Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
dome, is a delightful slice of city life spill-
ing into the streets off Old Town's southern
edge. If it grows and it's edible, it's here.
There are acres of spices arranged in bright-
ly coloured mountains; Volkswagen-sized
sacks of grain; entire sheds dedicated to
candy, dairy products and bread; intermi-
nable rows of freshly slaughtered livestock;
and - of course - scores of pomegranates,
melons, persimmons, huge mutant toma-
toes and whatever fruits are in season. Sou-
venir hunters will find
kurpacha
(colourful
sitting mattresses), skull caps,
chapan
(tra-
ditional cloaks) and knives here.
Kulkedash¨Medressa¨
MeDReSSA
(Beruni ko'chasi; admission 4000S;
h
10am-6pm)
The grand Kulkedash medressa sits beside
Tashkent's principal
Juma¨(Friday)¨Mosque
on a hill overlooking Chorsu Bazaar. The
mosque was built in the 1990s on the site
of a 16th-century mosque destroyed by the
Soviets. On warm Friday mornings the plaza
in front overflows with worshippers.
among its collection. The library is next to
the spartan 1856
Telyashayakh¨Mosque
.
Barak¨Khan¨Medressa¨
MeDReSSA
(
m
gofur gulom)
Souvenir shops occupy the
student rooms of this 16th-century medres-
sa located on the west side of Khast Imom
square.
Mausoleum¨of¨¨
Abu¨Bakr¨Kaffal¨Shoshi¨
MAUSoLeUM
(
m
gofur gulom)
This little 16th-century mau-
soleum of Abu Bakr Kaffal Shoshi, an Islam-
ic scholar and poet of the Shaybanid period,
is located northwest of Khast Imom square.
The front room contains his large tomb and
five smaller ones. Larger tombs of three
more sheikhs are at the back.
1
Navoi Park
Downtown Tashkent's largest park will ap-
peal to anyone with a taste for eccentricity.
Soviet architects had a field day here, erect-
ing a pod of spectacularly hideous concrete
monstrosities, such as the
Istiklol¨Palace
(Navoi Park;
m
Bunyodkur or Milliy Bog)
, formerly
the People's Friendship Palace, which ap-
pears like a moon-landing station from a
1950s film set, and the chunky
Wedding¨
Palace
(
m
Bunyodkur or Milliy Bog)
.
The tightly guarded building southwest of
Istiklol Palace is the
Oliy¨Majlis
(Parliament;
m
Bunyodkur or Milliy Bog)
, the lower house
of parliament. It currently functions as a
giant rubber stamp in its infrequent sessions.
Nearby are a vast promenade and a post-
Soviet
Alisher¨Navoi¨monument
(
m
Bunyod-
kur or Milliy Bog)
.
4
¨Sleeping
Tashkent's accommodation scene is slowly
improving and becoming more competitive,
but it's still underwhelming, so book ahead
during the peak months to ensure you can
stay where you want. The foreign operators
of several of Tashkent's fancier hotels pulled
out of Uzbekistan in the wake of the 2005
Andijon incident (p215), turning manage-
ment over to the state, meaning that there
are no truly international standard busi-
ness hotels at present. Nearly all hotels in
Tashkent use the official rate when calculat-
ing their prices, so rooms are up to a third
cheaper if you change your dollars or euro
on the black market. This doesn't work with
backpacker haunts, however. Also be aware
that registration is taken far more seriously
1
Khast Imom
The official religious centre of the repub-
lic, located 2km north of the Circus, is also
definitely one of the best places to see 'old
Tashkent'. A big renovation in recent years
has left the complex looking better than
ever. The Leviathan
Hazroti¨Imom¨Friday¨
mosque
(Karasaray;
m
gofur gulom)
, flanked
by two 54m minarets, is a recent construc-
tion, having been ordered by President Ka-
rimov in 2007. Behind it is the sprawling
Khast¨Imom¨Square
. The Muslim Board
of Uzbekistan, whose grand mufti is roughly
the Islamic equivalent of an archbishop, oc-
cupies a new building to the north of the
mosque.
Moyie¨Mubarek¨Library¨Museum¨
LiBRARY
(admission 10,000S;
h
9am-noon & 2-5pm Mon-
Fri, 10am-3pm Sat;
m
gofur gulom)
The pri-
mary attraction of the Khast Imom square
is this library museum, which houses
the 7th-century Osman Quran (Uthman
Quran), said to be the world's oldest. This
enormous deerskin tome was brought to
Samarkand by Timur, then taken to Mos-
cow by the Russians in 1868 before being
returned to Tashkent by Lenin in 1924 as
an act of goodwill towards Turkestan's
Muslims. It is Tashkent's most impressive
and important sight. The museum also
contains 30 or 40 rare 13th-century topics
