essay about uzbekistan

• Countries and Their Cultures
• Culture of Uzbekistan

Culture Name

Alternative names.

Uzbeq, Ozbek

Orientation

Identification. Uzbeks likely take their name from a khan. A leader of the Golden Horde in the fourteenth century was named Uzbek, though he did not rule over the people who would share his name.

Modern Uzbeks hail not only from the Turkic-Mongol nomads who first claimed the name, but also from other Turkic and Persian peoples living inside the country's borders. The Soviets, in an effort to divide the Turkic people into more easily governable subdivisions, labeled Turks, Tajiks, Sarts, Qipchaqs, Khojas, and others as Uzbek, doubling the size of the ethnicity to four million in 1924.

Today the government is strengthening the Uzbek group identity, to prevent the splintering seen in other multiethnic states. Some people have assimilated with seemingly little concern. Many Tajiks consider themselves Uzbek, though they retain the Tajik language; this may be because they have long shared an urban lifestyle, which was more of a bond than ethnic labels. Others have been more resistant to Uzbekization. Many Qipchaqs eschew intermarriage, live a nomadic lifestyle, and identify more closely with the Kyrgyz who live across the border from them. The Khojas also avoid intermarriage, and despite speaking several languages, have retained a sense of unity.

The Karakalpaks, who live in the desert south of the Aral Sea, have a separate language and tradition more akin to Kazakh than Uzbek. Under the Soviet Union, theirs was a separate republic, and it remains autonomous.

Location and Geography. Uzbekistan's 174,330 square miles (451,515 square kilometers), an area slightly larger than California, begin in the Karakum (Black Sand) and Kyzlkum (Red Sand) deserts of Karakalpakistan. The arid land of this autonomous republic supports a nomadic lifestyle. Recently, the drying up of the Aral Sea has devastated the environment, causing more than 30 percent of the area's population to leave, from villages in the early 1980s and then from cities. This will continue; the area was hit by a devastating drought in the summer of 2000.

Population increases to the east, centered around fertile oases and the valleys of the Amu-Darya River, once known as the Oxus, and the Zeravshan River, which supports the ancient city-states of Bokhara and Samarkand. The Ferghana Valley in the east is the heart of Islam in Uzbekistan. Here, where the country is squeezed between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, the mountainous terrain supports a continuing nomadic lifestyle, and in recent years has provided a venue for fundamentalist guerrillas. Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan also border the country. In 1867 the Russian colonial government moved the capital from Bokhara to Tashkent. With 2.1 million people, it is the largest city in Central Asia.

Linguistic Affiliation. Uzbek is the language of about twenty million Uzbeks living in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan. The language is Turkic and abounds with dialects, including Qarlug (which served as the literary language for much of Uzbek history), Kipchak, Lokhay, Oghuz, Qurama, and Sart, some of which come from other languages. Uzbek emerged as a distinct language in the fifteenth century. It is so close to modern Uyghur that speakers of each language can converse easily. Prior to Russian colonization it would often have been hard to say where one Turkic language started and another ended. But through prescribed borders, shifts in dialect coalesced into distinct languages. The Soviets replaced its Arabic script briefly with a Roman script and then with Cyrillic. Since independence there has been a shift back to Roman script, as well as a push to eliminate words borrowed from Russian.

About 14 percent of the population—mostly non-Uzbek—speak Russian as their first language; 5 percent speak Tajik. Most Russians do not speak Uzbek. Under the Soviet Union, Russian was taught as the Soviet lingua franca, but Uzbek was supported as the indigenous language of the republic, ironically resulting in the deterioration of other native languages and dialects. Today many people still speak Russian, but the government is heavily promoting Uzbek.

Symbolism. Symbols of Uzbekistan's independence and past glories are most common. The flag and national colors—green for nature, white for peace, red for life, and blue for water—adorn murals and walls. The twelve stars on the flag symbolize the twelve regions of the country. The crescent moon, a symbol of Islam, is common, though its appearance on the national flag is meant not as a religious symbol but as a metaphor for rebirth. The mythical bird Semurg on the state seal also symbolizes a national renaissance. Cotton, the country's main source of wealth, is displayed on items from the state seal to murals to teacups. The architectures of Samara and Bukhara also symbolize past achievements.

Amir Timur, who conquered a vast area of Asia from his seat in Samarkand in the fourteenth century, has become a major symbol of Uzbek pride and potential and of the firm but just and wise ruler—a useful image for the present government, which made 1996 the Year of Amir Timur. Timur lived more than a century before the Uzbeks reached Uzbekistan.

Independence Day, 1 September, is heavily promoted by the government, as is Navruz, 21 March, which highlights the country's folk culture.

