Tashkent
The capital city of Uzbekistan is a huge metropolis with a population of over 3 million people. The city is lined with a grid of straight and wide streets and avenues, decorated with emerald green parks, gardens, fountains imbued with crystal strands...
This wonderful city is a real embodiment of the modern elegance that is inherent in many world capitals. At the same time it remains to be an oriental city. Tashkent has its own unique flavor. It combines medieval buildings as if descended from the pages of old oriental tales, elegant European architecture from the period of the Turkestan governor-generalship, standard concrete "boxes" of the Soviet era and, finally, glittering skyscrapers of glass and concrete (modern business centers and banks).
Tashkent. Uzbekistan.
Sights
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Amir Timur Square
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Amir Timur Museum
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Museum of Applied Art
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Independece Square
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St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
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Tashkent Metro
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Tillya Sheikh Mosque
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Hast-Imam
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Catholic Church
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Kaffal-Shashi mausoleum
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Shayhantaur Memorial Complex
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The Old City
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German Kirche
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Juma Mosque
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Kukeldash Madrasah
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TV Tower
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Minor Mosque
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Alay Bazaar
Amir Timur Square
Amir Timur Square - The history of the square in the center of Tashkent named after Amir Timur, the commander and founder of a huge medieval empire. Began as early as in the XIX century, when Tashkent was the center of the Turkestan Military Command, composing the Russian Empire. It was established by order of general M. Chernyaev in 1882.
Right in the center of the square, there is a monument to the outstanding commander and statesman of the XIV century Amir Timur, who managed to found a centralized united state composing of 27 countries in the vast territory from the Mediterranean Sea to India. The monument is represented as a bronze figure of Amir Timur with imperial regalia on a reared horse. The monument plinth is engraved with an Amir Timur’s famous motto in four languages “Power is in Justice”. The monument author is the sculptor IlkhomJabbarov.
Amir Timur Mouseum
The museum now attracts over 2 million visitors each year. The museum is visited by foreign statesmen and official delegations, they being acquainted with the history of Amir Temur and Temurids' epoch are completely satisfied. During this period the museum was visited about 800 official delegations, and closely acquainted with the history of Temurids era, they recorded their impressions in the "Guest Book", on the basis of which the museum founded the exhibition "Autograph notes”.
At the museum along with the main exposition were created exhibits as «Autograph notes», «Pages of Amir Temur`s life», «Citadel Shohrukhiya - the rarest monument of Temurids epoch», «Samarkand is aged 2750», «Gifts», and «The Temurids' architectural constructions»
Museum of Applied Art of Uzbekistan
Uzbek people are known to the whole world for its ancient applied art. The art of making jewellery is considered as one of the most ancient. Rare samples of folk art remained in carving, coining, jewellery, ceramics, carpet weaving, sericulture, embroidery and in other dozen of kinds of applied art. At present time these priceless samples of our heritage are kept in our museums.
St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
The St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is the oldest Orthodox Church in Tashkent survived to our time. Built in 1902-1905 on money from the fisc and city it is situated in the Botkin Cemetery territory. A considerable contribution to the construction of the Temple was made by Nikolai Ivanov, a Commercial Consultant who lived nearby the Botkin Cemetery and who enjoyed deep respect of the Turkestan bishopric. N. Ivanov altaraged in favor of the Orthodox Church many times. His funds, in particular were used for construction of a golden iconostasis for the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.
The construction of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral was carried out by Engineer F.V. Smirnov under the project of L. Burmeister, and the office of consecration was served by protopope Konstantin Bogoroditsky. The Church was visited by 20 - 30 parishioners on weekdays and over 200 believers on holy days. In the post-revolutionary period the Church played an important role in the life of the Orthodox confession of Uzbekistan. A part of churchmen began working for the Soviet system, the others were against it. Thus in the 1920-s the Temple was seized by regenerates - disciples of a new Christian movement, formed after the February Revolution of 1917. The Orthodox parishioners had to have divine services near a chapel built in honor of Our Lady “Everybody mourning in joy”. After the War the temple was returned to Orthodox Church.
