The story of Tashkent's Alisher Navoi Opera and Ballet Theatre, completed in 1947 with the forced labour of Japanese prisoners of war, and what remains of that history in Uzbekistan. How to visit and how to see a performance.
Facts, prices and schedules checked on November 4, 2026
On Zarafshon Street in central Tashkent stands a cream-coloured opera house with a deep portico, a copper-green roof and a story that many Japanese visitors know better than most Uzbeks do. The Alisher Navoi Opera and Ballet Theatre, opened in 1947, was built in part by Japanese prisoners of war held in the Soviet Union after the Second World War. A memorial plaque installed in 1996 honours their work.
This article tells the story with care: the building, the prisoners, the memorials that survive across Uzbekistan, and how to visit or see a performance. It is written for Japanese travellers, for anyone interested in the Soviet period, and for those who simply want to know why the theatre matters.
The theatre: architecture and opening
The Navoi Theatre was designed by Alexey Shchusev, the Russian architect also known for the Lenin Mausoleum in Moscow. Construction began in 1942 and the building opened to the public in November 1947. It takes its name from Alisher Navoi, the fifteenth-century poet whom Uzbeks regard as the founder of their literary language, and the project was dedicated to the 500th anniversary of his birth.
The style blends Soviet neoclassicism with Central Asian ornament: carved alabaster (ganch) panels, painted ceilings and coloured tiles inside, and a restrained, symmetrical facade outside. The auditorium seats about 1,400, and the main stage covers some 540 square metres. In 1966 it was given the status of a Bolshoi Theatre.
The theatre is still the home of Uzbekistan's national opera and ballet company and presents works from the Russian and European repertoire alongside Uzbek compositions.
Japanese prisoners of war in Uzbekistan
After the Soviet Union entered the war against Japan in August 1945, several hundred thousand Japanese soldiers and civilians were taken to labour camps across the Soviet Union, from Siberia and the Far East to Central Asia. According to a Moscow Times report citing the historian Jalil Sultanov, almost 24,000 Japanese prisoners were sent to Uzbekistan. Many were conscripts, and some were teenagers.
In Uzbekistan they worked on construction. Besides the Navoi Theatre, the same report lists another theatre, three factories, a 120 km high-voltage power line and a hydroelectric station. Prisoners were not paid, and for decades the Soviet press credited the work to Soviet builders. The theatre plaque installed in 1996 speaks of hundreds of Japanese citizens deported from the Far East who took part in the construction in 1945 and 1946.
Conditions were hard everywhere. The same report notes that about 3 percent of prisoners in Uzbekistan died, far fewer than in Siberia and the Far East, where roughly a fifth are said to have died. We treat these figures as indicative: they come from a single historian's account, and sources differ on details.
Did the theatre survive the 1966 earthquake?
Yes, and the survival has become part of the building's legend. On 26 April 1966 a powerful earthquake destroyed large parts of old Tashkent. The Navoi Theatre is repeatedly described as having come through undamaged, and so are the barracks built for the prisoners, some of which are still used as apartment buildings. In Tashkent the story is usually told as a tribute to the quality of the Japanese builders' work. Engineers will tell you the explanation is more complicated, but nobody disputes that the theatre stood while much of the neighbourhood fell. Our guide to Soviet Tashkent and the 1966 earthquake tells the broader story of how the city was rebuilt.
Japanese graves and memorials in Uzbekistan
Hundreds of prisoners died in Uzbekistan. The Moscow Times report cites 817 men buried in ten Uzbek cities. In 1958 the Soviet authorities ordered a number of Japanese cemeteries to be levelled, but local people reportedly refused to destroy the graves, and former prisoners and relatives were barred from visiting until 1978.
By the early 2000s, the cemeteries had been restored with Japanese government help. The Tashkent cemetery contains dozens of Japanese graves, an "Eternal Peace and Friendship" memorial, cherry saplings and granite stones engraved with names and home towns. It is visited by Japanese delegations and by families tracing relatives. Locations and access arrangements can change, so ask your guide to arrange the visit in advance; we do not publish exact directions here.
