When we told people we were travelling to Uzbekistan, not few didn’t quite understand what we were saying – “what’s there to see?” was a typical question and the more prejudiced “wow! a stan?” (“-stan” is a suffix that means land, just like we say “England” or “Finland”). To be fair, when we said Samarkand, it sounded a lot more appealing to everyone.
Check out other posts about Uzbekistan in DriveMeFoody!
Why Uzbekistan?
If you are here, it’s likely that you are already thinking of travelling to Uzbekistan, and you probably know why. The main reason for most people to travel to Uzbekistan is to admire its breathtaking historical architecture, mostly from the Timurid dinasty (Amir Timur, known as Tamerlane in the West, and his descendants). Nowadays, this is sold in tourist packages as a trip to the Silk Road.
People travel to Uzbekistan to see places like THIS:
Furthermore, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan’s capital city and most populous city in former Soviet Central Asia, you can have a insight into Soviet architecture and urban planning, including a monumental metro system like in Moscow (albeit mucho smaller), and new monuments and museums built by the post-Soviet government – you may find their nationalistic kitsch somehow hilarious.
Another good reason to visit Uzbekistan is meeting its people. Uzbekistan has an ethnically and culturally varied population, with Turkic peoples, like Uzbeks, Karakalpaks, and Kyrgyz, and also Tajiks (who speak a variant of Persian), Russians and even small minorities of European descent.
You will notice this ethnic diversity quickly, but also how young the Uzbek population is – 30% is under 14 years old.
Uzbekistan is mostly a cultural destination. There is some interesting nature, but hikers, mountaineers and nomad lovers will prefer neighbouring Kyrgystan or Tajikistan.
Unfortunately, Uzbekistan is a dictatorship with tight limits in freedom of speech and cultural expression. So Uzbekistan is NOT a party destination – nightlife is non-existent in most of the country to very limited in Tashkent.
However, Uzbek people are very friendly and hospitable. Many will start talking to you, if they speak English.
Contrary to what you may think, Uzbekistan is a very touristic country – more precisely, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva are very touristic. Russian tourists are majority, but you can find quite some Western Europeans too, especially older people in organised tours. Unfortunately, the historical centres of these cities are now more a theme park than a real city.
This is mostly the outcome of the tourism policy of the current Uzbek government, which has “cleaned” the old cities, demolishing many old neighbourhoods of irregular narrow streets making way for huge squares and pedestrian avenues with no soul.
Uzbekistan is changing very quickly. Some stuff you can read from travellers who visited the country 4 or 5 years ago are not quite like that any more (e.g. that they only use small notes, and the food variety has improved, even if it’s still not great).
A little history of Uzbekistan and the silk road
The lands and cities in what is now Uzbekistan have witnessed the rise and fall of several civilisations and the arrival of invaders from East and West. Alexander the Great and his army were here, and some of his generals stayed, married local women and governed this land. Later, the Persians, Chinese, Turks, Mongols and others all left their traces.
It was German geographer Ferdinand von Richthofen who came up with the idea of the “Silk roads“. In plural, becase there was never one “official silk road”, but rather a network of roads which merchants used to transport silk, spices and other goods from China to Anatolia and Europe. Many of these roads went through the fertile rivers and oases of the harsh Central Asian steppe.
These roads also carried a very intense cultural, religious and scientific exchange, that made the main Central Asian cities the most cosmopolitan in the world, and great knowledge hubs.
Cities like Bukhara or Khiva were important metropolis, more populous than any European city during the first milennium – with populations over 500.000! Great scientists and philosophers were born or thrived there, like Al-Khwarizmi (“from Khrorezm”, region were Khiva is located, who invented the algorithm), Al-Biruni or Abu Ibn Sina (known as Avicenna in the West) in Bukhara.
In the 14th century, Samarkand rose as the most important city in the region, when Amir Timur (Tamerlane) established there his court and started a huge construction programme. Timur was a merciless leader, but also a great patron of arts and sciences. His grandson Ulug Beg was even more into science, as he became an astronomer and built an observatory on the hills of Samarkand – his astronomy tables were used in Europa until centuries later.