For the period of its existence the Church survived the earthquake of 1966 and fire, which split the church building crosswise. However the building did not collapse and later was restored. The church interior is decorated with fresco depicting community of Saints, angels and archangels as well as with many icons in gold plated frames. Nowadays the look of the temple does not differ much from the original one, only the façade was painted in dark blue-and-white color, lined with marble anew and also steel grids appeared there. For several years the post of the Dean of the Church has been held by Nikolai Rybchinsky.
The largest square in Tashkent is more like a large park than a square. With several monuments and fountains, surrounded by impressive public buildings and filled with trees and flower beds, the Independence Square in Tashkent is a showcase of modern Uzbekistan.
Today the Independence History consists of several areas: administrative buildings, the recreation area with green zones and fountains, monuments including the Arch of Independence and the Independence Monument.
The story of the Independence square as a center of Tashkent goes back to more than hundred years. The General Governor of Turkestan erected here his military fortress in 1865. Since 1974 this place was called the Avenue of Parades, where military parades and demonstrations of workers were held to celebrate the holidays of May 1, International Workers Day, May 9 - Victory Day, November 7 - Revolution Day.
Passing through the arch of silver with figures of storks around the fountain, which marks the entrance to the Independence Square, you will see the main monument of the Independence square. It is a high pedestal with a golden globe erected on the top. Before the pedestal there is a statue of a seated mother with a baby in her arms. The monumental complex represent the revival of Uzbekistan as a free independent state. The Monument of Independence was erected in 1992, and the complete reconstruction of the area was completed in 2006.
On the opposite sits a statue depicting a mourning mother sadly looking down onto an eternal flame in memory of her children who fell when defending the country, to commemorate the fallen unidentified soldiers in the past World Wars.
Administrative buildings, including the Cabinet of Ministers, Senate of Uzbekistan and the Ministry of Finance are located on the western side of the Independence square in Tashkent.
Independence Square
Tashkent Metro
Today Tashkent is the modern capital of Uzbekistan, which practically has not preserved ancient landmarks as opposed to Samarkand, Khiva and Bukhara. But it has its own sights. One of them is the Tashkent Metro, the first underground transport in Central Asia.
Construction of the Tashkent metro began two years later after the destructive earthquake in 1966. Also the increase of population in the capital caused to the construction of rapid and comfortable public transport system. First line of metro opened in 1977 in honor of 60th anniversary of the USSR and connected the most populous district Chilanzar with the center of the city.
Each station has its own unique architectural features: marble, granite, glass, smalt, art ceramics, carved alabaster, ganch and other decorations. Lighting is also interesting and amazing: in some stations it creates the atmosphere of holiday ballroom, in others it makes you feel in mysterious catacombs. Each station is the separate place of interest.
However you should remember that the Tashkent metro is the strategically important object and it is illegal to take pictures and to make video filming inside the subway system. And the last, the air-conditioning system of metro always protect passengers from summer heat and winter cold. So this underground travel will give you enjoyment.
Tillya Sheikh Mosque
Friday mosque of the 19th century is Tillya Sheikh Mosque, one of the largest mosques in Tashkent. It consists of the winter building, summer yard, dome in the center and the dome gallery.
Huge minarets of the mosque played a role of pendulums for caravans, whose path was passed by Tashkent. Inside the minaret there is a spiral staircase, to climb up to call upon all the faithful to prayer.
Hast Imam Square: the religious center of Tashkent
Hast Imam Square (Hazrati Imam) is a religious center of Tashkent. Hast-Imam is located in the old town, within neighborhoods with the old wattle and daub houses that have experienced earthquake of 1966.
This complex appeared near the tomb of one of the first imam of Tashkent city, the famous scientist, scholar of the Koran and Hadith, poet and craftsman Hazrati Imam (full name - Abu-Bakr Muhammad Kaffal Shashi).
On the territory of the Hast-Imam, there are few arhitectural monuments, including the madrasah of Barak-Khan, Tilla Sheikh Mosque, mausoleum of the Saint Abu Bakr Kaffal Shashi and the Islamic Institute of Imam al-Bukhari, where future preachers are taught. The Spiritual Administration of the Muslims of Central Asia, led by the Mufti, is also placed there.
Moreover, the complex has a rich library of oriental manuscripts. The world famous Quran of Caliph Uthman - Ottoman has been preserved here. Ottoman Koran is the primary source of Islam holy book that was written in the middle of VII century.
