Things to see and do Tashkent

It brings together copies of 15th and 16th century manuscripts of the poet Alisher Navoi (1441-1501) and other Central Asian poets. There will also be beautiful antique miniatures, murals illustrating the life of the poet and the Timurids, as well as a complete representation of the Ulugh Begh Observatory. The museum deserves to be a little airy and renovated, but it is still interesting for some of the rooms and can be visited in the old-fashioned way, with the attendants checking the ticket in each room and then turning on the lights?

The former Lenin Museum became the Museum of the History of the Peoples of Uzbekistan in 1995. The very Soviet structure hosts more than 2,000^m2 of a fascinating collection that will delight lovers of prehistory, but also of ancient, medieval or contemporary history.

The visit begins with the rooms devoted to the Stone Age, with the results of numerous excavations carried out throughout the country. One can in particular linger on the reconstituted face of a Neanderthal child, discovered in the 1940s in Teshik Tash, in Sourkhan Daria, by the Soviet archaeologist Gerasimov. This is followed by some reconstructions of scenes of life at that time, based on the excavations of the two oldest sites uncovered in Uzbekistan: Djarkutan (^19th century B.C.) and Sapalli Tepe (^17th century B.C.), both located in the province of Sourkhan Daria. Moving forward in time, we then move on to a reconstruction of the Zoroastrian temple of Qoy Qirilgan, particularly interesting for those who have visited its ruins in the Khorezm. It is estimated today that the region could have been the birthplace of this religion. A large space is then devoted to the conquests of Alexander the Great in Central Asia. The Greek emperor built no less than five Alexandria in the region, the last of which was at the extreme limit of his empire, in Khodjent, in present-day Tajikistan.

The results of the excavations at Kok Tepe, one of the largest archaeological sites in Uzbekistan and the second capital of Sogdiana after Samarkand, will also be detailed. In particular, the burial site of a Saka princess was found there, as well as a large quantity of ornaments and gold buttons. You will also see the treasures discovered in Kara Tepe and Fayaz Tepe, the Buddhist sites near Termez. The gold and ceramic Buddhas give an idea of the splendor that reigned in these sacred monasteries in the ^first century.

After the exhibition devoted to the Kushan period, the visitor cannot but be fascinated by the great fresco of Varakhsha, uncovered on the historical site of Samarkand, representing a Sogdian prince mounted on a white elephant, attacked by two leopards during a hunting party. The Afrosyab Museum in Samarkand has a copy of this piece, but it is the original.

Next are the departments devoted to the two golden ages of Uzbekistan: the Samanid period and the Timurid period. There are exhibits dedicated to the great scholars of the time: the poet Alisher Navoi, the mathematician Al-Khorezmi, the philosopher Al-Termezi, the astronomers Ulugh Begh and Al-Ferghani. The architecture is not left out with models presenting reconstructions of buildings like a splendid model of the Bibi Khanum mosque in Samarkand.

The second floor of the museum is devoted to the Russian invasion and Uzbekistan's war efforts to help its big brother Russia in its "great patriotic war", the name given to the Second World War.

The exhibition ends on the contemporary period, with some photos of the attacks perpetrated in Tashkent by the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan in 1999-2000, and photographs of the main technical, industrial or political achievements of Uzbekistan since independence. It is the propaganda part, common to all the country's museums, that we pass quickly enough.

The Tashkent Museum of Fine Arts is the largest museum in the city, and certainly the most interesting. Entirely renovated between 2019 and 2021, it exhibits extraordinary collections, including the particularly rich collection of Grand Duke Nicholas Constantinovich Romanov who lived in Tashkent at the beginning of the last century. Exiled because of his less than exemplary conduct, the kleptomaniac cousin of the Tsar is said to have "borrowed" some pieces from the collection of his illustrious cousin, including crown jewels. It is one of the five largest art museums in the CIS and will delight all those who wish to learn or sharpen their knowledge of Uzbek, Central Asian and Russian art.

Five floors await you, each with dozens of pieces in chronological order. One goes from the first ancient potteries to contemporary Uzbek art, passing by nomadic craftsmanship or Soviet realism. Entire rooms are also devoted to pieces acquired by the museum, founded in 1918: Asian collections, particularly Japanese, Chinese and Korean, mainly composed of porcelain.

The painting galleries are particularly rich, with paintings from the ^eighteenth, ^nineteenth and ^twentieth centuries from donations made by Moscow at the very beginning of the Soviet period in gratitude for the efforts made by Uzbekistan in the Aral Sea to save the USSR from famine.

There are three or four temporary exhibitions per year, of high quality, featuring the work of international artists.