If you are visiting a grave of a relative, tell us as early as possible. We can help with the logistics and, where needed, with the paperwork that precedes a visit.
How to visit the Navoi Theatre
The theatre stands at 28 Zarafshon Street, a short walk from Mustaqillik Maydoni (Independence Square), near Amir Timur Square and the Tashkent Metro. The easiest approach is on foot from the centre or by taxi app.
Options for visitors:
- See the exterior and the foyer: the facade is worth a daytime visit, and the building looks best lit at dusk. Interior access outside performances depends on the theatre; ask your guide.
- Attend a performance: this is the best way to see the auditorium. The company performs opera and ballet through the season; check the programme on the theatre's website (dakt.uz) and on local ticketing platforms. Ticket prices are modest by European standards, but we have not verified current prices.
- Join a guided city tour: a half-day Tashkent tour often includes the theatre in the route between Independence Square, Amir Timur Square and the Soviet-era monuments.
Dress smartly for an evening performance, though the dress code is not strict; many locals dress up for the opera, and you will feel at home in neat, comfortable clothes. Arrive early, as ticket and cloakroom queues form, and switch off mobile phones. Our Tashkent travel guide and the Tashkent in two days itinerary place the theatre in the wider city.
Buying tickets for opera and ballet
Tickets are sold at the theatre's box office and through online ticketing platforms in Uzbekistan. Popular productions can sell out, particularly on weekends and during festivals, so book as early as the programme is published. Foreign cards may not be accepted by every platform, and the website can be in Uzbek or Russian only, which is why many visitors ask their hotel or tour operator to buy the ticket. We have not verified current ticket prices or the season dates, so check the programme before planning your evening around a performance.
Why the story still matters
For Japan, the years of internment in the Soviet Union are a painful chapter that is still being recorded: survivors' memoirs, family searches for graves and exchanges between Japanese and Uzbek institutions. For Uzbekistan, the story carries a second meaning. Accounts of local residents showing kindness to the prisoners in a time of scarcity are widely retold, and the theatre is cited by many Uzbeks as an example of the friendship that grew between the two peoples in difficult circumstances. Both memories are true to the people who hold them, and a thoughtful visit keeps both in mind.
The theatre is also an introduction to a wider subject, the Soviet transformation of Tashkent in the 1940s and 1960s, after wartime evacuations swelled the city and the earthquake forced its rebuilding. Our guide to Tashkent modernism and Soviet architecture follows that thread through Independence Square, the Metro stations and the brutalist hotels of the 1970s.
Combining the theatre with a day in Tashkent
A sensible route starts at Chorsu Bazaar in the morning, continues to the Hazrati Imam complex and Kukeldash Madrasah, takes lunch near Amir Timur Square, and reaches the Navoi Theatre in the mid-afternoon. Stay for an evening performance if the programme suits you, or end the day with a walk through the nearby Metro stations, several of which are decorated like palaces. The distances are short, and a taxi app makes the evening return easy. The theatre is also lovely when lit at night, so even if you are not attending a show, it is worth returning after dinner for a few minutes. Tashkent also deserves a second day for museums and the newer districts; our two-day Tashkent itinerary lays out both.
Travel notes for Japanese visitors
Japanese citizens can visit Uzbekistan visa-free for up to 30 days; check current rules before travel, and remember that every visitor must be registered within three days of arrival. Our guide for Japanese travellers covers flights, itineraries and etiquette in more detail. The Navoi Theatre fits naturally into a day in Tashkent after Chorsu Bazaar and the old city, and many Japanese travellers continue by the Afrosiyob train to Samarkand and Bukhara.
Visiting the Navoi Theatre with TourEast
Our guides in Tashkent can tell the story of the theatre and the prisoners, include the Japanese cemetery if you wish, and arrange tickets for an evening performance. Send a note on WhatsApp or use our trip builder at /trip-builder, and tell us if a family connection brings you to Uzbekistan; we will plan the day with the time and quiet it deserves.
