Tashkent

The capital and the usual first stop: an old town around Khast Imam and Chorsu, wide Soviet-era avenues, a metro worth riding for its stations, and the country's main museums.

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Guide to Tashkent

Overview

Tashkent is the largest city in Central Asia and the place where most international flights land. It does not look like Samarkand or Bukhara: much of the centre was rebuilt after the 1966 earthquake, so you will see broad streets, parks, fountains and large public buildings rather than a walled medieval core.

The older layer survives in the north-west of the centre, around the Khast Imam complex, Chorsu Bazaar and the Kukeldash madrasa. Two or three days are enough to see the main sights, ride the metro, visit a couple of museums and eat well before heading on by train.

History

Settlement in the Tashkent oasis is ancient, and the town was known for centuries as Chach or Shash, a stop on caravan routes between the steppe and Transoxiana. The name Tashkent, often read as "stone city", appears in sources from around the 11th century.

The Russian Empire took the city in 1865 and built a new European-style quarter beside the old town. In Soviet times Tashkent became the capital of the Uzbek SSR, and after the 1966 earthquake large parts of the centre were rebuilt. Since 1991 it has been the capital of independent Uzbekistan.

Getting there

Tashkent International Airport (named after Islam Karimov) is close to the city centre and has direct flights from Europe, Turkey, the Gulf, Russia, South and East Asia. A Yandex Go taxi into the centre is the simplest option; there are also city buses.

From other cities, high-speed Afrosiyob trains connect Tashkent with Samarkand and Bukhara, and there are regular trains to the Fergana Valley and Khiva. Most long-distance trains leave from the city's main railway station; tickets sell out at busy times, so buy them in advance on the Uzbekistan Railways site or app.

Getting around

The metro is the quickest way across the centre and cheap; you pay with a transport card, a bank card at the turnstile or a QR ticket. Lines are signed in Uzbek (Latin) and often Russian, so it helps to know your station name.

Yandex Go taxis are widely used and inexpensive, and the app shows the fare before you ride. The centre is pleasant on foot in spring and autumn, but distances between sights are long, so combine walking with the metro.

When to go

April to early June and September to October are the most comfortable months, with warm days and cool evenings. July and August are hot and dry, often well above 35 °C in the afternoon, so plan museums and the metro for midday and walk in the morning or evening.

Winters are short and grey, with occasional snow; it is a quiet time for museums and theatre, and the mountains of Tashkent Region are close for skiing. Navruz on 21 March brings public festivities across the city.

Food

Tashkent is known for its own style of plov, cooked in huge cauldrons and served at lunchtime; the plov centres sell out by early afternoon, so go before two. Try also lagman, somsa from a tandoor, shashlik and non bread stamped with patterns.

Chorsu and Alay bazaars are good for dried fruit, nuts, fresh fruit in season and snacks. The city also has many Korean, Russian, Caucasian and modern cafés, and vegetarian dishes are easier to find here than in smaller towns.

Crafts

The State Museum of Applied Arts gives a good overview of regional crafts before you buy anything: suzani embroidery, ceramics from Rishtan and Gijduvan, carved wood and metalwork.

For shopping, the stalls around Chorsu and the souvenir shops in the Kukeldash and Khast Imam area sell textiles, skullcaps, ceramics and knives. Quality varies a lot, so look closely at stitching and glazes and ask where a piece was made.

Good to know

Carry your passport or a copy; hotels register foreign guests, and you may be asked for ID at some venues. Bank cards work in most hotels, shops and taxis, but keep some cash in soʻm for bazaars and small cafés.

Dress modestly at Khast Imam and other working mosques: covered shoulders and knees, and a headscarf for women inside prayer halls. Friday midday prayers are busy, so plan mosque visits for another time.

Must-see in Tashkent

All 115 places in Tashkent

Attractions
Tashkent, Shaykhontohur districtUNESCO World Heritage
Tashkent State Circus
A domed 1970s circus on Khadra square in old Tashkent, often compared to a flying saucer and one of the city's best-known modernist buildings.
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Tashkent, old town
Khast Imam Complex
The religious heart of old Tashkent: a square framed by madrasas, a large Friday mosque, the Kaffal Shashi mausoleum and a library that keeps an early Quran manuscript.
Bazaars
Tashkent, old town
Chorsu Bazaar
Tashkent's oldest and busiest market, under a large turquoise dome, with spices, dried fruit, bread, meat and household goods spread over several halls and yards.
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Tashkent, old town
Kukeldash Madrasa
A 16th-century madrasa of brick and tile on a rise beside Chorsu Bazaar, one of the largest surviving medieval buildings in Tashkent.
Ensembles
Tashkent
Tashkent Metro
Central Asia's first metro, opened in 1977, where many stations are decorated with marble, ceramics, chandeliers and themed artwork. It is also the quickest way around the city.
Museums
Tashkent, city centre
State Museum of History of Uzbekistan
The country's main history museum, tracing the land from Stone Age finds through Buddhist, Islamic and Russian periods to independence.