Tashkent
The capital and the start of most trips: metro stations like palaces, the Chorsu bazaar, the Khast Imam complex and the mountains an hour and a half away.
- 1–2 days at the start or end of a trip
- Main international airport and the hub for trains
- Nearby: Chimgan, Charvak and the Fergana Valley
About Tashkent
Tashkent is a capital of about 3.2 million people and the city where most trips to Uzbekistan begin and end. It feels like two cities in one. The old city, Eski Shahar, spreads around Tashkent's old bazaar under a big blue-green dome, not far from Hazrati Imam. Bring cash in so'm. Read more → and :The religious heart of old Tashkent: madrasahs, a Friday mosque and mausoleums. Right next to it stands the new Center of Islamic Civilization, opened in 2026. Read more → mahallas of low houses, mosques and the bazaar. The centre, rebuilt after 1966, is a city of wide avenues, shady parks and bold concrete buildings, and ten of those buildings are now World Heritage. On summer evenings Tashkent comes out into its parks and squares.
The city is more than two thousand years old, but little of the old town survived the earthquake of 26 April 1966. Most of what you see came after: the ,Did you know? A metro designed to ride out a magnitude-9 earthquake The three original lines of the Tashkent Metro were built to withstand an earthquake of magnitude 9.0, and the tunnels lie unusually shallow, only 8–25 m below the street. Read more → the avenues and the modernist centre of the 1970s and 1980s, then, since 1991, the fast-growing capital of independent Uzbekistan.
History in brief
- 3rd century BCA town grows in the oasis of the Chirchiq river. Early sources call it ,Did you know? Tashkent means “Stone City”, but it was long called Chach Al-Biruni explained the name as Turkic tash, “stone”, plus Persian kent, “city”. The area was earlier known as Chach, written ash-Shash by the Arabs, and Chachkand became Tashkand only after the 11th century. In 2009 the city marked 2,200 years. Read more → or Shash.
- 11th centuryThe name Tashkent appears, grown out of the older Chachkand.
- 1865Tashkent becomes part of the Russian Empire and the capital of Turkestan. A new European-style town grows across the Ankhor canal from the old city.
- 1930Tashkent takes over from Samarkand as the capital of the Uzbek SSR.
- 1966On 26 April an earthquake destroys much of the city. The rebuilding brings new avenues, the modernist centre and, in 1977, the metro.
- 1991Tashkent becomes the capital of independent Uzbekistan.
- 2026The Center of Islamic Civilization opens in March, and in July ten modernist buildings in Tashkent and its region are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
What to see
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Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors
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1Hazrati Imam complex
The religious heart of the old city grew around the tomb of Hazrati Imam, a 10th-century scholar of Tashkent, nicknamed Kaffal, the locksmith. Around the big square stand the 16th-century Barakhan ,An Islamic college: student cells and classrooms around a courtyard behind a grand portal. In the old towns many now house museums and craft workshops. the Tillya Sheikh mosque and the Hazrati Imam mosque. Come in the morning, before the heat.
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2Center of Islamic Civilization
Opened in March 2026 right next to Hazrati Imam, under a 65-metre dome. Inside: museum halls from Sogdiana to the Timurids and the 7th-century Did you know? Legend: Caliph Uthman's own Quran is kept in Tashkent Tradition holds that this huge parchment Quran is the personal copy of Caliph Uthman, and one story says Timur brought it to Samarkand. Radiocarbon dating gives 775–995, so it is more likely an early copy, yet still one of the oldest. Read more → in the Qur'an Hall. Book a timed slot and come in the late afternoon, so you can see the façade lit up after dark.
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3Chorsu Bazaar
The old bazaar of Tashkent, whose name means 'crossroads', trades under a blue dome built in 1980, now one of the ten World Heritage buildings. Inside: spices, dried fruit, nuts and bread; at its edge stands the Did you know? A madrasah that was an inn, a fort and a museum Tashkent's Kukeldash Madrasah, built around 1570, became a caravanserai in the 18th century, later a fortress and then a museum, before returning to teaching in the 1990s. Read more → madrasa. Go in the morning, when the stalls are fullest.