History and Ethnic Relations

Emergence of the Nation. The Uzbeks coalesced by the fourteenth century in southern Siberia, starting as a loose coalition of Turkic-Mongol nomad tribes who converted to Islam. In the first half of the fifteenth century Abu al-Khayr Khan, a descendant of Genghis Khan, led them south, first to the steppe and semidesert north of the Syr-Daria River. At this time a large segment of Uzbeks split off and headed east to become the Kazakhs. In 1468 Abu'l Khayr was killed by a competing faction, but by 1500 the Uzbeks had regrouped under Muhammad Shaybani Khan, and invaded the fertile land of modern Uzbekistan. They expelled Amir Timur's heirs from Samarkand and Herat and took over the city-states of Khiva, Khojand, and Bokhara, which would become the Uzbek capital. Settling down, the Uzbeks traded their nomadism for urban living and agriculture.

The first century of Uzbek rule saw a flourishing of learning and the arts, but the dynasty then slid into decline, helped by the end of the Silk Route trade. In 1749 invaders from Iran defeated Bokhara and Khiva, breaking up the Uzbek Empire and replacing any group identity with the division between Sarts, or city dwellers, and nomads. What followed was the Uzbek emirate of Bokhara and Samarkand, and the khanates of Khiva and Kokand, who ruled until the Russian takeover.

Russia became interested in Central Asia in the eighteenth century, concerned that the British might break through from colonial India to press its southern flank. Following more than a century of indecisive action, Russia in 1868 invaded Bokhara, then brutally subjugated Khiva in 1873. Both were made Russian protectorates. In 1876, Khokand was annexed. All were subsumed into the Russian province of Turkistan, which soon saw the arrival of Russian settlers.

The 1910s produced the Jadid reform movement, which, though short-lived, sought to establish a community beholden neither to Islamic dogma nor to Russian colonists, marking the first glimmer of national identity in many years. With the Russian Revolution in 1917 grew hopes of independence, but by 1921 the Bolsheviks had reasserted control. In 1924 Soviet planners drew the borders for the soviet socialist republics of Uzbekistan and Karakalpakistan, based around the dominant ethnic groups. In 1929 Tajikstan was split off from the south of Uzbekistan, causing lasting tension between the two; many Uzbeks regard Tajiks as Persianized Uzbeks, while Tajikstan resented Uzbekistan's retention of the Tajik cities of Bokhara and Samarkand. Karakalpakistan was transferred to the Uzbekistan SSR in 1936, as an autonomous region. Over the ensuing decades, Soviet leaders solidified loose alliances and other nationalities into what would become Uzbek culture.

In August 1991 Uzbek Communists supported the reactionary coup against Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. After the coup failed, Uzbekistan declared its independence on 1 September. Though shifting away from communism, President Islom Kharimov, who had been the Communist Party's first secretary in Uzbekistan, has maintained absolute control over the independent state. He has continued to define a single Uzbek culture, while obscuring its Soviet creation.

National Identity. The Soviet government, and to a lesser extent the Russian colonial government that preceded it, folded several less prominent nationalities into the Uzbeks. The government then institutionalized a national Uzbek culture based on trappings such as language, art, dress, and food, while imbuing them with meanings more closely aligned with Communist ideology. Islam was removed from its central place, veiling of women was banned, and major and minor regional and ethnic differences were smoothed over in favor of an ideologically acceptable uniformity.

Since 1991 the government has kept the Soviet definition of their nationhood, simply because prior to this there was no sense or definition of a single Uzbek nation. But it is literally excising the Soviet formation of the culture from its history books; one university history test had just 1 question of 850 dealing with the years 1924 to 1991.

Ethnic Relations. The Soviet-defined borders left Uzbeks, Kyrgiz, Tajiks, and others on both sides of Uzbekistan. Since independence, tightening border controls and competition for jobs and resources have caused difficulties for some of these communities, despite warm relations among the states of the region.

In June 1989, rioting in the Ferghana Valley killed thousands of Meskhetian Turks, who had been deported there in 1944. Across the border in Osh, Kyrgyzstan, the Uzbek majority rioted in 1990 over denial of land.

There is official support of minority groups such as Russians, Koreans, and Tatars. These groups have cultural centers, and in 1998 a law that was to have made Uzbek the only language of official communication was relaxed. Nevertheless, non-Uzbek-speakers have complained that they face difficulties finding jobs and entering a university. As a result of this and of poor economic conditions, many Russians and others have left Uzbekistan.

Urbanism, Architecture, and the Use of Space

In ancient times the cities of Samarkand and Bokhara were regarded as jewels of Islamic architecture, thriving under Amir Timur and his descendants the Timurids. They remain major tourist attractions.

During the Soviet period, cities became filled with concrete-slab apartment blocks of four to nine stories, similar to those found across the USSR. In villages and suburbs, residents were able to live in more traditional one-story houses built around a courtyard. These houses, regardless of whether they belong to rich or poor, present a drab exterior, with the family's wealth and taste displayed only for guests. Khivan houses have a second-story room for entertaining guests. Since independence, separate houses have become much more popular, supporting something of a building boom in suburbs of major cities. One estimate puts two-thirds of the population now living in detached houses.

