State Museum of Applied Arts

If you see only one museum in Tashkent, make it this one, and allow time for the building as much as for the collection. The house belonged to Alexander Polovtsov, a Russian diplomat and collector of Central Asian art, and was decorated in the early 20th century by master craftsmen from Tashkent, Bukhara, Samarkand and Fergana. Ganch plaster is carved into lace-like panels, ceilings of painted wood glow in reds and golds, and a tiled courtyard with a small garden sits at the heart of the house. It became a museum of applied art in 1937.

The building is a lesson in Uzbek decorative art before you reach a single display case. Each room shows a different hand: deep geometric ganch in one, floral painting in another, carved columns and doors in a third. Look up often. Much of the best work is overhead.

The collection

The museum holds several thousand objects, from the 19th century to the present, arranged by craft and region:

• Suzani embroideries from Bukhara, Samarkand, Nurata and Shakhrisabz, the large silk-on-cotton hangings that once formed part of every bride's dowry.
• Ceramics from the main schools, including the turquoise and cobalt of Rishtan and the earth tones of Gijduvan.
• Jewellery, gold-embroidered caps and robes, and ikat silks from Margilan.
• Carved wood, painted cradles (beshik) and musical instruments.

For anyone heading on to the Fergana Valley, Bukhara or Samarkand, the museum works as an introduction: you will recognise the patterns again in workshops and bazaars, and know what good work looks like. For anyone ending a trip here, it puts names to what you have already seen.

Practical notes

The museum is a short walk from Kosmonavtlar metro station, which makes it easy to combine with a metro ride. Recent visitors report a foreigner ticket of about 40,000 som; a photography fee may be charged separately. A small shop sells crafts and books. Morning visits are quietest, and the courtyard is pleasant in summer, when the thick walls keep the rooms cool.