Amir Timur won several battles against the Ottomans, who were already menacing Christian Europe. This won him the respect of European kingdoms, so Ruy González de Clavijo, ambassador of Castille (now part of Spain), travelled to Samarkand seekend an alliance against the Ottomans. His book on the embassy to Timur became one of the greatest travel accounts of the late Middle Ages.
From the 16th century, the opening of maritime routes to Asia by the Portuguese, and later by other European powers, brought the decline of the silk roads and its bustling cities, but they remained important local centres. Khiva and Bukhara were independent khanates (later emirates), Russian suzerains since the 19th century.
The Transcaucasian railway arrived in Uzbekistan in the 1880s, and the European travellers come to visit its cities could still have a glimpse of its culture still with few Russian and Western influences.
In the 1920s, Central Asia was integrated in the Soviet Union, although it wasn’t easy. The current borders were broadly drawn then, but they are still disputed and sometimes spark armed conflicts between Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. These borders were defined in the next decades in an unorderly manner, creating many enclaves, that still exist today, especially inside Kyrgyzstan.
Also, a process of industrialisation and modernisation ensued in the new Central Asian republics, which always were amongst the poorest in the USSR. In Uzbekistan, cotton was the main economic activity and the irrigation systems needed for growing it provoked a huge ecological problem in the Aral Sea. The new government of Uzbekistan didn’t care much and continued growing cotton, bringing the Aral Sea to total collapse.
Uzbekistan gained independence in 1991, with Islom Karimov as its first president – he was the president of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Uzbekistan). He stayed in power until his death in 2016, and there still seems to be an important personality cult. Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the current president, succeeded him.
Under the current president, Uzbekistan is improving relations with its neighbours, even if ethnic and border conflicts ensue, and has opened the country (e.g. liberalising the visa regime and attracting more tourists), but it still is a dictatorship, with limited freedom of speech.
The Uzbek government is also promoting an official moderate Islam, incorporating the conservative stance of a large part of society and debilitating hardcore islamist and terrorist groups, who became strong in the Fergana valley.
Practical information
Getting there
The most important airports in Uzbekistan are Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara. The easiest way to arrive in Uzbekistan from Europa is flying to any of those airports with Turkish Airlines, via Istanbul. We flew to Samarkand and returned from Tashkent, which was not only the cheapest option, but allowed us to plan the trip without having to travel to another city just to fly back. Book flights with time, because prices can easily rise to 1000€ or more.
Pegasus Airlines flies from Istanbul to Osh, in Kyrgyzstan, less than 10 km from the Uzbek borden in the Fergana Valley. This can seem a cheaper option but it is less comfortable and riskier. Nowadays borders are generally calm and open, but you never now when a local conflict can cause temporary border closures. Also, travellers report that policemen often ask for bribes, and you will have to get to your final destination, so maybe this eats up the savings in the flight.
If you are planning a longer trip in several Central Asian countries, the most complete source about the state of the roads and border crossings is Caravanistan.
Moving around Uzbekistan
The cheapest and easiest way to move around Uzbekistan is by train. High-speed trains (called Afrosiyob) run the Tashkent – Samarkand – Bukhara line, with stops and smaller lines to other cities such as Qarshi or Jizzax. It will soon arrive in Khiva. This network is served by Spanish Talgo trains, so they will be familiar if you’ve travelled by high-speed train in Spain.
Regular trains are much better than we thought. At least the one we took from Bukhara to Khiva was not very old and quite comfortable (soon there will be high-speed railway to Khiva too). Tea, food and drinks are offered even if there is no restaurant service.
You can book train tickets very easily in the official website of the Uzbek national railway company: https://railway.uz/en/, download and print your tickets. There is no need to book tickets through travel agencies that will charge you more.
Travelling by train in Uzbekistan is cheap – most trips are between 6 and 12 USD, both in high-speed and regular trains. Longer trips are more expensive (around 30-40 USD). Usually you can travel first class for 2-3 extra dollars – especiall in regular trains, it is much more comfortable, with a lot more space and tables.
Airplanes can be a good option to travel longer distances, for example from Khiva to Tashkent, the train takes 16 hours, while the flight from Urgench (40 min from Khiva by road) to Tashkent takes only 1h15. You can book flights in the Uzbekistan Airways website – it can be a bit annoying but it works.
Travel budget in Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan is a relatively cheap country for travellers, once you have arrived there.