The main room of the house is centered around the dusterhon, or tablecloth, whether it is spread on the floor or on a table. Although there are not separate areas for women and children, women tend to gather in the kitchen when male guests are present.

Each town has a large square, where festivals and public events are held.

Parks are used for promenading; if a boy and a girl are dating, they are referred to as walking together. Benches are in clusters, to allow neighbors to chat.

Food and Economy

Food in Daily Life. Bread holds a special place in Uzbek culture. At mealtime, bread will be spread to cover the entire dusterhon. Traditional Uzbek bread, tandir non, is flat and round. It is always torn by hand, never placed upside down, and never thrown out.

Meals begin with small dishes of nuts and raisins, progressing through soups, salads, and meat dishes and ending with palov, a rice-and-meat dish synonymous with Uzbek cuisine throughout the former Soviet Union; it is the only dish often cooked by men. Other common dishes, though not strictly Uzbek, include monti, steamed dumplings of lamb meat and fat, onions, and pumpkin, and kabob, grilled ground meat. Uzbeks favor mutton; even the nonreligious eschew pig meat.

Because of their climate, Uzbeks enjoy many types of fruits, eaten fresh in summer and dried in winter, and vegetables. Dairy products such as katyk, a liquid yogurt, and suzma, similar to cottage cheese, are eaten plain or used as ingredients.

Tea, usually green, is drunk throughout the day, accompanied by snacks, and is always offered to guests.

Meals are usually served either on the floor, or on a low table, though high tables also are used. The table is always covered by a dusterhon. Guests sit on carpets, padded quilts, chairs, or beds, but never on pillows. Men usually sit cross-legged, women with their legs to one side. The most respected guests sit away from the entrance. Objects such as shopping bags, which are considered unclean, never should be placed on the dusterhon, nor should anyone ever step on or pass dirty items over it.

The choyhona, or teahouse, is the focal point of the neighborhood's men. It is always shaded, and if possible located near a stream.

The Soviets introduced restaurants where meals center around alcohol and can last through the night.

Food Customs at Ceremonial Occasions. Uzbeks celebrate whenever possible, and parties usually consist of a large meal ending with palov. The food is accompanied by copious amounts of vodka, cognac, wine, and beer. Elaborate toasts, given by guests in order of their status, precede each round of shots. After, glasses are diligently refilled by a man assigned the task. A special soup of milk and seven grains is eaten on Navruz. During the month of Ramadan, observant Muslims fast from sunrise until sunset.

Basic Economy. The majority of goods other than food come from China, Turkey, Pakistan, and Russia. It is very common for families in detached homes to have gardens in which they grow food or raise a few animals for themselves, and if possible, for sale. Even families living in apartments will try to grow food on nearby plots of land, or at dachas.

Land Tenure and Property. Beginning in 1992, Uzbekistanis have been able to buy their apartments or houses, which had been state property, for the equivalent of three months' salary. Thus most homes have become private property.

Agricultural land had been mainly owned by state or collective farms during the Soviet period. In many cases the same families or communities that farmed the land have assumed ownership, though they are still subject to government quotas and government guidelines, usually aimed at cotton-growing.

About two-thirds of small businesses and services are in private hands. Many that had been state-owned were auctioned off. While the former nomenklatura (government and Communist Party officials) often won the bidding, many businesses also have been bought by entrepreneurs. Large factories, however, largely remain state-owned.

Major Industries. Uzbekistan's industry is closely tied to its natural resources. Cotton, the white gold of Central Asia, forms the backbone of the economy, with 85 percent exported in exchange for convertible currency. Agricultural machinery, especially for cotton, is produced in the Tashkent region. Oil refineries produce about 173,000 barrels a day.

The Korean car maker Daewoo invested $650 million in a joint venture, UzDaewoo, at a plant in Andijan, which has a capacity of 200,000 cars. However, in 1999 the plant produced just 58,000 cars, and it produced far less in 2000, chiefly for the domestic market. With Daewoo's bankruptcy in November 2000, the future of the plant is uncertain at best.

Trade. Uzbekistan's main trading partners are Russia, South Korea, Germany, the United States, Turkey, and Kazakhstan. Before independence, imports were mainly equipment, consumer goods, and foods. Since independence, Uzbekistan has managed to stop imports of oil from Kazakhstan and has also lowered food imports by reseeding some cotton fields with grain.

Uzbekistan is the world's third-largest cotton exporter.

Uzbekistan exported about $3 billion (U.S.), primarily in cotton, gold, textiles, metals, oil, and natural gas, in 1999. Its main markets are Russia, Switzerland, Britain, Belgium, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan.

