A leisurely explore of Tashkent

Landing at 2am in the morning we actually made good time to get to bed by 3:45. But we certainly needed a bit of a kick to get going today.

Having arrived almost 30 hours ahead of our fellow travellers, we have plenty of time to explore the city under our own steam and hopefully see parts of the city we won't cover on our organised tour tomorrow 🤞

Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan and claims to be the most cosmo- politan city in Central Asia. At first impressions, it's no match with Baku - not as grand (with a few exceptions) and certainly not as clean.

Although the city has been inhabited for over 2000 years, a massive earthquake in 1966 destroyed most of the city. It's now a huge Soviet-designed city with plenty of Soviet-style buildings and gigantic four lane boulevards that aren't designed for walking.

Mind you, we still did plenty of walking despite having a few rides on the famous Tashkent Metro. Built between 1966 and 1977, it was the first metro in Central Asia. The subway stations are beautiful and famed for their amazing architecture. What's more, all set up with modern technology, i.e. just tap in & go and the ride costs just 11 pence for unlimited stops - can you believe it?

We found Kosmonavtlar Metro Station the most impressive stop as it celebrates Soviet space achievements and human fascination with the cosmos with its deep-blue interiors, cosmic murals, and medallions of Yuri Gagarin, Valentina Tereshkova and other Uzbek astronomers and ceiling designed to resemble the Milky Way. It almost feels like a “hidden museum” of Soviet-era art and science.

The metro took us to the Independence Square which is framed by grand fountains, the Ezgulik Arch with storks - which represent gratitude and peace - and memorials, making it both a very ceremonial looking place.

The Independence Monument itself - a Globe symbolizing Uzbekistan’s sovereignty with a globe highlighting the country’s outline on the world map - isn't really accessible and can only be admired from afar. Interestingly, there used to be a statue of Lenin where the globe is now.

At the northern end of Independent Square we have a look at the “Crying Mother” memorial, a bronze sculpture of a mourning woman symbolizing the pain of mothers whose sons never returned from World War II. The memorial commemorates approx half a million soldiers from Uzbekistan’s 14 regions who died in the war with their names inscribed in the Books of Memories.

From here we walk along the Anhor Canal, a historic waterway originally part of irrigation systems, which has now been revitalized as a modern leisure zone with pedestrian paths, bridges, cafés, and evening light shows (not that we stayed long enough to see these) .

Along the canal, we see the summer concert venue with its stage canopy supported by giant angled steel arms that resemble alien tripods, giving it that “War of the Worlds” vibe.

Further along, we have a look at the Monument of Courage, the city’s most symbolic memorials, dedicated to the victims of the devastating 1966 earthquake that destroyed much of the capital. It stands in a landscaped park near the former epicentre with a black cube split in two, symbolizing the earth breaking apart during the quake and a man, woman, and child stepping forward together, representing resilience and the rebirth of Tashkent.
Very poignant and symbolic!

At the end of our little walking tour along the canal, we wander around
Minor Mosque and Cemetery, one of the most prominent and prestigious resting places, with graves for many of Uzbekistan’s renowned writers, scientists, public officials, and artists.
Apart from being amazed about the elaborate headstones, we can only wonder who these people are.

After another 30 minutes walk, we reach Tashkent TV tower, with 375m the tallest structure in Central Asia.
It's an impressive structure and they certainly showcase their competition with an exhibition of other towers around the world. But unfortunately, the actual visitor platform is only on the lower level, just a mere 6 floors or 97m up. So the views weren't as good as we hoped but we could glimpse the Tian Shan mountains in the distance.

Didn't I say, the city is not made for walking? So after more than 23k steps, we were in desperate need for some refreshments and opted for the rooftop bar of Hotel Uzbekistan. It's nothing special, small indoor bar at 16th floor but very popular. We arrived just in time to have a seat by the window.
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