Square - if it’s open that is! When Tom and I visited, the square was closed off for some sort of Government reason; none of the guards spoke English so we couldn’t quite work out why. We skirted round the edge of the main square to access the riverside walk, which is not to be missed!

You’ve earned yourself some lunch; so pick up some fresh Somsa (or Samsa) from a street food shack, which are all over the city. Somsa is a savoury flaky pastry filled with meat and vegetables; often with ground beef and onion but sometimes with chicken or if you strike it lucky you may get one with vegetables such as pumpkin.
Go for a coffee (or a beer) at one of the great cafe’s lining the city centre in Tashkent; they seem to like their coffee and most of it was a fairly good standard!

Once you’ve refuelled, walk down Sharaf Rashidov Avenue and you will soon come to the Monument of Courage and the Museum of Olympic Glory which both sit in Reka Ankhor park. The Monument of Courage was unveiled in 1976 to mark 10 years since the earthquake of 1966 which killed a few hundred people and left 300,000 people homeless. The monument is dedicated to the men and women of Tashkent who rebuilt their city from the rubble which remained.

Get a Yandex or walk the 2.5km from Reka Ankhor park to City Park, further west in Tashkent. The extensive landscaped and sculpted gardens will make your mind forget you are in such a large, crowded and sometimes chaotic city. Light music drifts into the park through speakers dotted around, there is a large body of water to sit by and there are numerous cafe’s and restaurants of good quality here.

In the evening, go to Afsona restaurant on Taras Shevchenko Street; it is rated as one of the best restaurants in the city on TripAdvisor and we found that it served tasty, traditional food and was reasonably priced too.

Day 2:

Begin your second day in the city by heading to the Hazrati Imam complex of mosques, mausoleums and Madrassah’s or schools. It also has an interesting museum. The cultural heart of the city, the site is often the start or end point of pilgrimages and is historically, culturally and religiously important. The buildings are large and inspire feelings of awe as they make you feel tiny! They are also elaborately decorated with extensive tilework and domes.

The Muyi Muborak Madrassah’s library collection contains many valuable and important copies of scriptures like the Qur’an of Uthman; believed to be one of the worlds oldest copies of the Qur’an, from 644-648 and is listed under UNESCO heritage status.

From here, go to the TV Tower on the outskirts of the north part of the city. The Television Tower rises magnificently and looms over the city - at 375 metres high it is the 12th tallest tower in the world. You can go up in the lift to the observation deck or you can enjoy the view from the revolving restaurants. It’s worth a visit to get great views over the city and see Tashkent from a different angle.

It’s lunch time! Head to the infamous Plov Centre which is quite close to the TV tower. The Plov Centre is a cavernous dining room in which Uzbekistan’s national dish of Plov is celebrated and worshipped with large-scale cooking and eating. Plov is a rice based dish usually containing rice, carrots and meat as a standard with each region adding different additional ingredients such as currents, eggs, or different meats. Plov has always been an important source of nourishment for Uzbeks but it also represents their identity, showcases hospitality and binds together communities. Plov chefs are called Osphaz and cook giant portions of the dish (for up to 1000 people) in humungous metal pans called Kazan.

After you’ve had your fill of plov, get a yandex (taxi) or metro to the Chorsu Bazaar, a traditional market in the centre of the old town of Tashkent. All daily necessities are sold here, from fresh meat and fish, to dairy products, fresh vegetables and fruit and of course herbs and spices, nuts and dried fruits such as dates which are so synonymous with the region. The outside of the domed central market is decorated with blue tiles which reflect the sun, and the interior is no less showy, with the inner of the dome artistically featuring lattice-type structures which create interesting geometric shapes.

I always find that heading to the central market gives me the truest sense of a city - you see men and women going about their daily life, you can interact with local stall holders and of course you can support them by trying and purchasing items. The noise of people talking; catching up, gossiping and bartering always interests me, as well as the sights you can see; the different fashions and clothing of the locals, the food they are selling or the way they go about carrying their produce - on carts, in bags, on trolleys.

The loo at Chorsu Bazaar

Once you’ve had enough of the local market, and perhaps sampled the public toilets here which are some of the smelliest and dirtiest I had the joy of encountering, get a taxi from outside the front of the market back to your hotel to freshen up before going out for dinner or straight to Ceska Dudek, where the beer is brewed on site and the meat is the superstar of the menu (I’m sure you can tell that Tom chose this place for dinner!). It’s highly rated and not too pricey - there are vegetarian options too!

Overall, you will see that there is a lot more to this city than perhaps you first thought. Although it is a gateway to many other countries, regions and national parks nearby that you may want to visit, Tashkent has enough culture, art, history, fine dining and museums to keep you entertained for weeks!