KHAMZA HOUSE MUSEUM

In the purest Soviet tradition, the house where the poet Khamza, whose real name was Hamza Hakimzade Niyazi, was born and raised, was converted into a museum in 1959. A traditional house of old Kokand, its visit invites visitors to discover the alleys of the old town and the housing of the early ^20th century. The courtyard is home to a century-old mulberry tree, while the living rooms are divided between men's and women's quarters.

This property was the literary debut of the poet, an emblematic figure of Uzbek social realism, who is still considered the father of modern poetry in Uzbekistan, having broken away from the Arab and Persian legacies and integrated Russian and Western rules into themes that nevertheless remained oriental. A supporter of the Bolsheviks, he was elevated to the status of national hero by the Soviet authorities, alongside Tamara Khanum, one of the first dancers to remove her veil in public, and with whom he ran a small travelling theater troupe.

Yet many still consider him a traitor to the Uzbek nation and to Islam. In fact, he was stoned to death by clerics during his visit to Chakhimardan, a tragic death which occurred in 1929, the year he turned 40. The same year as Nourkhon Youlacheva, another veiled dancer, who was also stoned to death. The town of Chakhimardan, a small Uzbek enclave in Kyrgyz territory, is home to one of the few statues dedicated to the poet, on the very spot where he was executed.