Division of Labor. According to government statistics, 44 percent of workers are in agriculture and forestry; 20 percent in industry; 36 percent in the service sector. Five percent unemployed, and 10 percent are underemployed. Many rural jobless, however, may be considered agricultural workers.

A particular feature of the Uzbekistan labor system is the requirement of school and university students, soldiers, and workers to help in the cotton harvest. They go en masse to the fields for several days to hand-pick cotton.

Many Uzbeks, particularly men, work in other parts of the former Soviet Union. Bazaars from Kazakhstan to Russia are full of Uzbek vendors, who command higher prices for their produce the farther north they travel. Others work in construction or other seasonal labor to send hard currency home.

About 2 percent of the workforce is of pension age and 1 percent is under sixteen.

Social Stratification

Classes and Castes. During the Soviet Union, Uzbekistani society was stratified not by wealth but by access to products, housing, and services. The nomenklatura could find high-quality consumer goods, cars, and homes that simply were unattainable by others. Since independence, many of these people have kept jobs that put them in positions to earn many times the $1,020 (U.S.) average annual salary reported by the United Nations. It is impossible to quantify the number of wealthy, however, as the vast majority of their income is unreported, particularly if they are government officials.

Many members of the former Soviet intelligentsia—teachers, artists, doctors, and other skilled service providers—have been forced to move into relatively unskilled jobs, such as bazaar vendors and construction workers, where they could earn more money. Urban residents tend to earn twice the salaries of rural people.

Symbols of Social Stratification. As elsewhere in the former Soviet Union, the new rich tend to buy and show off expensive cars and limousines, apartments, and clothes and to go to nightclubs. Foreign foods and goods also are signs of wealth, as is a disdain for shopping in bazaars.

Political Life

Government. Uzbekistan is in name republican but in practice authoritarian, with Kharimov's Halq Tarakiati Partiiasi, or People's Democratic Party, controlling all aspects of governance. On 9 January 2000 he was reelected for a five-year term, with a 92 percent turnout and a 92 percent yes vote. Earlier, a March 1995 referendum to extend his term to 2000 resulted in a 99 percent turnout and a 99 percent yes vote. The legislature, Oliy Majlis, was inaugurated in 1994. At that time the ruling party captured 193 seats, though many of these candidates ran as independents. The opposition political movement Birlik, or Unity, and the party Erk, or Will, lack the freedom to directly challenge the government.

Makhallas, or neighborhood councils of elders, provide the most direct governance. Some opinion polls have ranked makhallas just after the president in terms of political power. Makhallahs address social needs ranging from taking care of orphans, loaning items, and maintaining orderly public spaces, to sponsoring holiday celebrations. In Soviet times these were institutionalized, with makhalla heads and committees appointed by the local Communist Party. Then and now, however, makhallas have operated less smoothly in neighborhoods of mixed ethnicities.

Leadership and Political Officials. The president appoints the head, or khokim, of each of Uzbekistan's 12 regions, called viloyatlars, and of Karakalpakistan and Tashkent, who in turn appoint the khokims of the 216 regional and city governments. This top-down approach ensures a unity of government policies and leads to a diminishing sense of empowerment the farther one is removed from Kharimov.

Khokims and other officials were chiefly drawn from the Communist Party following independence—many simply kept their jobs—and many remain. Nevertheless, Kharimov has challenged local leaders to take more initiative, and in 1997 he replaced half of them, usually with public administration and financial experts, many of whom are reform-minded.

Corruption is institutionalized at all levels of government, despite occasional prosecution of officials. Students, for example, can expect to pay bribes to enter a university, receive high grades, or be exempted from the cotton harvest.

Social Problems and Control. The government has vigorously enforced laws related to drug trafficking and terrorism, and reports of police abuse and torture are widespread. The constitution calls for independent judges and open access to proceedings and justice. In practice, defendants are seldom acquitted, and when they are, the government has the right to appeal.

Petty crime such as theft is becoming more common; violent crime is much rarer. Anecdotal evidence points to an increase in heroin use; Uzbekistan is a transshipment point from Afghanistan and Pakistan to Europe, and access is relatively easy despite tough antidrug laws.

People are often reluctant to call the police, as they are not trusted. Instead, it is the responsibility of families to see that their members act appropriately. Local communities also exert pressure to conform.

Military Activity. Uzbekistan's military in 2000 was skirmishing with the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, a militant group opposed to the secular regime, and numbering in the hundreds or thousands. Besides clashes in the mountains near the Tajikistani border, the group has been blamed for six car bombings in Tashkent in February 2000.

Uzbekistan spends about $200 million (U.S.) a year on its military and has 150,000 soldiers, making it the strongest in the region.