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4Kosmonavtlar metro station
The only metro station on the UNESCO list: since July 2026 it is one of the ten buildings of Tashkent's World Heritage site. It is on the blue ;Did you know? Central Asia's first metro could be photographed only from 2018 Tashkent's metro opened on 6 November 1977 with nine stations, the first in Central Asia. For decades it counted as a strategic site and photography was banned; the ban was lifted on 1 June 2018. Read more → get off, let the train go and give the platform ten minutes.
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5State Museum of History of Uzbekistan
Founded in 1876, the museum marked its 150th year by reopening in July 2026 after two years of renovation. Its 1970 building is one of the ten World Heritage buildings. Among its treasures is a Buddhist relief from Fayaz Tepe near Termez; allow an hour for the archaeology halls.
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6Palace of Peoples' Friendship
Completed in 1981 and named in memory of the volunteers who came to rebuild Tashkent after the earthquake. Its concert hall seats almost 4,000. Even without a ticket for a show, walk around it: it is one of the ten World Heritage buildings.
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7Amir Timur Square
The city's main square began as a park in 1882 and got its present name and the equestrian statue of Amir Timur (Tamerlane, 1336–1405), founder of the Timurid empire, which had its capital in Samarkand. Born near Shahrisabz. in 1994. The Amir Timur Museum, opened in 1996, stands on its south side, and the modernist Hotel Uzbekistan faces it from the east.
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8Minor Mosque
Tashkent's 'White Mosque', opened in 2014 on the bank of the Ankhor canal: white marble, a sky-blue dome and two minarets, with room for more than 2,400 worshippers. It is loveliest in the evening light; visit outside prayer times.
© Photos
Kosmonavtlar metro station, Tashkent — Oqsaqol / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0; Palace of Peoples' Friendship, Tashkent — Humoyun Mehridinov / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0; Amir Timur Square, Tashkent — Adam Harangozó / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Neighbourhoods
- Old city (Eski Shahar) Chorsu, Hazrati Imam and the Center of Islamic Civilization are a short walk apart, among mahallas of low houses. Give this part of town a whole morning.
- The centre around Did you know? Legend: “Strength lies in justice” were Timur's own words The equestrian statue of Amir Timur in central Tashkent, unveiled in 1994, bears the motto “Strength lies in justice” in four languages. Tradition attributes the words to Timur himself, but historians cannot confirm he said them. Read more → Museums, theatres, Mustaqillik Square and most of the modernist buildings, with the Did you know? A metro station where Ulugh Beg meets Gagarin Kosmonavtlar station, opened in 1984, has ceramic medallions of Ulugh Beg, Galileo, Icarus, Gagarin and Tereshkova, and glass stars in the ceiling that hint at the Milky Way. Read more → a short walk away. This is the Tashkent of avenues and parks.
- The mountains and Lake Did you know? The lake below Chimgan is held back by a 168-metre dam Charvak is a reservoir: a 168 m stone dam on the Chirchiq, built in 1964–1970, holds about 2 km³ of water from the Pskem, Koksu and Chatkal rivers. Its name is traced to the Persian chorbog, "four gardens". Read more → ,Mountains of the Western Tian Shan about 80 km from Tashkent: hiking in summer, skiing in winter, the Charvak reservoir nearby. Read more → Beldersay, Amirsoy and Lake Charvak lie 65–85 km from the city. In summer they are almost ten degrees cooler; in winter they are where Tashkent goes skiing. Read more →
What to eat
- Rice cooked in a kazan with carrots, onions and meat: the dish of every Uzbek celebration. Each region cooks it its own way. at lunchtime In Tashkent plov is a midday dish. At ,Did you know? Uzbek plov is on UNESCO's intangible heritage list “Palov culture and tradition” joined UNESCO's list in 2016: plov is everyday food, yet also the dish of weddings, holidays and welcoming guests. At Tashkent's Besh Qozon, “five cauldrons”, you can watch it cooked over fire in huge kazans. Read more → the Central Asian Plov Centre at the foot of the ,Did you know? A 375-metre tower with a viewing deck at 97 m The Tashkent TV Tower, begun in 1978 and operating since January 1985, rises 375 m to the tip of its spire. Its observation deck at about 97 m looks out over the whole city. Read more → cooks tend giant kazans in an open kitchen and serve thousands of guests a day.
- Tashkent naryn The capital's own dish: thin hand-cut noodles with finely chopped boiled horse meat, served cold with onion and slices of kazy sausage, or as a hot soup.