The local currency is called som (UZS). The exchange rate is currently around 1 euro = 12 000 som. Inflation has been quite high (generally a 10% annual rate, even 20%), and accompanied by a depreciation of the som with respect to the euro and dollar. That’s why we will give prices in euros or dollars, as they are more stable than in som.
There are banknotes as small as 1 000, and up to 200 000. Prices are seldom in units smaller than 1 000 som, so coins are very rarely used.
You can find decent accommodation in a decent location in mid-season (spring and autumn) for €30-40. Accodomation is more expensive in Samarkand than in any other city, and cheaper in Tashkent.
Food is also cheap – soups and main dishes generally cost €2-4, more if you order meat, especially steaks. Alcoholic drinks are more expensive (a 500 ml beer costs €2-3), and although they are widely available, some restaurants don’t serve alcohol. Tea, on the contrary, is cheap (€0.50 for a teapot).
Prices of cultural attractions have increased, and Uzbeks generally enjoy a 90% discount. Prices for foreigners are usually between 20.000 and 30.000 soms (a bit under 2-3 USD).
Transport is quite cheap. Taxis inside cities shouldn’t cost you much more than 3 € – you should always haggle, especially in airports and stations taxists try to charge you ridiculous prices. If a local negotiates for you (like a hotel receptionist), he will get a better price. In Tashkent, metro and bus is the most convenient and cheapest way to move around, a one-way ticket costs 1 400 som (€0.11).
All in all, a standard trip can cost you around €50 per person per day.
Is Uzbekistan a safe country to travel?
Uzbekistan really is one of the safest countries to travel. Uzbeks are very hospitable and want to convey a good image of their country to visitors. Some will start taking to you, if they speak English.
Uzbekistan is a dictatorship and the government wants to promote international tourism. There is a tourist police, who controls that locals don’t do anything to annoy tourists – even that they don’t argue about European football or support the tourist’s rival club, as we experienced in the Tashkent metro.
The worse thing that can happen to you in Uzbekistan is that a taxi driver or a market seller overcharges you, and it will probably happen. Road safety is also a concern.
Travel insurance for Uzbekistan
A travel insurance with is a must for your trip to Uzbekistan. It is not compulsory, and probably you won’t use it, but if you need medical assistance, you will be glad you paid for it.
We recommend IATI as the travel insurance with the best coverage and service. They have different packages, depending on your needs and kind of trip you are doing. For this trip, we took IATI Classic, which also includes compensation for flight delays or baggage damages and delays.
If you use our links to buy your IATI travel insurance, you will benefit from an exclusive 5% discount and support us to continue writing about our trips!
Do I need a visa to travel to Uzbekistan?
Uzbekistan has liberalised tourist visas recently and now nationals of around 80 countries, including European Union and British citizens, can stay in the country for up to 30 days without a visa. United States citizens do need a visa, but they can apply for e-visa.
You can check if you need a visa and how to apply for your visa in: https://e-visa.gov.uz/main
2-week trip in Uzbekistan
Samarkand
We arrived in Samarkand in the early morning, via Istanbul. You can also arrive in Samarkand by high-speed train from Tashkent or Bukhara (1h30).
We stayed 4 days in Samarkand, but we spent one of them in a trip to Shahrisabz. We recommend staying at least 2 full days in Samarkand, plus one day if you plan to visit Shahrisabz.
If you have little time, the four most important landmarks are the Registan, Shah-i-Zinda, the Bibi Khanum Mosque and the Mausoleum of Amir Timur. But we also recommend you to wander about the old alleys that still remain in Samarkand city centre and visit the European town, the modern neighbourhood planned by the Russians in the 19th century.
On our first day, after exchanging money and buying local SIM cards, we visited the Mosque of Bibi Khanum, the Registan and Amir Timur Mausoleum.
The Mosque of Bibi Khanum is one of the most iconic sights of Samarkand, with its large monumental gates and shiny turquoise domes. Outside it has been quite reconstructed, and while not much decoration remains inside, it is worth paying the entrance ticket. You can spare the visit to the Mausoleum of Bibi Khanum, opposite of the mosque, though.
Registan is probably the most famous place in Samarkand. That’s why you will probably see some couples taking wedding photos (in Uzbeksitan there are many young people and seemingly many weddings).
