The Republic of Uzbekistan, the “land of Uzbeks,” forms the very center of Central Asia. Uzbekistan alone borders each of the four new republics – Kazakhstan to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tadjikistan to the east and southeast, and Turkmenistan to the southwest – and Afghanistan to the south. Uzbekistan covers a territory of 172,750 sq. miles and its 24 million inhabitants are made up of Uzbeks, accounting for almost 75 percent of the total population, Russians, Kazakhs, Tatars, Koreans, Tadjiks and so on. The Karakalpaks have autonomy within Uzbekistan. The length of the Republic from west to east is 885 miles and from north to south is 580 miles. The biggest rivers in Uzbekistan are the Amu-Darya and the Syr-Darya, whose full length is 893 miles and 1328 miles, respectively. While Russian remains the most useful language for travelers, Uzbek, which belongs to the Turk group of languages, is the state language now.

Over 100,000 years ago, primitive men were engraving caves in this region with scenes from his hunting lifestyle, but the haze of pre-history only begins to clear in the second Millennium BC, when the Bronze Age metallurgy developed the bronze bit, enabling horse riding. Mounted tribes facilitated contacts between the farming south and livestock-breeding north. An Aryan Indo-European race from the north led the first known migration onto the territory of the present-day Uzbekistan.

The land along the upper Amu-Darya, Syr-Darya and their tributaries has always been different from the rest of Central Asia. Its people are more settled than nomadic, with patterns of land use and social structures that changed little from the 6th century BC to the 19th century. The region was part of several very old Persian states. During the 4th century BC, Alexander the Great passed through and married the daughter of a local chieftain near Samarkand. Under the Kushan Empire, Buddhism took hold and the Silk Road brought peaceful contact with the wider world. Towns grew and the area became rich.

In the 6th century AD, Western Turks rode out of the steppes, bringing Islam and a written alphabet. When they moved on to greener pastures, Persia took over again, until Jenghiz Khan and his hordes rolled over the country. With the rise of the ruthless warrior Timur in the 14th century, Uzbekistan again rose to prosperity and Samarkand became a glittering Islamic capital thanks to his patronage of the arts.

In 1839 Russian Czar Nicholas I, who was eager to prevent British expansion in the area, raided into Uzbekistan, but his mission was not a great success. Twenty-five years later the Russians again made a serious move on Uzbekistan, and by 1875 the region was theirs.

After the October Revolution in 1917 on the territory of Central Asia five Soviet Union Republics came into being and existed till the split of the country. After proclaiming its Independence on August 31, 1991, Uzbekistan became a real member of the world society.

Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, is one of the most ancient cities in the world and the largest in Central Asia, with population of more than two millions. The city dates back to the 1st century BC. The word “Tashkent” means “the Stone Settlement.” Over the centuries, Tashkent changed its name several times: Shash, Chach, Chachkent, Binkent. It has been known under its present name from the 11th century. Today Tashkent is a major scientific and cultural center in Uzbekistan and in Central Asia. The Academy of Sciences, many institutes, universities, museums, and theatres are located there. There are many unique architectural monuments, such as Kukeldash and Barakhana Madrassahs.

RED STAR TRAVEL invites you to visit Uzbekistan, the mysterious and fabulous land, whose blend of desert, steppe, oasis, and river valley places the country at the heart of the complex interaction of nomadic culture and oasis settlement that patterns the history of Central Asia.

SHERATON TASHKENT AND TOWERS HOTEL

Centrally located, close to the historical center of the city and its major sights. 6 miles to the airport and 4 miles to the railway station. Opened in 1999. 16 floors. All floors accessible by elevator. 251 rooms. 122 rooms offered by Red Star Travel feature private bathroom, hair-dryer, air conditioner, color satellite TV, international direct-dial telephone, mini-bar. 24-h room service. Amudaryo Restaurant for 118 seats. Olive Grove Restaurant for 48 seats. Library Cocktail Lounge. Bar. Meeting and banqueting facilities for up to 200 people. Business Center. Sauna. Beauty shop. Hair salon. Shopping arcade. Safety deposit box. Currency Exchange. Laundry. Dry-cleaning. Baggage storage. Towncar service. On-site parking. Security service. English-speaking staff. Room rates - from $250.

