Capital of Contrasts

Tashkent

Overview

Uzbekistan’s vibrant capital blends Soviet-era grandeur, leafy boulevards and bustling bazaars with a fast-growing modern skyline. Most Silk Road journeys begin here, and the city rewards a day of exploration in its own right.

Why Visit

Chorsu Bazaar, a riot of colour, spice and produce under a great dome
Some of the most beautiful metro stations in the world
The Khast Imam complex, home to one of the oldest Qurans

Travel Tips

— Ride the metro — it doubles as an underground art gallery
— Tashkent is the main international gateway to Uzbekistan
— Great base for a half- or full-day city tour before heading on

Sights in Tashkent

Architectural ensemble · 16th–21st centuries (Kaffal Shashi Mausoleum 1541–1542)

Khast-Imam Complex and the Uthman Quran

Tashkent's religious heart: a broad square framed by the 16th-century Barakhan Madrasah, the shrine of the city's patron saint and the new Center for Islamic Civilization, where the 8th–10th-century Uthman Quran is now displayed.

Bazaar · Market for centuries; present domed building 1980s, opened 1990

Chorsu Bazaar

Tashkent's great old-town market under a turquoise-tiled dome: spices, dried fruit, bread, kurt cheese and fruit by the cartload, in a 1980s modernist building that joined the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2026.

Sight · 1977 onwards (Kosmonavtlar station 1984)

Tashkent Metro

Central Asia's first metro, opened in 1977, where every station is decorated around a theme: chandeliers and marble at Mustaqillik Maydoni, the domes of Alisher Navoiy and the cosmonauts of Kosmonavtlar, now part of a UNESCO site.

Museum · Residence decorated in the early 20th century; museum since 1937

State Museum of Applied Arts

Tashkent's most beautiful museum: the carved and painted former residence of the diplomat Alexander Polovtsov, filled with suzani, Rishtan ceramics, jewellery and costume from every region of Uzbekistan.

Monument · Square laid out 1882; statue 1990s; museum 1996

Amir Timur Square and Museum

The circular park at the centre of modern Tashkent, with the equestrian statue of Timur, the 1970s Hotel Uzbekistan and, beneath a blue ribbed dome, the State Museum of the History of the Timurids.

Madrasa · c. 1570

Kukeldash Madrasah

One of the few medieval buildings left in central Tashkent: a 16th-century madrasah with a 20-metre portal on a rise above Chorsu Bazaar, built under the Shaybanids and still a working religious school.

Mosque · 2014

Minor Mosque

Tashkent's white mosque: white marble walls and a sky-blue dome on the bank of the Ankhor canal, opened in 2014 for some 2,400 worshippers and loveliest at sunset.

Museum · Museum founded 1876; building 1970

State Museum of History of Uzbekistan

The national story from Stone Age finds to independence, in a white modernist cube built in 1970 as the Lenin Museum and inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2026.

Monument · Parade ground from 1970s; renamed 1992, completed 2006

Independence Square (Mustaqillik Maydoni)

The ceremonial heart of Tashkent: a vast landscaped square of fountains, the golden globe of the Independence Monument, the Ezgulik arch with its storks and the eternal flame of the Mourning Mother memorial.

Sight · 1942–1947

Alisher Navoi Theatre

Tashkent's opera and ballet house, designed by Alexey Shchusev and opened in 1947, with six foyers each decorated by craftsmen in the style of a different region of Uzbekistan.

Monument · 1976

Courage Monument

The memorial to the Tashkent earthquake of 26 April 1966, unveiled in 1976 at the epicentre: a split granite cube with a stopped clock, and a bronze figure shielding a mother and child.

Nature · Charvak dam completed 1970; Amirsoy resort opened 2019

Chimgan Mountains and Charvak Reservoir

The mountains on Tashkent's doorstep: the 3,309-metre ridge of Big Chimgan, the turquoise Charvak reservoir and the Amirsoy gondolas, all within two hours of the city, for skiing in winter and cool air in summer.

Sight · 1877–1879; rebuilt 1958–1960; bell tower 2009

Holy Dormition Cathedral

The main Orthodox church of Uzbekistan: a white-and-blue cathedral with gilded domes near Tashkent's railway station, begun as a hospital church in 1877 and crowned in 2009 with a tall multi-tiered bell tower.

Park · 2010s–2020s

Tashkent City Park

The green centre of the new Tashkent City district: a lake, lawns and fountains among glass towers and international hotels, free to enter and at its liveliest on warm evenings.