Registan was the main square of old Samarkand, where most of public life took place. It is closed on three sides by three wonderful madrasahs, dating from the 14th-17th centuries. On the remaining side, a viewing platform has been installed. After admiring the beauty of Registan from the platform (best at dusk), we visited the madrasahs.
Outside, Sher-Dor Madrasah is the most interesting, due to its mosaic, but inside the crown jewel is Tilya-Kori Madrasah, with an impressive dome combining blue tiles and gold.
West of the Registan, there are some historical mausoleums. The most interesing is the Mausoleum of Amir Timur, which has a marvellous hall with gilded walls and dome, where the tombs of Amir and his family are.
On our second day in Samarkand, we started visiting the Hazrati Xizr Mosque complex – this includes the tomb of Islom Karimov, the first president of Uzbekistan, born in Samarkand. Then, we continued to the museum of Afrosiyob archaeological zone, and ancient fortress on a hill above Samarkand, and the Observatory of Ulugh, king and great astronomer, grandson of Amir Timur.
After tasting plov, Uzbekistan’s national dish, we visited one of the most impressive places in Uzbekistan – Shah-i-Zinda, the necropolis of the Timurid dynasty.
Mausoleums of Timurid kings and princes are lined in an avenue on top of a hill, all of them richly decorated with intricate and colourful tiles.
Some of them have an incredible interior decoration, but unfortunately there was a power blackout in Samarkand (which is quite common) and there was no lighting.
We finished our day in Samarkand’s main bazaar, just next to Bibi Khanum, where we tasted pomegranate juice and bought some dried fruits.
We devoted our third day in Uzbekistan on a trip to Shahrisabz and spent our final day wandering around the old neighbourhood of narrow and irregular alleys just across Bibi Khanum Mosque, then strolling down the Boulevard, the avenues of the European town, and Alisher Navoi park. We walked back through the administrative zone, with some government Soviet-style buildings.
Visiting these areas helps you to see the real Samarkand, the places where its people actually live. We realised this is a city with its own soul, and not just a succession of breathtaking historical monuments – these are joined by wide and clean avenues, albeit soulless and artificial. We enjoyed a good lunch in Old City Restaurant, in the European town.
For a complete guide of Samarkand, please check our our post Samarkand: Tamerlane’s Great Capital, including information on all sites and where to eat.
Shahrisabz
Taxi from Samarkand: 380.000 soms (€32) for 3 persons, stopping for lunch on the way back. Haggle, but don’t intend to get a local price unless you are Uzbek or you speak Uzbek.
Shahrisabz lies 85 km South of Samarkand, in Qashqa Darya province. It takes 1h30′ to arrive in Shahrisabz from Samarkand, crossing a spectacular mountain pass.
The train from Samarkand takes a long detour through Qarshi – it takes nearly 3 hours and there are not many trains, so travelling by road is the best option. Taxis from Samarkand to Shahrisabz stop in a street just across the Registan.
One of the best things of this trip is the landscape on the road, but unfortunately we had one of the two rainy days in all our trip… and rain was so heavy we could barely see anything!
Shahrisabz was Amir Timur’s hometown and even though he established his court in Samarkand, Timur also favoured Shahrisabz and built an astonishing palace – unfortunately only its monumental entrance gate and few ruins remain.This gate has not been restored – Samarkand may have looked similar in the 19th c. Timur wished to be buried in Shahrisabz, but his family decided to build the luxurious mausoleum in Samarkand for him.
You can visit the monumental centre of Shahrisabz in 1 hour. Following the new Uzbek tourism policy, a few years ago the old neighbourhood of narrow streets that used to be here was demolished. They may have thought it was not good enough for tourists, but surely it had more of a soul than the current huge park or square that joins all historical monuments. The old streets that survived on either side are concealed by wide avenues.
This park is very clean and tidy, but it really is one of the dullest spaces you can imagine. There are hotels, restaurants and shops on the sides, some still under construction, all similar, following a kind of new-Timurid style, quite dystopical – even more in a rainy day with very few people around. The best of Shahrisabz is that its historical buildings have barely been reconstructed, unlike in Samarkand.