LE MERIDIEN HOTEL

Conveniently located in the diplomatic district and financial heart of Tashkent. 4 miles to the airport, 5 miles to the railway station. 8 floors. All floors accessible by elevator. 320 rooms. 290 rooms offered by Red Star Travel feature private bathroom, air conditioner, color satellite and cable TV, international direct-dial telephone, refrigerator, mini-bar, in-room safe. 24-h room service. Shekherezade Restaurant. La Baguette Restaurant. The P.A.L.M. Restaurant. The Salty Dog Bar. Pool Bar. Meeting and banqueting facilities. Business Center. Service bureau. Health Club: outdoor swimming pool, sauna with Jacuzzi, gym. Beauty shop. Hair salon. Gift shop. Safety deposit box. Currency Exchange. Laundry. Dry-cleaning. Baggage storage. On-site parking. Security service. English-speaking staff.  Room rates - from $275.

SHODLIK PALACE HOTEL

Centrally located, close to the historical center of the city and its major sights. 9 miles to the airport and 6 miles to the railway station. Opened in 1993. 8 floors. All floors accessible by elevator. 107 rooms. 97 rooms offered by Red Star Travel feature private bathroom, hair-dryer, air conditioner, color satellite and cable TV, international direct-dial telephone, radio, mini-bar, in-room safe. 24-h room service. Gallery Restaurant for 62 seats. La Strada Restaurant for 52 seats. Hemingway Night Bar. Meeting and banqueting facilities for up to 150 people. Business Center. Health Club: sauna with massage, solarium, gym. Beauty shop. Hair salon. Gift shop. Safety deposit box. Currency Exchange. Laundry. Dry-cleaning. Baggage storage. On-site parking. Security service. English-speaking staff. Room rates - from $190.

UZBEKISTAN HOTEL

Ideally located in the city center, opposite the Amir Temur Square. Walking distance to the major tourist attractions and business area of the city. 6 miles to the airport, 9 miles to the railway station. Opened in 1974. Renovated in 1998. 17 floors. All floors accessible by elevator. 350 rooms. All rooms offered by Red Star Travel feature private bathroom with hair-dryer, air conditioner, color satellite and cable TV, radio, international direct-dial telephone, mini-bar. 24-h room service. Restaurant with 2 dining halls for totally 450 seats. Bar.  Night Bar with variety show. Meeting and banqueting facilities. Business Center. Service bureau. Health Club: outdoor swimming pool, sauna, gym. Hair salon. Gift shops. Safety deposit box. Currency Exchange. Laundry. Baggage storage. On-site parking. Security service. English-speaking staff. Room rates - from $90.

Tashkent Museums

Museum of Applied Arts. Operating hours: 9am - 5pm. The most interesting for first-time foreign visitors is the Museum of Applied Arts, part of which was constructed at the end of the 19th century in the elaborate style of the period as the private house of a rich merchant. The museum displays various types of national handicrafts - suzanis, golden embroidery, ceramics, jewelry, woodcarving, rugs, etc. The gift shop offers modern handicrafts and some antiques.

Museum of Fine Arts. Operating hours: 9 am - 5 pm, 9 am - 2 pm on Mondays, closed on Tuesdays. The museum boasts one of the richest collections of paintings in the former USSR. The collection is based on the private collection of Grand Duke Nikolay Konstantinovich Romanov who lived in Tashkent at the beginning of this century. Founded in 1918, the Museum is one of the oldest in the country. Its collection includes Western, Russian, and Uzbek paintings, as well as sculptures and graphic art of Italy, Spain, Netherlands, and France. Oriental art from Burma, China, Japan, and India is also well represented.

