Designing a tour in Tashkent: what to do and where to go
Tashkent is the capital city of Uzbekistan and an important transport hub in the heart of Central Asia, with over 3 million people and massive modern infrastructure. The city became the capital of Uzbekistan in early 20-s of the last century, and since then its appearance has dramatically changed. It is a city of straight and wide avenues, vast parks, beautiful squares and busy ambience you would expect from a modern city.
Tashkent is as old as other historical cities of Uzbekistan, such as Samarkand or Bukhara, and was known as Chach back 2000 years ago. It was an important town for travelers moving along the Great Silk Road from China to Europe with cargoes of Chinese merchandise.
The appearance of the city was massively redecorated by the ruinous earthquake of 1966, when most of the old clay buildings of the city were devastated, and a large-scale reconstruction brought the look of Tashkent to what we are used to see now. Some of the ancient monuments have survived the earthquake, and an effort was made by the city planners to integrate the medieval buildings into the fabric of the megapolis.
A new era for Tashkent started with gaining Independence in 1991, when the previously just one of regional centers turned into a capital of a sovereign state. The city authorities exerted a vehement effort to preserve the ancient attractions and introduce new approaches to urban architecture which are required by the economic development, financial and technilogical growth.
New gorgeous buildings were built to accommodate new bodies of authority, banks, major corporations and cultural venues. Tashkent offers all kinds of attractions that a savvy traveler may seek in a modern megapolis: exhibitions, theaters, concerts and night life.