An ancient manuscript, consisting of 353 parchment sheets of very large size with the original text of the Quran for centuries was kept in the treasury of the Caliphs (consistently in the cities of Medina, Damascus and Baghdad).
From Baghdad in the days of Tamerlane Ottoman Koran was in Uzbekistan, then (already in the nineteenth century) had time to visit St. Petersburg, in the hands of Russian scientists, who have proved its authenticity, and the newly migrated through Ufa in Central Asia.
The new building of the mosque Hazrat Imam have been erected in 2007. The structure of the mosque consists of the mosque itself, and two minarets, which architecture is kept in the style of the XVI century. Thus, the entrance area of the mosque is decorated with splendid work of woodcarvers, representing various woodcarving schools of Uzbekistan.
Great job also has been done by landscape designers. In particular, there had been imported many exotic trees, shrubs and flowers from different countries and planted on the territory of the complex. And during the spring, summer and autumn, beautiful storks freely walk there. At night, special lighting of the buildings causes a feeling of attendance in the world of the anchient oriental tales.
Roman Catholic Church in Tashkent
Christianity found its way into the territory of Central Asia in the first centuries AD due to the development of the Great Silk Road. Fugitives, travelers and missionaries were moving together with trade caravans following by one of the most famous ancient routes, and who propagated their religion in the outlandish countries.
However the first Catholic metropolitan cities and archdioceses along the Silk Way were set up much later – in XII-XIII centuries when the Vatican and China established diplomatic relations.
An active propagation of Catholicism in the countries of Central Asian region began in the second half of XIX century and in the beginning of XX century and it was connected with Russian expansion in the East. Thus, according to statistics by 1917 there lived 11, 000 Catholics in Turkestan, 7,000 of which lived in Tashkent. They were Poles, Lithuanians, Germans, French, Letts from among the military men of the tsarist army whom the government sent for servicing rather far off from their native land: to the Far East, Turkestan and Caucasus. There were also many exiles, Western-European prisoners of war and fugitives in Turkestan.
The first official Catholic clergyman in Turkistan from 1883 to 1885 was father Ferdinand Senczikowsky, who
made every effort to build a Catholic chapel to hold the masses in Tashkent.
From 1902 to 1917 it was Iustin Benaventura Pranaytis who became a Curator of the Turkestan region. During this period, churches in Ashkhabad, Kyzyl-Arvat (Turkmenistan), Fergana, Samarkand and a temporary church-chapel in Tashkent were built. The construction of the Tashkent Big Catholic Church near the Catholic chapel began in 1912. Soldiers-Catholics many of which were skilled specialists were taking part in the construction of the Church.
The progress of construction work was too slow and in 1917 a revolution began upon which father Boleslaw Rutenis, Pranaytis’s heir was making attempts to finish construction of the Tashkent Church. But he never managed it, due to the change in the political situation in the country, Bolsheviks’ pressure and a shortage of financial funds. Soon, Rutenis being unable to stand such difficulties left the post of Senior Priest. After Rutenis’s voluntary termination of service, the church services for the remained Catholics were held secretly by father Joseph Sowinski. In 1937 he was arrested charged in anti-soviet propaganda and shot.
And what happened to the Church uncompleted? The Church was nationalized in 1925. And during the Soviet period it housed different organizations: hostels of the Electrical Cable Plant and Republican Obstetric School, administration and storehouse of Medtekhnika. The building of the church was reconstructed several times and eventually was abandoned. Naturally, by that time neither sculptures, nor valuables from the church were saved.
In 1976 owing to a resolution of the Government, the building was restored and handed over to the Ministry of Culture of the UzSSR, and in 1981 it received the status of a landmark and historical site in Uzbekistan.
Abubakr Kaffal-Shashi mausoleum
Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Ismail Al-Kaffal Al-Kabir as-Shashi. Difficult name at first sight is easily explained – Abu Bakr Muhammad ‘Senior’, the son of Ali, the grandson of Ismail, locksmithfrom Tashkent.
