Tashkent, Uzbekistan's capital, is an ancient city dating back to the dawn of the first millennium AD. It is situated in a fertile plain to the west of the Altai Mountains on the route connecting Shymkent and the equally ancient city of Samarkand. Tashkent is located close to the Chirchik River and the starting place of several of its tributaries, and is built on deep alluvial deposits. It lies in an earthquake-prone area and is subject to frequent tremors and other tectonic activity.

Tashkent, whose name means 'Stone Fortress', a name that was bestowed upon it in the 11th century, lay on the famed Silk Route leading through Europe to Asia and ending in China.

Our Tashkent Destination Guide below highlights the numerous things you could see and do on your Tashkent holiday. This guide, together with our Tashkent tours, gives you all the information you need to plan your activities whilst in the city. You should also take a look at our Uzbekistan Country Guide for general information about the country. You should also check out some of the exciting things to see and do in Samarkand.

Things to See & Do in Tashkent

Tashkent was first constructed in a thickly populated valley as a centre for trade between itinerant tribes and communities of settlers. The geographical location was congenial to its development as a link between western and eastern countries for trade, while its benign climate helped agriculture and livestock farming prosper. Most of Tashkent's characteristics as an ancient city were acquired during the 1st and 2nd centuries BC. A fortified defence wall made of bricks, with an inner clay wall, protected a palace inside its perimeter. This defence wall bears all the typical features of fortification that were common to that period. The city was a centre for brisk trade. The coinage of countries located geographically around Tashkent, for example, Byzantium in the west to China in the east, are witness to ancient Tashkent's supreme importance. Arab conquerors seized and ransacked the city - known as Chach then - during the first quarter of the 8th century.

Tashkent, whose name means "Stone Fortress", a name that was bestowed upon it in the 11th century, lay on the famed Silk Route leading through Europe to Asia and ending in China. The city still shows remnants, albeit very small, of that heritage even today. Tashkent became a Muslim city in the 8th century AD, and was a significant centre for commerce and trade during the Middle Ages. Wars and natural calamities have ruined most of the ancient buildings in Tashkent. The city has encountered many invaders in the past; in 1220, the city formed part of Genghis Khan's empire and was annexed by the Russian empire later, in 1865. Yet this city rooted in such a hoary past has transformed into a modern metropolis and exports automobiles and tractors, silk, cotton and textiles, as well as sulphur, rice , oil, coal, copper and electronic products, such as television sets to Eastern Europe.

At various times in the past, Tashkent was called Chach, Shash or Binkent. Each of these names is an inseparable part of the city's past. Tashkent has always been an important intersection for international transport, linking the West to the East. Regrettably, only a small part of its architectural past is preserved now, due to the destruction of a number of buildings after the revolution of 1917 and the massive earthquake that occurred in 1966.The Russian influence is not new in Tashkent; in 1865, the Tsar's army occupied the city by force, establishing Tashkent as the capital of Imperial Russia's Turkistan "satrapy". Also, with the advent of the Trans-Caspian Railway in 1889, Tashkent became connected to Russia. During the Russian Revolution, Tashkent was embroiled in widespread violence when White Russians and local nationalists fought against the Bolshevik uprising, albeit unsuccessfully.

Tashkent is very much a Soviet city that has little remaining from its ancient Central Asian past. Among the rare survivors of ancient architecture are: the Kukeldash Madrassah, the Sheikhantaur Ensemble and the Khazrati- Imam Complex. The city is an assortment of contemporary office buildings, hotels and parks.

The past few years have witnessed a buzz of activity by the Uzbek government, which has embarked on giving the city centre a major facelift. Roads, government buildings and parks are being torn down and constructed.