Howdy folks. Well today my subject is the Uzbek capital, Tashkent. It’s quite a likable city really, with wide avenues and trees, fountains and in Summer some piping hot weather. Luckily I wasn’t there in the peak of Summer, it was May I think though and we were in the 30s. My only annoyance with Tashkent, really, was the transport. As it’s so spread out, getting around on foot from place to place isn’t really an option so you end up flagging down taxis, and by ‘taxis’ I mean most cars that feel like making an extra Sum. But then explaining where you want to go gets tricky. The Metro system should have expanded in the last decade since I was there, though so that would be a help.

Highlights include the market, under this amazing dome, an old Madrassa that I believe is still working and kids swimming everywhere – or anywhere they can find some water. The Central Asian love of swimming in fountains knows no bounds! And then there was this amazing lake for swimming in the centre of town. Tashkent is not short on parks, and interesting architecture. The buildings tend to stand out, as seems to be the style in the big Central Asian cities these days – take Dushanbe, Astana and Ashgabat for example. When Karimov took over as President he instilled national pride in Uzbek history uniting people behind the image of Timur, a local Genghis Khan type dude. Statues can be found of him all over Uzbekistan and there’s a swanky museum in his honour to visit in Tashkent to enjoy. But hey – this is supposed to be a visual post! So enjoy!

 

Thanks for stopping by! May the Journey Never End!