City Tour of Tashkent, 3 hours

Kukeldash Madrassah. One of the significant monuments of the 16th century in an area known as “Chorsu” (“four roads”) was built by vizier Kukeldash. Formerly, on the square near Madrassah, publicly were executed sentences of khans and kazies (judges).

Kaffal Shashi Mausoleum. The burial vault of Abu-Bakr-Muhammed Kaffal Shashi Sheikh - the local doctor, philosopher, and poet of Islam who lived in the 10th century AD. The place of his burial was considered as a holy one, and in 1541-42 the local architect Gulyam Gussain constructed the burial vault. Construction of the Mausoleum of Kaffal Shashi gave start to the construction of the whole Khasty Imam Square.

Barak Khan Madrassah. The complex of two Mausoleums with Madrassah that was built later. This complex is located on Khasty Imam Square and was founded in 16th century by a descendent of Tamerlane who ruled in Tashkent. Now it is also called “Vatican” of the East, for it is a residence of the Mufti (head of Moslems) of Central Asia.

Tellya Sheikh Mosque. Opposite to Barak Khan, the Tellya Sheikh Mosque was first built in the same era and now employed as the city’s main Friday mosque. It is famed for its Koran of Caliph Osman claimed to be the world’s oldest one.

Chorsu bazaar. Oriental bazaar in its full splendor, the place where old traditions are harmonically interlaced with the new ones.

City Tour of Tashkent, 4 hours

Mustakillik (Independence) Square. It was first known as the Cathedral Square, for a splendid Orthodox Church and a bell tower founded by the general-governor Kaufmann. The Cathedral was destroyed in the early 1930s as the square turned to be the Red Square. After proclaiming the Independence of Uzbekistan, the square turned to be Independence Square, and singers and fireworks on the Independence Day have replaced Soviet parades and demonstrations.

Amir Temur Square. The sign of the tribute to the history, where a statue of Tamerlane was erected in 1993 and later the Museum of Amir Temur was build to immortalize the fame of Tamerlane.

Monument to Courage. The monument is devoted to the peoples of Soviet Union who helped Tashkent people after disastrous earthquake that happened on April 26, 1966 in the result of which 70 thousand Uzbek families became homeless. From each part of Soviet Union - from Ukraine and Armenia, Russia and Kazakhstan - people came to reconstruct Tashkent.

Halklar Dustligi Square (square of peoples’ friendship). It is famed for its concert hall – 4,000 seats for political and musical displays – and a statue devoted to a heroic Uzbek family that adopted 15 orphans during World War II.

Monument to Alisher Navoi. Navoi is a leading name of the Uzbek classical literature of the 15th century. Near the monument is the Alisher Navoi theatre -Tashkent opera and ballet theatre constructed in 1947 - a yellow hybrid of classic and Oriental styles. The theatre is also an attraction for many tourists, because of Japanese prisoners of World War II who have built it.

The Mausoleum complex. Located 9 miles south of Tashkent, the complex ranks among the holiest sites in the province. Zangi-Ota or “Dark Father” was the dark-skinned Sheikh Al-Khodja, a 13th-century Sufi preacher and patron saint shepherds.

Tashkent metro. The pride of Tashkent and Uzbekistan. The construction started in 1972, and 5 years later the first train rolled on. Every metro station has been carefully designed and has its own unique style.

Amir Temur Museum. The museum was constructed in commemoration of Tamerlane’s 660th birthday; the outsize ripped dome conceals a bold interior where Timurid meets Independent Uzbekistan.

Tashkent TV Broadcasting Tower. The tower looks 1230 ft over Tashkent and has two revolving restaurants at the height of 330 ft; the red-decor restaurant of European cuisine and the blue-decor restaurant of Uzbek national cuisine. Enjoy the panorama of Tashkent in its full beauty.