After passing through the impressive gate of Ok Saroy Palace (also written Ak Saray) you will see a statue of Amir Timur: it’s nothing special, but locals love taking photos with it. The two most interesting places in Shahrisabz are the Ko’k Gumbaz Mosque and Dorus Saodat Complex. The latter was built by Amir Timur as a mausoleum for Jehangir, his favourite son who died when he was just 20 years of age, and includes an active mosque.
Going back to Samarkand, we asked our taxi driver to stop somewhere to eat. There is a restaurant on the mountain pass with several tandir ovens used to roast lamb. It was the only place full of parked cars. It was really delicious and they had private rooms with heating and floor tables – great for a cold and rainy day.
Check out our post Shahrisabz: Amir Timur’s birthplace for more information!
Bukhara
High-speed train from Samarkand: 1h34′, €7-10.
Bukhara doesn’t have buildings as impressive as Samarkand’s Registan or Shah-i-Zinda, but it compensates with a much richer historical town, with several madrasahs, mosques, caranvaserais… In sum, it is much easier to imagine Bukhara in its cultural and commercial golden age. Probably that’s why it seems like there are even more tourists in Bukhara or, at least, they spend more time in the city.
We spent two full days in Bukhara, and that’s exactly the time we recommend. In one day you will be able to visit the essentials in the old city and the fortress (Ark), but it’s really worth wandering in the streets of Bukhara and especially visiting some places outside the city centre.
We started our first day in Bukhara visiting the fortress (Ark). The Ark is large and its walls are imposing, but the visit inside is rather short, albeit worthy.
Before returning to the old city centre, it is best to continue walking West from the Ark, to visit Bolohovuz Mosque – impressive during prayer times – and then, in the Samanids Park, the 10th-century Ismoil Somoniy Mausoleum, one of the oldest buildings in Bukhara – and of a rather different style.
In this park you will also find Chashma Ayub (“Job’s Well”) Mausoleum, with an exhibition about the history of water management in Uzbekistan, and a couple of madrasahs.
After visiting the fortress prison (Zindan), where some prominent Englishmen stayed, and having lunch, we went back to the city centre.
The most breathtaking spot in Bukhara old city is Poi Kalon, a square made up by Mir Arab Madrasah (the only historical madrasah still active, so it cannot be visited)the 16th-c. Kalon Mosque, one of the largest in Central Asia, Amir Alimkhan Khanaka and Kalon Minar, a 45.6-metre tall minaret, that predates the Mongol invasion.
Until the late 19th century people were sentenced to death being pushed from the top of the minaret!
Dusk is a great time to admire Poi Kalon, but also the square where the Ulug Beg and Abdulaziz Khan Madrasahs are, especially because of the evocative view of Toqi Zargaron, one of the three domed markets in Bukhara’s old city centre, strategically built where its two main streets cross. Sunrise and sunset light up the colourful tiles in Uzbekistan in a unique way that makes “golden hours” really deserve their name.
On the Southern part of Bukhara’s old city stand the ruins of an old bath and a large caranvaserai and, next to it, the Magok-i-Attari Mosque, the oldest in Bukhara (probably from the 9th or 10th c.), with a beautiful geometrical decoration.
On its right, Lyabi Hauz square is the most bustling place in Bukhara, built around a water deposit. Madrasahs, a tekke (sufi temple) and old caranvaserais (now used as shops or restaurants) line this square.
On our second day in Bukhara, we finished the visit to the city centre and went to three other very interesting places. We started with Chor Minor Mosque, built in the 19th c. and inspired by Northern Indian architecture. It is less than 10 minutes walking from Lyabi Hauz Square.
Many tourists stay in Bukhara city centre, wandering in its shops and bazaars, and miss a real gem – the Fayzulla Khodjaev Museum. This is a typical 19th-century aristocratic house, with a rich wooden and painted stucco decoration.
After eating plov, Bukhara style (with ingredients cooked in separate pots, probably the influence of the many Jews who lived here) in a completely local place a Bukharian recommended us, we took a taxi to visit Sitorai-Mokhi-Khosa, the summer palace of the last Emir of Bukhara. It is 8 km North of the city centre but a place really worth visiting.
Please visit our complete guide to Bukhara, with more details and tips so you make the most of your time there!
