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Trees and museums are
two major attractions of Tashkent, a showpiece of Central Asia,
IF Tashkent ever had a patron saint, he must have been a horticulturist. The city, which was flattened by an earthquake in April 1966, was rebuilt by the Soviets around its trees. It can be, in fact, called a ‘city of trees’ as trees are its most striking feature, soaring high along the roads, in the parks, they are everywhere. The Russians wanted the city to be their showpiece in Central Asia. Hence, large parts of Tashkent resemble cities in east Europe. Wide-open roads, no choking traffic, clean environment, well laid-out parks, and lots of museums are some of the main features of the city. Uzbekistan is the central to the history of Central Asia, as most of the action of the Great Game was played out there. Tashkent is its capital. It is also the starting point of any excursion into this country. Among its parks, one of the best is the Timur Square, named after the Emir, who is known as Timurlane, or Timur, the lame, and whose kingdom once extended from Delhi to the Caspian Sea. The park has a profusion of tall trees and in a clearing in the middle is a large equestrian statue of Timur. The building of the Timur museumis shaped like the Emir’s crown. Inside are numerous artefacts, some of which are of particular interest to visitors from India because of our link with the region’s history. Among them is a chart of the family tree of Timur. The Emir had eight wives, and his descendents, too, were not exactly monogamous. So the progeny multiplied. Among his great-great-great-grandsons was Babur, who set up the Mughal dynasty in India. He was born in Ferghana valley, close to Tashkent. Still lower in the family tree is Shazoda Bahodur Shah aka Bahadur Shah Zafar. A portrait of Babur hangs in the museum. A model of the Taj Mahal is also displayed because it was one of descendents of Timur who built it. The History Museum has an even larger diversity of exhibits, from pre-historic times, through the Soviet era, to the present age. A Bronze Age surmadani, a do-tar musical instrument, a seventh century Buddha with a moustache are among the exhibits. Tashkent remembers late Indian Prime Minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri, well. There is a bust of Shastri in one of the Tashkent’s parks. He died here in 1966 soon after signing a peace accord with Pakistan President Ayub Khan. A school is also named after him, which is one of the two schools where Hindi is taught as a foreign language. The other is the Institute of Indian Culture where Hindi, kathak, tabla and yoga are taught gratis. Among the parks, the pride of place belongs to the Independence Square. It has manicured wooded lanes, and also a martyrs’ memorial in which names of thousands of soldiers, who died in World War II, are etched. It earlier had a statue of Lenin on a high pedestal. It has now been replaced by a globe. The memorial to the reconstruction of Tashkent, with its clock where the hour 5.23 am on April 24, 1966, is etched in concrete, is another fine piece of art. Tashkent does not look like a very affluent city. The apartment blocks seem quite drab; the cars on the road are old models of the Lada (like the Fiat NE of India) or new ones from the Daweoo stable. It is not an expensive place either. The Alishehr Navoiyi
theatre has regular ballet and opera shows, a legacy of the Soviet
times. A travel brochure lists at least 13 museums and art Public transport is good. One can move around by bus, tram, metro or electric trolley. However, not knowing the local languages (Russian or Uzbek) can pose a problem. Visitors have to hire guides. The Chorsu Bazaar, located at a junction of four ancient highways, is a traditional market. The city has no malls, but a few good supermarkets take care of most of the shopping. Carpets are the speciality here to shop for, and some hard bargaining always pays. Using the Uzbek currency, soum, is a bit of a problem because the highest denomination is 1000, equal to about Rs 30. Sometimes one needs a satchel to carry it around to make large payments. But dollars are also accepted. A dollar is equivalent to about 1320 soums. Tashkent is not a densely populated city. The Uzbeks seem to love outdoor activities. On holidays they head for the hills on their cars or bikes. The breathtaking Chervak Lake lies about 80 km from here. The road passes a rivulet on whose banks one can see scores of little tents and many cars, as families take a break from the daily grind. In winter these hill slopes provide good skiing. Russian and Uzbek are the two languages used, the former for official work as well. The latter was earlier written in the Cyrillic script, but they have switched over to Latin now. This is the one the government is now trying to promote.
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