Kaffal-Shashi, a brave poet, a polyglot, and the author of many books on Islam Law, was born in 291 according to the Hijri Calendar (903/904 AD) in Ash-Shash (present Tashkent). His father was an educated man who owned a keylock shop where Kaffal-Shashi studied secrets of this craft. Soon he mastered it, developed passion to reading and as it is still popular among the youth, began to write his first poems.
Still young, he moved to Khorasan to continue his education, and then to the capital of Caliphate and the centre of the science of the Islamic world, Baghdad. There Al-Kaffal learns from the Imam Abu Jaf’ar Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari (839-923), a well-known Islamic historian and theologian of that time, the author of the book “History of the Prophets and the Kings”, tafsir (interpretation) of the Koran and works on Sharia. Al-Tabari lived 84 years and died in Baghdad when al-Kaffal was 19. It gives a clue how young Kaffal-Shashi was when he left his hometown.
Shayhantaur Ensemble
The memorial complex of St. Sheikh Khovandi Takhur who lived in the XIV century, includes three buildings: the very tomb of Sheikh Taur (XV-XIX century), tomb of Kaldirgoch-biy (XV century) and the mosque.Both tombs include space for two zierathona (a place of worship and praying) and gurhona (a tomb). Tomb is crowned by a semicircular dome.
According to legend, the resistance of Zhungar families was headed by Tolebi, the ruler of Tashkent who originated from Kazakh tribe Dulat.According to folk legend, when innumerable hordes of Jungars started moving from the East, people fled in panic and left their homes. But Tolebi has not left his home. The head of Jungars ordered to bring him a judge and asked whether he was afraid of nothing. Tolebi said he did not want to dismantle his tent, not to destroy the nest of a swallow with newborn chicks. The confession touched the severe Jungar touched and he did not cause any harm the righteous and his relatives. Since then, Tolebi became known as Kaldirgoch-biy – “host of Swallow”. Subsequently Kaldirgoch-biy inspired the people to fight against Dzhungars, and after the expulsion of the foreigners, he was elected a governor of Tashkent. After his death he was buried with great honor next to the tomb of Saint Sheikh Khovandi Takhur.
The mosque complex was built recently, at the expense of the Muslim diaspora in Kazakhstan, as they often come to the tomb Kaldirgoch-biy. An ancient mausoleum of Yunus-khan (XV century) is also within the complex. Yunus Khan Mogolistanskiy (1415-1487) was one of the rulers of Tashkent.
The Monuments of Medieval Architecture in the Old City of Tashkent
Tashkent is not only the capital of Uzbekistan but also one of the ancient cities of Central Asia. Like all other ancient cities, Tashkent preserves its old part which is just called the Old City. There residential houses built late in the XIX century can be found. There, in the territory of the Old City medieval architectural monuments such as the Kukeldash Madrasah, some of the buildings of Khast-Imam Complex are situated.
This is a historical north-western part of Tashkent where the city was located before the Turkestan general-governorship was formed in 1865. The name “Old City” came in the period of tsarist colonialism, when the Russian administration began building a new city. An unofficial border between the Old and New cities was the Anhor channel.
The majority of the architectural monuments in the territory of the Old City belong to the second half of the XV and the beginning of the XVI centuries. It was the period when the Shaybanids set it. When Tashkent was annexed to the Kokand khanate, the city was surrounded by a fosse and clay crenellation at length about 20 km with 12 gates. Unfortunately, the wall as well as the gates did not survive up to date.
Nowadays the most picturesque places of the Old City are located in the region of Chorsu Bazaar and Sebzar massive. A pearl of the Old City is the Khast Imam complex. It is a square where the Mausoleum of St Imam Kaffal Shashi after whom the complex was named, Islam Institute named after Imam al-Bukhari and the building of Spiritual Administration of the Muslims of Uzbekistan are situated. The central place in the square is occupied by a new Friday Jami mosque. Two minarets of 56m-high each are located along the both sides of the mosque. Opposite to the mosque, there is the Library of Spiritual Administration which holds one of the most respected and sacred relics of the whole Muslim world – caliph Osman’s Koran (VII century).
German Kirche
A gothic building of German Kirche has been overlooking over green shades of age-old trees for over hundred years, on the Sadiq Asimov street, 37.
The German Kirche or the Evangelical Lutheran Church is the only Lutheran Church in Tashkent. It was built by the Tashkent Lutheran community by the project of the famous Tashkent architect and the 19th century artist of A.L. Benoit in 1899.