Khiva
Regular train Bukhara- Khiva (6h-6h30′, €6-10). Generally, there is a train leaving Bukhara at 4 am and another one at 12:20 pm. The ride travels through the steppe beyond the Kyzylkum desert, a scarcely inhabited area, with some cotton fields.
Khiva is a museum-city, we jokingly dubbed it Uzbekistan’s Carcassonne – its walled old city is just for tourists, barely anyone else lives there now, becase its old inhabitants were relocated to new neighbourhoods in the outskirts. Now you have to pay just to cross the walls (this includes the visit to most monuments).
Khiva is a really beautiful city, that preserves an exceptional historical ensemble, but not as old as the buildings in Bukhara and Samarkand, because most (but not all) is from the 19th century, the late golden age of the Khiva khanate. When the groups of tourists leave in the evening, it really seems you have travelled back in time.
We recommend two full days in Khiva, although you can visit everything in the city in one day and a half with no haste (even less in summer) and save the afternoon of your second day for a trip to the Khorezm fortresses (Qalas), that we did on the third day after arriving in Khiva.
Most places of interest in Khiva are inside the older walled town, Ichon Qala. The walls we can admire now were built mainly in the 17th c. It is absolutely impressive and in some areas you can see tombs built on the walls.
The growth of Khiva outside of Ichon Qala prompted the construction of an outer wall (Dishon Qala). Only two gates and a few wall sections remain of this. The most interesting is the North Gate, which is a double gate, allowing for smooth traffic in and out of the city.
Entrance to Ichon Qala costs 120 000 som (€12). If you stay in a hotel inside, you don’t have to pay to enter the walls, but you need it to visit its monuments and this is something you won’t want to miss anyway.
The most interesting monuments in Ichon Qala, that you must not miss, are the fortress (Kunya Ark), the 11th-century mystical Friday Mosque (Juma Masjidi) made of carved wood columns, each with a different design, and the Khan’s Palace (this has two parts, with two different entrances). You can also climb up Islom Xoja minaret, the tallest in Khiva. There are also some madrasahs to visit, but they mainly contain museums and exhibitions.
You also cannot miss the Mausoleum of Pahlavan Mahmud, that is not included in the Ichon Qala ticket (it costs 25.000 som), but it is one of the most amazing monuments in Khiva. Under the green dome that features in Khiva’s skyline, its halls are completely covered in tiles.
Outside the inner wall, in Dishan Qala, there are some madrasahs and mosques, but the most interesting (and different) is Nurullaboy Palace, built in the early 20th century, when the Khiva Khanate had become a Russian protectorate.
The palace combines the local architectural tradition – especially in the carved wooden columns – with the trends of St. Petersburg, especially Russian orientalism.
Please read our complete guide on Khiva, the Silk Roads Museum-City, with more details, tips and the best restaurant choices so you make the most of your time there!
Ancient Khorezm fortresses (Qalas)
Half-day or full-day trip from Khiva (€50 for a car with a driver).
In the Autonomous Republic of Karakalpakstan, of the other side of river Amu Darya, there are scores of fortresses (some over 2000 years old) that were built to defend Khiva from the nomads that roamed the Kyzylkum desert.
This is the most typical trip from Khiva, as crossing the border to Turkmenistan is now impossible, unless you travel in an official tour. In half a day you can visit the three fortresses in the best shape from Khiva – Kyzyl Qala, Topraq Qala and Ayoz Qala (this is actually a group of 3 fortresses) and stop by Lake Akhchakol.
Staying to enjoy sunset over the desert is a great idea! You can also spend a night in a yurt (nomad tent) as we did. The problem of this is that in autumn or winter it’s very cold outside and there is nothing to do after dinner but going to sleep.
If you have time, you can continue from here to Nukus, the capital of Karakalpakstan and visit the Igor Savitsky museum. It exhibits art forbidden in the USSR that this philanthropist saved and kept here, in a remote town of Central Asian. Then you can travel to Moynaq, the former port on the Aral Sea, and its “ship graveyard” – highly recommended if you are into natural disasters tourism.
Tashkent
Flight Urgench – Tashkent (1h15′, €40-50). Urgench international airport is the closest to Khiva. Urgench is the largest city in Khorezm province, but it is a new city built in the Soviet period (which took the name of historical Urgench in Turkmenistan) and doesn’t have much to offer.
