| Page Views: 1,514 Last Visit to Tashkent: July, 2007 | “Stone Fortress”: Uzbekistan’s modern capital by toonsarah - last update: Sep 18, 2007 |
| Suzanne, Applied Arts Museum, Tashkent |
There has been a city here for over 2,000 years, its position on a junction of the Silk Road, advantageous geographical location and favourable climate making it a centre for trade from ancient times. Tashkent (the name means “stone fortress”) became a Muslim city in the 8th century AD, was part of Ghenghis Khan’s empire in the 13th century, an important commercial centre during the Middle Ages and from the mid 19th century part of the Russian empire.
Today it is a largely modern city, thanks mainly to the devastation caused by a huge earthquake in 1966. It is often overlooked for this reason, and certainly doesn’t have the wealth of attractions of the Silk Road cities, but there are some monuments and other sights worth visiting. As you’re almost bound to arrive in the country through Tashkent’s airport, why not hang around for a day or two to see what the city has to offer.
~~~o~~~ |
| Earthquake Memorial, Tashkent |
|  | Sights ancient and modern Highlights for me included the Osman Koran, claimed to be oldest in world and now on display in a newly restored library; the beautiful suzanni (traditional embroideries) on display at the Applied Arts Museum, and the building which houses that museum also; the starkly moving memorial to the earthquake; and what proved to be one of the tastiest meals we had in Uzbekistan at the Caravan Arts Café.
I have to say thought that we didn’t really get the best out of our visit to Tashkent. We only had one day here, and the previous day had had a long journey from home, only arriving at 3.30 AM, and only getting to bed (thanks to the long processes involved in clearing customs etc) at 5.45 AM. Not the best preparation for a day’s sightseeing! Add to that our first taste of the hot Uzbek summer sun, and you can see why I managed not to take so many pictures as usual nor visit as many sights as I would have liked.
~~~o~~~ |
A few words about my Uzbekistan pages 1. On the whole, I’ve written tips about the local customs and way of life on my Uzbekistan page. I’ve also included there some general information on things like packing, planning your visit etc. and some warnings. You may find some of this info duplicated here, but only where I feel it’s of particular relevance to do so.
2. Uzbek place names have several spellings. For instance, Tashkent may also be spelt as Toshkent or in the Cyrillic alphabet Ташкент. I’ve used the version taken from the excellent guidebook, “Uzbekistan: the Golden Road to Samarkand” (written by Calum MacLeod & Bradley Mayhew, published by Odyssey) which uses the most common form for well-known place-names but adopts the newer Uzbek Latin spelling for street names, buildings etc.
3. Finally, and very importantly: in planning for and dreaming of my visit to Uzbekistan I owe so much to Ingrid (Trekki) who was always ready with advice and inspiration. Her Tashkent page inspired me and I'm sure it will do the same for you. Thank you so much, Ingrid :)
~~~o~~~ | | | Crafts centre, Abdul Khasim Madrassah, Tashkent |
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| Pros: | "Good introduction to the culture & history of Uzbekistan" | | Cons: | "So much lost to the earthquake" |
toonsarah's Tashkent Travel Tips
 Comments for toonsarah about Tashkent | | | | |
TheWanderingCamel Mon Aug 24, 2009 15:16 UTC
Arriving in Tashkent on Sept 30 - revisiting Uzbekistan with a group of friends. I love going back to places I've enjoyed and am really loking forward to this one. Your page has put me even more in the mood! leyle | kyoub Sun May 18, 2008 16:58 UTC
Another devastating earthquake. A delightful page on the history of Tashkent. The food sounds delicious. | nepalgoods Mon May 12, 2008 09:03 UTC
Lovely page with interesting informations. Thanks! | deecat Wed Apr 2, 2008 16:49 UTC
Certainly a 5-star presentation. I especially enjoyed reading about the craftsmen at work, the earthquake memorial, and the applied arts museum. Vibrant photographs to accompany your outstanding narratives. |
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