Nongovernmental Organizations and Other Associations

Most domestic nongovernmental organizations are funded and supported by the government, and all must be registered. Kamolot, registered in 1996, is the major youth organization, and is modeled on the Soviet Komsomol. Ekosan is an environmental group. The Uzbek Muslim Board has been active in building mosques and financing religious education. The Women's Committee of Uzbekistan, a government organization, is tasked with ensuring women's access to education as well as employment and legal rights, and claims three million members.

The government also has set up quasi nongovernmental organizations, at times to deflect attention from controversial organizations. The Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan, for example, was denied registration from 1992 to 1997, before the government set up its own human rights monitor.

The leaders of these groups may receive privileges once granted to the Soviet nomenklatura, such as official cars and well-equipped offices.

There are no independent trade unions, though government-sponsored unions are common. The Employment Service and Employment Fund was set up in 1992 to address issues of social welfare, employment insurance, and health benefits for workers.

Ironically, some truly independent organizations from the Soviet period, such as the Committee to Save the Aral Sea, were declared illegal in 1994. Social groups associated with Birlik also have been denied registration.

Gender Roles and Statuses

Division of Labor by Gender. Before the Soviet period, men worked outside the house while women did basic domestic work, or supplemented the family income by spinning, weaving, and embroidering with silk or cotton. From the 1920s on, women entered the workforce, at textile factories and in the cotton fields, but also in professional jobs opened to them by the Soviet education system. They came to make up the great majority of teachers, nurses, and doctors. Family pressure, however, sometimes kept women from attaining higher education, or working outside the home. With independence, some women have held on to positions of power, though they still may be expected to comport themselves with modesty. Men in modern Uzbekistan, though, hold the vast majority of managerial positions, as well as the most labor-intensive jobs. It is common now for men to travel north to other former Soviet republics to work in temporary jobs. Both sexes work in bazaars.

The Relative Status of Women and Men. Uzbekistan is a male-dominated society, particularly in the Ferghana Valley. Nevertheless, women make up nearly half the workforce. They hold just under 10 percent of parliamentary seats, and 18 percent of administrative and management positions, according to U.N. figures.

Women run the households and traditionally control the family budgets. When guests are present they are expected to cloister themselves from view.

In public women are expected to cover their bodies completely. Full veiling is uncommon, though it is occasionally practiced in the Ferghana Valley. Women often view this as an expression of their faith and culture rather than as an oppressive measure.

Marriage, Family, and Kinship

Marriage. Uzbek women usually marry by twenty-one; men not much later. Marriage is an imperative for all, as families are the basic structure in society. A family's honor depends on their daughters' virginity; this often leads families to encourage early marriage.

In traditional Uzbek families, marriages are often still arranged between families; in more cosmopolitan ones it is the bride and groom's choice. Either way, the match is subject to parental approval, with the mother in practice having the final word. Preference is given to members of the kin group. There is particular family say in the youngest son's choice, as he and his bride will take care of his parents. People tend to marry in their late teens or early twenties. Weddings often last for days, with the expense borne by the bride's family. The husband's family may pay a bride price. Polygamy is illegal and rare, but it is not unknown.

Following independence, divorce has become more common, though it is still rare outside of major cities. It is easier for a man to initiate divorce.

Domestic Unit. Uzbek families are patriarchal, though the mother runs the household. The average family size is five or six members, but families of ten or more are not uncommon.

Kin Groups. Close relations extends to cousins, who have the rights and responsibilities of the nuclear family and often are called on for favors. If the family lives in a detached house and there is space, the sons may build their homes adjacent to or around the courtyard of the parents' house.

Socialization

Infant Care. Uzbek babies are hidden from view for their first forty days. They are tightly swaddled when in their cribs and carried by their mothers. Men generally do not take care of or clean babies.

Child Rearing and Education. Children are cherished as the reason for life. The mother is the primary caretaker, and in case of divorce, she will virtually always take the children. The extended family and the community at large, however, also take an interest in the child's upbringing.

When children are young, they have great freedom to play and act out. But as they get older, particularly in school, discipline increases. A good child becomes one who is quiet and attentive, and all must help in the family's labor.

All children go to school for nine years, with some going on to eleventh grade; the government is increasing mandatory education to twelve years.

Higher Education. Enrollment in higher-education institutions is about 20 percent, down from more than 30 percent during the Soviet period. A major reason for the decline is that students do not feel a higher education will help them get a good job; also contributing is the emigration of Russians, and declining standards related to budget cutbacks. Nevertheless, Uzbeks, particularly in cities, still value higher education, and the government gives full scholarships to students who perform well.

Elders are respected in Uzbek culture. At the dusterhon, younger guests will not make themselves more comfortable than their elders. The younger person should always greet the older first.

Men typically greet each other with a handshake, the left hand held over the heart. Women place their right hand on the other's elbow. If they are close friends or relatives, they may kiss each other on the cheeks.