Another option is taking the regular Khiva – Tashkent train, which takes 16 hours (or a regular train to Bukhara and then a high-speed train from Bukhara to Tashkent high-speed, around 11 hours).
Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan and the most populous city of former soviet (3 millon population in the city proper and more in the metropolitan area). Tashkent once was one of the most important silk road cities, but an earthquake in 1966 destroyed more than 70% of the city.
After the earthquake, Soviet planners rebuilt the city following the latest urban planning principles – ample avenues, huge squares and parks and new monuments as a Soviet Republic capital should have. Even now, when you arrive in Tashkent after having visited other Uzbek cities, it seems you are in another country.
This is why now Tashkent has two city centres – the old city, around Chorsu (main bazaar) and the new city centre, around Amir Timur Square. They look like two different cities, and both are definitely worth visiting.
We spent two days and a half in Tashkent, and we don’t recommend less. Many package trips barely stay in the capital and this is a big mistake.
Tashkent’s architecture and museums are interesting enough, but the best to Tashkent is that it’s not touristic, so here you can really feel the real Uzbekistan so difficult to understand in Samarkand or Bukhara, even harder in Khiva.
Tashkent is also a more open city and the only place in the country where there is some nightlife and cultural scene, albeit very limited considering it is a large city with many young people.
We started visiting the new city centre of Tashkent: Amir Timur Square, where Hotel Uzbekistan, a Soviet landmark, is and two museums that are especially interesting to understand the image that the Uzbek government wants to convey to its citizens: the Museum of the Timurid Dynasty, and the National Museum of Uzbekistan.
The Museum of the Timurid Dynasty is in Amir Timur square. It is a really kitsch building (interior columns are flashy but made of plastic) that displays objects pertaining to Amir Timur and his descendants – most are copies, as the originals are in the Hermitage and European museums, as well as models of some iconic buildings of that time in Uzbekistan.
The National Museum, in a very cool building originally designed to house V.I. Lenin Museum, has a first floor with a typical archaeology exhibition (quite interesting, although the display is quite aged) and a second floor which is really surprising, even hilarious – it is a museum about Uzbekistan today, basically propaganda to educate future citizens.
After lunch in the Central Asian Plov Centre, a huge plov restaurant where you can see how the cook it in enormous kazans (and tastes really good), North of Tashkent, we visited the White House, the presidential office of the first president Islom Karimov. When he died, it became a museum, and there is a crazy exhibition of paintings dedicated to the president, ranging from socialist realism to futurism.
We finished walking though an open air shopping centre that imitates the architecture of famous European cities and the Alisher Navoi park (dedicated to this 14th-century poet who was the first to write in Turkic language, and not in Persian, and is now considered the national poet of Uzbekistan) and the Palace of Nations’ Friendship.
During our second full day in Tashkent, and last of our trip to Uzbekistan, we visited the old city centre. This is a neighbourhood of irregular alleyways, very different to the rest of the city. There are some old mosques, including a noteworthy monumental complex that was spared by the earthquake.
This is Hazrati Imam, comprising a mosque, madrasah and a library that keeps of the oldest Qur’ans in the world – according to tradition, it was written by the 3rd caliph Uthman, but it is probably from the 8th-9th c.
Between Hazrati Imam and the old city centre alleys, the Centre for Islamic Civilisation is now under construction – this is an enormous project which imitates Timurid architecture to promote official Islam.
Then, we went to Chorsu, Tashkents great domed bazaar – although there are now more shops outside that inside the dome. It is really quite a sight, even more on a weekend, with so many people to and fro, buying so many different things. We also bought some stuff to take back home, like pistachios, raisins (very recommendable) and spices full of aroma like Samarkand cumin.
Very close to Chorsu is Ko’kaldosh Madrasa (16th c.), the most important in Tashkent.
Anyway, one of the most interesting attractions in Tashkent are its metro stations. Opened in 1977, Tashkent metro was the first metro system in Central Asian and 7th in the USSR (they were only built in cities with over 1 million population).