Like the rest of the buildings in the colonial Turkestan the church was built of brown-yellow brick laying out in the spirit of the Baltic church architecture: the style of its construction refers to the neo-Gothic architecture.
In Soviet times, the building of church shared the fate of all church buildings: it had been used as a warehouse for a long time, and at the end of the 1970s it passed to the Tashkent Conservatory, and after the restoration it hosted opera studio of the conservatory.
At that time an organ was installed in the church, concerts of organ music were regularly held. In the 1990s it was passed to the newly established Lutheran community.
History of the Lutheran community of Tashkent extends back over 125 years, during which it saw both growth and decline. Today Tashkent Lutheran community numbers over 200 parishioners, and about a hundred parishioners in Fergana.
Parishioners of Tashkent church are mostly Tashkent Germans. Before the revolution there were quite a lot of them in Tashkent. Most of them were officers. They got here in the 19th century, during the royal service. Today Kirche, where services are still conducted, is visited by their descendants, as well as foreigners.
The church service in the Lutheran Church is based on the traditions of the Catholic Mass, but is more simplified. Home service in the Lutheran Church is ministered in the German and Russian languages on Sundays.
The church pastor that officiates is elected by the congregation of the parishioners and does not have to pass a rite of initiation, such as the Catholics do. During the Mass, the priests are dressed in liturgical vestments. The main part of the Lutheran liturgy of the Mass is the liturgy of the faithful (anaphora).
During the service, the parishioners sing hymns in German to organ music. The interior of the church is more modest than in Catholic church.
As Lutherans do not worship relics and icons, but revere them, there is a limited number of images of Christ and the apostles in the church. Altar is the central place in the Lutheran church, as well as in a Catholic church. Also in the Lutheran churches there are such traditional attributes as the crucifix, the sacred flame (lamp) and candles.
Khoja Akhrar Vali Juma Mosque
The foundation of the first Friday Cathedral Mosque in Tashkent (Juma mosque) was established in 819, at the highest point of the “shakhristan” (centre) of ancient Tashkent. Up to now, the Mosque repeatedly rebuild, renamed and restored in different epochs is still overlooked in the Old City and surrounded with the Chorsu, Khadra and Eski Juva places.
This Juma mosque is the most ancient among 157 mosques of modern Tashkent and the third largest one in Uzbekistan after the Bibi-Khanum in Samarkand and Poi-Kalyan in Bukhara. From the XV century till now, the mosque was named after one of the Sufi leaders of the oriental Middle Ages - Khoja Akhrar Vali, who presented the city with this building built on the foundation of the old Juma-mosque (Juma-mosque means a Friday mosque) in 1451.
The Khoja Akhrar Vali mosque was built in a form of 15-m cube which symbolizes the holy Kaaba, with a dome and arch span, open to the East. In pre-revolutionary Tashkent with its low-rise one- and two-storey houses, the Khoja Akhrar Vali mosque was the highest building from where the whole city could be observed.
The Juma-mosque building like those of the other Muslim mosques was oriented to the cardinal points and faced to the direction of Mecca (south-western direction from Tashkent). Anciently, it was a popular belied that in case of non-observance of this construction rule, no prayer would reach Allah.
Kukeldash Madrasah, centre of Muslim education
Madrasah Kukeldash close to Su bazaar in the historic part of Tashkent. Built in 1570 it was part of an ensemble of the city's main square. The initiator was built hokim Dervish Khan - vizier of Tashkent khans dynasty Sheibanids nicknamed "Kukeldash", which translates as "milk brother". Thus, the Dervish Khan was the foster-brother of the khan. In the XVIII century. In madrasas arranged caravansary carriageways for merchants, but then came down with his crowning the tower - guldasta.
In the XIX century the madrasas served as a fortress of Kokand khans. Until 1865 madrasah Kukeldash served as a place of public execution: from the top parapet of the central portal on the ground lined with stones thrown in the bags found to be unfaithful wives in order to strengthen people's morality. Today the restored madrasas is the current madrasah and fulfills its direct functions: live here and train students. Also, here come the faithful for Friday prayers.