If two acquaintances meet on the street, they will usually ask each other how their affairs are. If the two don't know each other well, the greeting will be shorter, or could involve just a nod.

Women are expected to be modest in dress and demeanor, with clothing covering their entire body. In public they may walk with their head tilted down to avoid unwanted attention. In traditional households, women will not enter the room if male guests are present. Likewise, it is considered forward to ask how a man's wife is doing. Women generally sit with legs together, their hands in their laps. When men aren't present, however, women act much more casually.

People try to carry themselves with dignity and patience, traits associated with royalty, though young men can be boisterous in public.

People tend to dress up when going out of the house. Once home they change, thus extending the life of their street clothes.

Religious Beliefs. Uzbeks are Sunni Muslims. The territory of Uzbekistan has been a center of Islam in the region for a thousand years, but under the Soviet Union the religion was heavily controlled: mosques were closed and Muslim education was banned. Beginning in 1988, Uzbeks have revived Islam, particularly in the Ferghana Valley, where mosques have been renovated. The call to prayer was everywhere heard five times a day before the government ordered the removal of the mosques' loudspeakers in 1998.

The state encourages a moderate form of Islam, but Kharimov fears the creation of an Islamic state. Since the beginning of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan's terror campaign in February 1999, he has cracked down even further on what he perceives as extremists, raising claims of human rights abuses. The government is particularly concerned about what it labels Wahhabism, a fundamentalist Sunni sect that took hold in the Ferghana Valley following independence.

Nine percent of the population is Russian Orthodox. Jews, Baptists, Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Seventh-Day Adventists, evangelical and Pentecostal Christians, Buddhists, Baha'is, and Hare Krishnas also are present.

Religious Practitioners. Most Sunni Uzbeks are led by a state-appointed mufti. Independent imams are sometimes repressed, and in May 1998, a law requiring all religious groups to register with the government was enacted. In addition to leading worship, the Muslim clergy has led mosque restoration efforts and is playing an increasing role in religious education.

Death and the Afterlife. Uzbeks bury their deceased within twenty-four hours of death, in above-ground tombs. At the funeral, women wail loudly and at specific times. The mourning period lasts forty days. The first anniversary of the death is marked with a gathering of the person's friends and relatives.

Muslims believe that on Judgment Day, each soul's deeds will be weighed. They will then walk across a hair-thin bridge spanning Hell, which leads to Paradise. The bridge will broaden under the feet of the righteous, but the damned will lose their balance and fall.

Medicine and Health Care

Current health practices derive from the Soviet system. Health care is considered a basic right of the entire population, with clinics, though ill-equipped, in most villages, and larger facilities in regional centers. Emphasis is on treatment over prevention. Yet the state health care budget—80 million dollars in 1994—falls far short of meeting basic needs; vaccinations, for example, fell off sharply following independence. Exacerbating the situation is a lack of potable water, industrial pollution, and a rise in infectious diseases such as tuberculosis.

Perhaps the most common traditional health practices are shunning cold drinks and cold surfaces, which are believed to cause colds and damage to internal organs, and avoiding drafts, or bad winds. Folk remedies and herbal treatments also are common. An example is to press bread to the ailing part of the body. The sick person then gives a small donation to a homeless person who will agree to take on his or her illness.

Secular Celebrations

The major secular holidays are New Year's Day (1 January); Women's Day (8 March), a still popular holdover from the Soviet Union, when women receive gifts; Navrus (21 March), originally a Zoroastrian holiday, which has lost its religious significance but is still celebrated with Sumaliak soup, made from milk and seven grains; Victory Day (9 May), marking the defeat of Nazi Germany; and Independence Day (1 September), celebrating separation from the Soviet Union.

Uzbeks typically visit friends and relatives on holidays to eat large meals and drink large amounts of vodka. Holidays also may be marked by concerts or parades centered on city or town squares or factories. The government marks Independence Day and Navrus with massive outdoor jamborees in Tashkent, which are then broadcast throughout the country, and places of work or neighborhoods often host huge celebrations.

The Arts and Humanities

Support for the Arts. During the Soviet period, the government gave extensive support to the arts, building cultural centers in every city and paying the salaries of professional artists. With independence, state funding has shrunk, though it still makes up the bulk of arts funding. Many dance, theater, and music groups continue to rely on the state, which gives emphasis to large productions and extravaganzas, controls major venues, and often has an agenda for the artists to follow.

Other artists have joined private companies who perform for audiences of wealthy business-people and tourists. Some money comes in from corporate sponsorship and international charitable organizations—for example UNESCO and the Soros Foundation's Open Society Institute. Yet many artists have simply been forced to find other work.