Tashkent metro has monumental stations, with themed decoration, Moscow-style, just smaller. Even in the post-Soviet period some beautiful stations were built, but not any more. The metro is also a fast and reliable transport system (although stations are maybe too far away from each other, at least if you are used to European metros) and very cheap (1400 som, around €0.11).
We explored the metro while we visited the city, and then we went to visit some especially beautiful stations. Please visit our guide to Tashkent Metro, with complete information of the most interesting metro stations.
Uzbek food
Honestly, food is not the best thing of a trip to Uzbekistan, but it is not as bad as many people say. The worst is variety – not many choices usually. If you don’t mind eating meat skewers, soup or rice every day, you will love it. If you are a vegetarian, you will have a very hard time. But even if you find it boring, you will surely enjoy some dishes.
Although this is changing, in Uzbekistan there is still not much of a culture of eating out, except on special occasions, like weddings – that’s why wedding venuws are also good options to eat and there are not many restaurants outside of touristic areas, apart from plov centres, always packed with locals.
In the most touristic cities there are too many touristy restaurants, too often not so good and overpriced, albeit with a nice decor.
Alcohol is served in most restaurants (especially in touristic cities, less in Tashkent), but it is quite pricey – a 0.5-litre beer costs like a good soup (25000 – 30000 som, around €3).
Now we will tell you the most representative dishes of Uzbek cuisine, that you cannot miss:
Plov (or osh) is considered the national dish of Uzbekistan. This is a rice dish (“plov” is just a variant of the word “pilaf”) that is cooked on lamb fat in huge conical pans called kazan. It is served with vegetables, chickpeas, raisins and lamb – quail eggs and qazi (a smoked charcuterie made with horse ribs) are commonly added too.
There are three main regional plov traditions: Samarkand, Bukhara and Tashkent. In Bukhara, plov is cooked in three separate pots and ingredients are mixed in the end.
Plov is really good, it was our favourite dish, although it can be a bit heavy. We only ate it in plov centres (osh markazi), restaurantes where they only cook plov and only open for lunch, until about 3 pm (it is available in many touristic restaurants but we never ordered it there). One serving costs around €3.5-4.
Lagman is a noodle soup with meat and other ingredients. Pasta is generally homemade and broths and soups are usually very good in Uzbekistan. There is also a dry version, called Uygur lagman (noodles are stir-fried after boiling in the broth).
Other staple soups are mastava (with pasta cut in small pieces), chicken soup and kuza shurpa: a kind of stew cooked in an earthen pot, then broth and meat are served separately.
Shashlik are grilled skewers. You will find them everywhere, although the best are usually in specialised places. Shashlik are usually lamb or beef (in chunks or minced), but also chicken (not recommendable, usually undercooked) and vegetables. Meat shashlik always include a couple of fat chunks to make them juicier.
Manti are homemade ravioli usually steam cooked. They are usually stuffed with meat, pumpkin or cheese. A variant is khanum, in the shape of a roll.
Somsa are made with bread dough and usually filled with minced meat and baked in a tandir oven. They are quite handy for trips.
There are more meat options in Uzbekistan: mixed grilled meat and beef or lamb chops (kazon kebab) are served in many restaurants (but these are more expensive). But our favourite meat meal was lamb roasted in tandir (tandoori) oven, very juicy and flavoursome.
There are some stir-fried meat dishes with soy sauce, seemingly with some Chinese influence, like jiz. Horse meat is also common, including qazi and norin (shredded horse meat, usually served with pasta, cold or in a soup).
Vaguri is a staple from Bukhara consisting of lamb chops cooked on a hot double-sided grill, applying pressure, to make it crunchier.
Khiva and Karakalpakstan have a few regional staples, that you won’t easily find in the rest of Uzbekistan: our favourite is shivit oshi (homemade pasta infused in dill, served with meat). Tukhum barak (steamed large ravioli stuffed with milk, eggs and butter) is also typical.
Salads are a usual side dish – the most common is achichuk (tomato and onion). Salads are always served in small bowls and with cilantro. Uzbekistan is a great place for pickled vegetables – not only gherkins, but tomatoes, aubergines…
Finally, fruit is great in Uzbekistan, like peaches, pomegranates and melons. Summer is the best time for fruit, but it is too hot to travel!
If you liked our trip to Uzbekistan, don’t miss our next posts, soon in drivemefoody.com!
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