TV Towr
The TV Tower is the highest construction in the Central Asia. It has an overall height of 375 meters. Its construction began in 1979 and was completed in 1981. The unique project of the tower was created by architects D.J. Semashko, N.G. Terziev-Tzarukova, engineers E.P. Morozova, M.D. Musheeva. Its construction incorporates an ability to withstand Richter magnitude 9 earthquake. The lattice styled tower trunk is supported by three inclined slips, which ensure the building's steadiness and give an impression of lightness.
220 meters height of the tower is used for arranging of the most modern means of communication: satellite TV, cellular and paging communication. Tashkent TV tower broadcasts 5 television, 4 radio broadcasting programs. Tashkent TV Tower has the highest meteorological station.
Lobby is decorated with mosaic panel in Florentine and Roman style, which was created by master A. Buharbaev. There is a Blue hall at a height of 150 meters. Each hall is intended for 60 seats. Platform with seats in both restaurants revolve on the trunk of the tower.
Restaurants serve Uzbek as well as European cuisine. Bars of the restaurants have a wide range of drinks. There is also an observation deck, where you can enjoy magnificent views of the city. Tower is equipped with 3 high speed elevators from the Swiss company Shindler. The speed of the elevation is 4 meters per second.
Minor Mosque
The Minor mosque is one of new sights of Tashkent located in the new part of the city, not far from the UzExpoCentre and Hotel International. It was opened on 1 October 2014, on the eve of the Eid holiday, and has become one of the favorite places of city residents for evening strolls. Minor mosque is located on the embankment of the Ankhor channel and is surrounded by a landscaped area.
Construction of the mosque began in the summer of 2013 and was done in the best traditions of the eastern architecture. At the same time, Minor mosque differs from old brick mosques with its white marble finishing. It shines under the clear sky and its turquoise dome seems to be vanishing in the sky. Its capacity is more than 2400 people. Minor mosque is divided to the open front part with terraces, and big round hall with gold plated mihrab (a semicircular niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the qibla (the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca and the direction Muslims should face when praying), adorned with writings from Koran.
New sight does not have a long history yet, but once you are in Tashkent, don’t miss your chance to have a look at Minor mosque in all its white marbled glory.
Alay Bazaar- The Oriental Market on The Great Silk Road
The East ... How many things this single word connonates, and eastern bazaars dawn up first and foremost. Even in ancient times bazaars were a place where people gathered not only to trade but also to exchange news, share joys, meet with friends in the many tea houses, spread in all bazaars. Many bazaars in the East were not only centers of commercial life, but also the city life. They were the places where the firmans (decrees) of rulers were announced, where the criminals were punished or pardoned, where folk celebrations were held. The Registan Square in Samarkand is one of examples of such bazaars, in the 19th century it hosted trade rows and Bukharan trade domes, that were was not only a place for purchase and sale, but also a place to meet and exchange news.Bazaars were astonishingly diverse. There were rows of silk, which sold a variety of silk from India and China, as well handicraft rows, where one could
buy ceramic, copper, iron ware, precious metals, and it was only a small part of what the Eastern bazaars were rich with. Most of the old bazaars of Uzbekistan are located on the branches of the Silk Road and have a very ancient history. So many of the Khorezm bazaars have a history dating back to the 6-10th century, some of Samarkand, Bukhara bazaars can also be referred to the same period.
Alay Bazaar is one of the oldest bazaars of Tashkent. Presumably, it emerged in 12-13th centuries on the Mount Alay, but not as a market, but only a place of trade on the trade route, going from East Turkestan in the Fergana Valley. Mostly, Alay Bazaar was a place for trade with cattle, selling various kinds of meat and livestock. In the 19th century, this so-called "trading post" formed into the full-fledged bazaar that became one of the most visited place among the locals, as Alay Bazaar was on the border of the old town and regions built in Russia's colonial period.
Today Alay Bazaar is rightly considered one of the oldest in Tashkent. Alay Bazaar has been recently modernized. It has product rows, where you can buy eastern sweets, fruits and other foods, there is a flea-market, which also is varied. In addition, modern Alay Bazaar is known for its two-story complex of jewelry, where you can buy silver and gold. Eastern bazaars are not just the markets, Bazaar is an integral part of Eastern culture.