Literature. The territory of Uzbekistan has a long tradition of writers, though not all were Uzbek. The fifteenth-century poet Alisher Navoi, 1441–1501, is most revered; among his works is a treatise comparing the Persian and Turkish languages. Abu Rayhan al-Biruni, 973–1048, born in Karakalpakistan, wrote a massive study of India. Ibn Sina, also known as Avicenna, 980–1037, wrote The Cannon of Medicine. Omar Khayyam, 1048–1131, came to Samarkand to pursue mathematics and astronomy. Babur, 1483–1530, born in the Ferghana Valley, was the first Moghul leader of India, and wrote a famous autobiography.

Until the twentieth century, Uzbek literary tradition was largely borne by bakshi, elder minstrels who recited myths and history through epic songs, and otin-oy, female singers who sang of birth, marriage and death.

The Jadids produced many poets, writers, and playwrights. These writers suffered greatly in the Stalinist purges of the 1930s. Later the Soviet Union asked of its writers that they be internationalists and further socialist goals. Abdullah Qahhar, 1907–1968, for example, satirized Muslim clerics. But with the loosening of state control in the 1980s, a new generation of writers renewed the Uzbek language and Uzbek themes. Many writers also were active in Birlik, which started as a cultural movement but is now suppressed.

Graphic Arts. Uzbekistan has begun a revival of traditional crafts, which suffered from the Soviet view that factory-produced goods were superior to handicrafts. Now master craftsmen are reappearing in cities such as Samarkand and Bukhara, supported largely by foreign tourists. Miniature painting is narrative in character, using a wide palette of symbols to tell their stories. They can be read from right to left as a book, and often accompany works of literature. Wood carving, of architectural features such as doors and pillars and of items such as the sonduq, a box given to a bride by her parents, also is regaining a place in Uzbek crafts. Ikat is a method of cloth dying, now centered in the Yordgorlik Silk Factory in Margilan. Silk threads are tie-dyed, then woven on a loom to create soft-edged designs for curtains, clothing, and other uses.

Performance Arts. Uzbek music is characterized by reedy, haunting instruments and throaty, nasal singing. It is played on long-necked lutes called dotars, flutes, tambourines, and small drums. It developed over the past several hundred years in the khanates on the territory of modern Uzbekistan, where musicians were a central feature of festivals and weddings. The most highly regarded compositions are cycles called maqoms. Sozandas, sung by women accompanied by percussion instruments, also are popular. In the 1920s, Uzbek composers were encouraged, leading to a classical music tradition that continues today. Modern Uzbek pop often combines elements of folk music with electric instruments to create dance music.

Uzbek dance is marked by fluid arm and upper-body movement. Today women's dance groups perform for festivals and for entertainment, a practice started during the Soviet period. Earlier, women danced only for other women; boys dressed as women performed for male audiences. One dance for Navruz asks for rain; others depict chores, other work, or events. Uzbek dance can be divided into three traditions: Bokhara and Samarkand; Khiva; and Khokand. The Sufi dance, zikr, danced in a circle accompanied by chanting and percussion to reach a trance state, also is still practiced.

Uzbekistan's theater in the twentieth century addressed moral and social issues. The Jadidists presented moral situations that would be resolved by a solution consistent with Islamic law. During the Soviet period dramatists were sometimes censored. The Ilkhom Theater, founded in 1976, was the first independent theater in the Soviet Union.

Admission to cultural events is kept low by government and corporate sponsorship. It also has become common for dancers to perform for groups of wealthy patrons.

The State of the Physical and Social Sciences

Uzbekistan has several higher-education institutions, with departments aimed at conducting significant research. Funding, however, has lagged since independence. The goal of the Academy of Sciences in Tashkent is practical application of science. It has physical and mathematical, chemicalbiological, and social sciences departments, with more than fifty research institutions and organizations under them.

Bibliography

Adams, Laura L. "What Is Culture? Schemas and Spectacles in Uzbekistan." Anthropology of East Europe Review 16 (2): 65–71, 1998.

Ali, Muhammad. "Let Us Learn Our Inheritance: Get to Know Yourself." AACAR Bulletin 2 (3): 3–18, 1989.

Allworth, Edward A. The Modern Uzbeks: From the Fourteenth Century to the Present; A Cultural History, 1990.

Freedom House 2000. Freedom in the World, The Annual Survey of Political Rights and Civil Liberties, 1999–2000: Uzbekistan Country Report, 2000.

Griffin, Keith. Issues in Development Discussion Paper 13: The Macroeconomic Framework and Development Strategy in Uzbekistan, 1996.

Human Rights Watch. Human Rights Watch World Report 2000: Uzbekistan, 2000.

Jukes, Geoffrey J.; Kirill Nourzhanov, and Mikhail Alexandrov. Race, Religion, Ethnicity and Economics in Central Asia, 1998.

Kalter, Johannes, and Margareta Pavaloi. Uzbekistan: Heirs to the Silk Road, 1997.

