Tashkent

Tashkent (Toshkent or ??????? in Uzbek, ???????? in Russian; its name is Turkoman language for "Stone City" It is the current capital of Uzbekistan. Population (1999): 2,142,700.

Sights

Due to the destruction of most of the ancient city during 1917 revolution and, later, to the 1966 earthquake, little remains of Tashkent's traditional architectural heritage. Tashkent is, however, rich in museums and Soviet-era monuments.

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* Kukeldash Madrassa

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Dating back to the reign of Abdullah Khan (1557-1598)it is currently being restored by the provincial Religious Board of Mawarannahr Moslems. There is talk of making it into a museum, but it is currently being used as a mosque.

Related Topics:
Abdullah Khan - 1557 - 1598 - Mawarannahr - Moslem - Mosque

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* Chorsu Bazaar

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Near the Kukeldash Madrassa, this huge open air bazaar is the center of the old town of Tashkent. Everything imaginable is for sale.

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* Telyashayakh Mosque (Khast Imam Mosque)

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Contains the Osman Quran, said to be the oldest existent Quran in the world. Dating from 655 and stained with the blood of murdered caliph Osman, it was brought by Timur to Samarkand, seized the Russians as a war trophy and taken to Saint Petersburg. It was returned to Uzbekistan in 1989.

Related Topics:
Quran - Samarkand - Saint Petersburg

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* Yunus Khan Mausoleum

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A group of three 15th century mausoleums, restored in the 19th century. The biggest is the grave of Yunus Khan, grandfather of Mughal Empire founder Babur.

Related Topics:
Mausoleums - Yunus Khan - Mughal Empire - Babur

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* Palace of Prince Romanov

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During the 19th century Grand Duke Nikolai Romanov(1850-1917), a first cousin of Russian tsar Nicholas II was banished to Tashkent for some shading deals involving the Russian Crown Jewels. His palace still survives in the centre of the city. Once a museum, it has been appropriated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Related Topics:
Nikolai Romanov - Nicholas II

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* Alisher Navoi Opera and Ballet Theatre

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Built by the same architect who did Lenin's Tomb in Moscow, and built with Japanese prisoner of war labor in World War II, this theatre hosts Russian ballet and opera to Uzbek concerts.

Related Topics:
Lenin's Tomb - Japanese - Prisoner of war - World War II - Ballet - Opera

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Fine Arts Museum of Uzbekistan

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Contains a major collection of art from the pre-Russian period, including Sogdian murals, Buddhist statues and Zoroastrian art, along with a more modern collection of 19th and 20th century Uzbek applied art, such as suzani embroidered hangings. Of more interest is the large collection of paintings "borrowed" from the Hermitage by Grand Duke Romanov to decorate his palace in exile in Tashkent, and never returned. Behind the museum is a small park, containing the neglected graves of the Bolsheviks who died in the 1917 Russian Revolution and to Ossipov's treachery in 1919, along with first Uzbek President Yuldush Akhunbabayev.

Related Topics:
Sogdian - Buddhist - Zoroastrian - Uzbek - Applied art - Suzani - Hermitage - Bolsheviks - Russian Revolution - Yuldush Akhunbabayev

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* Museum of Applied Arts

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Housed in a traditional Uzbek house originally commissioned for a wealthy tsarist diplomat, the house itself is the main attraction, rather than its collection of 19th and 20th century applied arts.

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* History Museum

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Tashkent's largest museum, housed in the ex-Lenin Museum.

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* Amir Timur Museum

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An impressive building with brilliant blue dome and ornate interior (see photo right). Inside, the exhibits of Timur and of President Karimov vie for the visitor's attention. The gardens outside contain a statue of Timur on horseback, surrounded by some of the nicest gardens and fountains in the city.

Related Topics:
Timur - Karimov

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* Navoi Literary Museum

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A commemoration of Uzbekistan's adopted literary hero, Alisher Navoi, with replica manuscripts, Persian calligraphy and 15th century miniature paintings.

Related Topics:
Alisher Navoi - Persian - Calligraphy - Miniature painting

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