Uzbek Odyssey: Journey to Tashkent
As far as capital cities go, Tashkent has a relaxed and easy feel, making it a perfect gateway to Uzbekistan
It’s hard for me to believe that I haven’t even been here for a week in Uzbekistan. Such has been my cultural immersion in this remarkably beautiful country that I have almost completely lost track of time. I spent a couple of memorable days in Tashkent before heading off on the Silk Route, but this post will focus on the journey there and my initial impressions of the Uzbek capital.
For those living in Delhi, flying to Tashkent takes as much time as going to Colombo. After negotiating a sleepless night in the Indian capital, since I had an 8:30 am flight, I wasn’t at my freshest best. The experience on Uzbekistan Airways was pleasantly refreshing. For starters, the Boeing 767-300 was comfortable and spacious and had individual monitors with a good inflight entertainment system.
On board the plane was an odd mix of Uzbek medical tourists, Russians returning home via Tashkent, Indian doctors going to treat poor Uzbek patients under a special government arrangement, Indian and Uzbek shuttle traders and a small group of Sikhs.
As soon as the plane took off, I switched on some Uzbek pop music and looked down at the parched dry North Indian landscape. Our plane would cross the Pakistan border in Punjab, over Lahore and through the Potohari Plains and Rawalpindi before crossing the erstwhile Northwest Frontier and into Afghanistan. From 36,000 feet above sea level, I got a micro glimpse of Jalalabad, before the plane headed north into the Pamirs!
Oh and what a glorious sight they were. A big chunk of the flight is over the snow-covered mountains that have filled books of non-fiction, fiction and poetry alike. While seeing the morning light glisten on the snowy mountains, we were served with a breakfast fit for a king! My first experience of Uzbek hospitality!
The plane kissed Tajik airspace and Dushanbe before entering Uzbekistan and landing in the capital. The airport was clean, spacious and bright and it took only a few minutes to clear immigration, a seamless procedure. The border guard was happy to communicate with me in Russian. The baggage took an eternity to come but then again I was on holiday and didn’t mind much.
Broad roads and relaxed feel
Arriving on a lovely and sunny spring morning, it was nice to see flowerbeds being laid out on the beautiful sidewalks. Tashkent definitely had the feel of a Soviet provincial capital. A lot of the city was rebuilt after the devastating earthquake of 1966, which rendered 200,000 people homeless. The airport is not far from the city centre and I was in my hotel quite quickly.
Of course, the staff was pleasantly surprised and happy to communicate with me in Russian. Uzbekistan did not want to leave the Soviet Union and the people seem to genuinely love Russia. There are at least 5 millions Uzbeks legally living and working in Russia at the moment. Most people I have spoken to over the last week squarely lay the blame on the Ukraine crisis on the West.
Just by chance, I ended up staying in a hotel in a neighbourhood that dates back to the early 20th century. Mainly comprised of 2 floor houses and glorious turn of the century mansions, this is where Russian and Central Asian merchants lived before the 1917 Revolution. Tashkent was the capital of Russian Turkestan and quite a bit has survived in the city from those days.
On the streets, Russian seemed to be the most common spoken language, with both ethnic Russians and those with Central Asian features speaking it. I quite enjoyed listening to the cute Uzbek accent.
While there is a strong Russian heritage in the city, Tashkent is a place full of contradictions. It is surrounded by villages comprising of modest cottages, while Soviet era 3 and 5-floor buildings dominate the city. There are also new and modern skyscrapers coming up that are being built with Turkish, Russian and German money.
Then there’s the craze to learn English and almost every bookstore has an IELTS guide. Unfortunately, none of the stores I visited had any non-fiction books about Uzbekistan in English or Russian.
Over two days I also managed to try the bus and metro systems in the city. The latter was built by the Soviets and though it is much smaller in size than Moscow, it is similar, with beautiful stations that are museums and art galleries!
Tashkent is by no means a new or Soviet city. It has mosques and madarassas that date back to the 16th century, like the Kukaldash. A trip to the Chorsu bazaar also takes one back in time.
It is indeed a city that merits visiting.