Dedicated to the Timurid era and its historical legacy, the Amur Timur Museum opened its doors in 1996, on the occasion of the 660th anniversary of the birth of the great emperor. According to the curator, its architecture is inspired by the Gur Emir of Samarkand, but there is room for doubt... One would rather recognize Tamerlan's crown. The museum possesses some interesting pieces, such as a huge Koran dating from the 7th century, but it is mainly the replicas of Uzbekistan's monuments that attract attention. The Bibi Khanum Mosque and the Gur Emir are reproduced in their original state, which, when you visit the museum at the end of your stay, allows a good comparison with what you will have seen during your stay. A model of the Taj Mahal, built on the order of Babur's grandson, the last of the Timurids chased by the Uzbeks and left to create a new empire in India, by architects from Bukhara, also allows you to compare styles and make comparisons. As can be seen in the paintings exhibited on the second floor, the cult of Tamerlan doubles as that of Uzbekistan, glorified through its national hero and its inescapable president Islam Karimov. These paintings by contemporary artists are extremely poor in style but interesting because they show that the concept of Soviet-style propaganda is far from having disappeared with the collapse of the USSR, and that Uzbekistan under Karimov was certainly one of its best pupils!

The Monument of Courage was erected in memory of the victims of the earthquake of April 26, 1966. With an amplitude of 8.3, the earthquake was fortunately more destructive than deadly. The commemorative statue rests on a fractured floor, evoking the cracks that crisscrossed the Uzbek capital and end at the foot of a very Soviet-looking shirtless figure protecting a woman and her child. The fresco surrounding the monument illustrates the reconstruction of the capital by workers from all over the former USSR.

The Chorsu district, located to the north of the bazaar, is one of the few districts to have emerged virtually intact from the 1966 earthquake. A walk through this labyrinth of blind alleys, most of which end up as dead ends, will give an idea of what the capital of Uzbekistan was like before the disaster that radically changed its face. At the heart of this district, probably the most interesting to visit in Tashkent, is the Barak Khan Madrasa, which is today the centre of the Grand Mufti of Central Asia and dates from the 16th century. Tourists can enter to take a look at the rose garden and the few open cells. Some of them have been renovated into real conference rooms. Opposite, the Tellia Sheikh Mosque dates from the 19th century. The Qur'an of the Caliph Osman, considered the oldest in the world, is kept there, but non-Muslims are not allowed to enter. A little further on, on the left side of the square, the Abu Bakhr Kaffal Shashi mausoleum dates from the 16th century and was erected in memory of one of the first imams, who died in 976, on the site of his tomb. The mosque facing the Barak Khan Madrasa is not a historical monument, it was built in 2007 as part of the renovation of the area and occupies the site of a former wasteland. It's by going deeper into the alleyways that start from the square that the walk takes on its full meaning, between the tchaikhanas where the aksakal, the elders who administer the life of the neighbourhood, meet.

A compendium of traditional and contemporary art of Uzbekistan, in the annex of the Caravan Art restaurant. You will find modern creations inspired by traditional techniques and practices as well as craftsmanship. This one comes from all over the country and consists of collections of suzanis (from Samarkand and Bukhara), ceramics (from Rishtan or Gijduvan) and small souvenirs of all kinds. Also some paintings by Uzbek artists and designers. The quality of the products is rather good but the prices are to be negotiated.

The mausoleum of Zenghi Ata, the black sheikh, and that of his wife Ambar Bibi were built in the 14th century on the orders of Tamerlan. This Mecca of Islam has recently been renovated and no longer has the appearance of romantic ruin that it had in the 1980s. The pilgrims are fervent and numerous, the tourists discreet. Architecture, decorations and mosaics are typical of the Timurid period. The madrasa, still in use, the small tree-lined courtyard and the mosque are additions from the 18th century, and the mosque from the 19th century. The minaret dates from the beginning of the last century. The mausoleum of Ambar Bibi is in the cemetery next to the mausoleum of Zenghi Ata. Many women come to pray there, going around the building three times while embracing the walls. The walls are covered with prayers, wishes or simple words drawn with pens on the brick. The pilgrims then choose a tree in the cemetery to whose branches they attach small pieces of cloth so that the wind can carry away their prayers and make their fertility wishes come true. This is a good opportunity to visit a funeral building that is the object of fervent pilgrimages while staying out of the tourist circuits to enjoy an authentic and local atmosphere. The best time to make the visit will be on Friday, after the Great Prayer, or during the celebration of Navruz, the festival marking the return of spring, when pilgrims are most active throughout the country.

Tamara, the most popular dancer and singer in Uzbekistan, is the first artist to take to the stage and dance without a veil in public. This was particularly brave for that time, as one of his fellow dancers was murdered in 1929 for having also dared to make this gesture. Her house, where she died in 1991, was turned into a museum a few years later. It will detail many period photographs taken wherever the artist performed in the world, and an exhibition of his stage clothing.

The Japanese Garden in Tashkent was completed in 2003. The park brings a certain coolness to the hottest hours of the summer thanks to its pools, canals and small waterfalls, and has become one of the great gatherings for newlyweds who come here to have their photos taken. It has fewer plant species than when it was inaugurated, some of which have had difficulty adapting to the climate. In the centre of the garden, a small terrace decorated with Japanese handicrafts invites you to drink tea in the shade, overlooking the small lake from which the Ankhor canal flows.