- Snacks at Chorsu Under the dome and around it: flatbread, dried apricots, raisins, nuts and kurt, small balls of salted dried yoghurt. Buy a bag for the train.
Getting around
The metro has four lines. The newest, the Circle Line, has run above ground since 2020, and one flat fare takes you any distance, with any number of changes. For everything else Tashkent uses Yandex Go taxis, paid in cash or by a card linked to the app. Distances are bigger than they look: Chorsu to Amir Timur Square is about 4 km.
Local tips
- Heading west? The Uzbekistan's high-speed train: Tashkent to Samarkand in 2 hours 30 minutes, Tashkent to Bukhara in about 4 hours. Tickets are tied to your passport. Read more → to Samarkand leaves from Tashkent Central, which locals call the North station. Read more →
- On a trip of one or two weeks a local SIM needs no phone registration: the IMEI rules start after 60 days. Read more →
- For a mountain day without hairpin bends, take the Amirsoy Express gondola: nine minutes from the main road to the resort. Read more →
- Bring cash in som for Chorsu; hotels, restaurants and shops in the centre take cards.
- Book your time slot at the Center of Islamic Civilization in advance, especially at weekends. Read more →
Our take: how many days you need
One or two days at the start or end of a trip are enough: the city tour and the Chorsu bazaar fit into one day. A second day suits the Chimgan mountains, which are about an hour and a half away.
When to go: month by month
Daytime temperature, rainfall, public holidays and our rating for every month.
- Jan7.2° Cool, fewer people Cold: 7.2° by day 55 mm of rain ★ 1, 14
- Feb9.5° Cool, fewer people Cold: 9.5° by day 72 mm of rain
- Mar16° Great Cool: 16° by day 66 mm of rain ★ 8, 21
- Apr22.3° Great Comfortable: 22.3° by day 63 mm of rain
- May28° Great Comfortable: 28° by day 41 mm of rain ★ 9
- Jun33.6° Good Hot: 33.6° by day 17 mm of rain
- Jul35.9° Hard Hot: 35.9° by day 3 mm of rain
- Aug34.9° Hard Hot: 34.9° by day 2 mm of rain
- Sep29.5° Great Comfortable: 29.5° by day 5 mm of rain ★ 1
- Oct22.2° Great Comfortable: 22.2° by day 24 mm of rain ★ 1
- Nov14.1° Great Cool: 14.1° by day 51 mm of rain
- Dec8.6° Cool, fewer people Cold: 8.6° by day 58 mm of rain ★ 8
- 1 Jan — New Year
- 14 Jan — Defenders of the Motherland Day
- 8 Mar — International Women’s Day
- 21 Mar — Navruz
- 9 May — Day of Remembrance and Honour
- 1 Sep — Independence Day
- 1 Oct — Teachers’ Day
- 8 Dec — Constitution Day
- Ramadan Hayit (Eid al-Fitr): the date changes every year
- Kurban Hayit (Eid al-Adha): the date changes every year
Climate source: Википедия, статья «Tashkent», таблица климата (нормы 1991–2020; Pogoda.ru.net, NOAA) — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tashkent
Rating by daytime temperature: great — 18–30°, good — 12–18° or 30–33°, cool, fewer people — below 12°, hard — above 33°; heavy rain (100 mm and more) lowers great to good. For the cities we also follow our expert: the season is March–June and September–November, with March and November the best months (start and end of the season, few people); winter is not marked as a bad time.
How to see Tashkent
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How many days do I need in Tashkent?
1–2 days at the start or end of a trip
How do I get to Tashkent?
Main international airport and the hub for trains More in the article: Uzbekistan tours from Australia: flights, entry, seasons and how many days
When is the best time to go to Tashkent?
Spring (April–May) and autumn (September–October) are the most comfortable; summer days are hot. More in the article: Uzbekistan in August: weather, Melon Festival, grapes and mountains
What can I add nearby?
Nearby: Chimgan, Charvak and the Fergana Valley
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Why you can trust us
You talk to real people: Alexandra, Ksenia · Team →- Tour operator licence No. 853484Tashkent Tourism Committee, 2025, open-ended
- Liability insuredAPEX Insurance, policy EAPD No. 1016716
- You pay only after we confirm the tripBy card through OCTO, a licensed Uzbek payment service
- Our own office in Tashkent100105, 29, Surkhon, Mirabad district, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
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