Khan, Azizur Rahman. Issues in Development Discussion Paper 14: The Transition of Uzbekistan's Agriculture to a Market Economy, 1996.

Kharimov, Islom A. Uzbekistan on the Threshold of the Twenty-first Century: Challenges to Stability and Progress, 1998.

Nazarov, Bakhtiyar A., and Denis Sinor. Essays on Uzbek History, Culture, and Language, 1993.

Nettleton, Susanna. "Uzbek Independence and Educational Change," Central Asia Monitor 3, 1992.

Paksoy, H. B. "Z. V. Togan: The Origins of the Kazaks and the Ozbeks," Central Asian Survey 11 (3), 1992.

Prosser, Sarah. "Reform Within and Without the Law: Further Challenges for Central Asian NGOs," Harvard Asia Quarterly, 2000.

Schoeberlein-Engel, John. "The Prospects for Uzbek National Identity," Central Asia Monitor 2, 1996.

"Tamerlane v. Marx;" Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists 50 (1), 1994.

U.N. Development Project. Human Development Report: Uzbekistan 1997, 1997.

UNESCO, Education Management Profile: Uzbekistan, 1998.

U.S. Department of State. Background Notes: Uzbekistan , 1998.

U.S. Department of State, Central Intelligence Agency. The CIA World Factbook , 2000.

U.S. Library of Congress. Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan: Country Studies, 1997.

—J EFF E RLICH

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Uzbekistan: A GeoHistory Study Guide

9 November 2022

When the Silk Road passed through Uzbekistan, its cities grew to some of the world’s largest, most prosperous, and most learned. Many of the great architectural marvels built during those years still stand.

Today, Uzbekistan remains Central Asia’s most populous country. Although mostly desert, it is rich in mineral wealth and its Ferghana Valley is the region’s most agriculturally productive area. As the only state to border all five other Central Asian states, Uzbekistan is expected to be increasingly active in integrating the fractious but strategic region, especially as its new president has made this a stated priority.

Geohistory and Historical Development

Uzbekistan was likely first populated when the world was much cooler and wetter. The area at that time was covered by grasslands. As it dried and warmed, water became scarcer and people adapted by engineering complex and highly efficient irrigation systems.

The drying landscape led to greater distance between communities, requiring more travel to sustain trade. This could be one reason why Central Asians were the first equestrians, allowing them to travel farther and faster overland than anyone had before. Central Asia came to be influenced by cultures as far apart as India, China, and Greece. Multiple languages and religions thrived there along what became “The Silk Road” – a multitude of trade networks that carried many goods across Eurasia, including those produced in Central Asia itself such as paper, textiles, pottery, jewelry, and more.

The Silk Road was not a single road – nor did it only carry silk. It was a complex trade network that stretched from China and India to Europe through Central Asia and carried paper, spices, pottery, gold, silver, and much more.

Wealth from this trade allowed rulers to lavishly support the arts and sciences, leading to a golden age between 800 and 1100. Central Asians made many contributions to mathematics including the invention of algebra and major contributions to trigonometry. They also made major contributions to astronomy, literature, religion, and architecture, including the invention of algebra. They also excelled at languages and translated scientific and philosophical works from many different lands. Much of this work was done in Persian or Arabic, which were then strong regional languages useful for widely spreading information. Because of this, many historians have incorrectly called these authors Persian or Arabic. In reality these thinkers were from the dozens of ethnicities native to this land.

Because of the barren distances between them, governments in Central Asia largely functioned as city states which were sometimes incorporated into larger empires but generally maintained a high degree of autonomy.

The firebird is one of many symbols to survive the Zoroastrian era and remain widely popular.

In part because of this diversity and autonomy, Islam was slowly adopted after its introduction with the Arab invasions in the 8th century. Islam was also locally adapted to existing beliefs. To this day, Islam in Central Asia still has its own unique elements, influenced in great part by Zorastrianism.

As advances were made globally in maritime technology, Central Asia’s overland Silk Road declined starting in the late 14th century. In parallel, Central Asia had another great flowering from 1370–1507 under the Timurid Empire, which united the area under a local Turkic-speaking empire for the first time and saw additional advances in politics, the military, science, and the arts.

Although the area would never be as powerful again, it largely maintained independence until the Russians invaded in the 19th century. It regained independence after the fall of the USSR.

Much of this history was spread over an area much larger than modern day Uzbekistan – especially in cities now in Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. However, the Uzbeks see all this history as part of their own cultural foundations.

Economy – Agriculture

A little larger than California, modern Uzbekistan is mostly flat desert. Mountains rise in the east, where most of the country’s water sources originate and where most of its population lives. While only 10% of the country can be used for intensive crop farming, agriculture employs 26% of the population and provides 27% of GDP.

Cotton and wheat, both water-intensive crops, are central to the economy. Soviet-era irrigation made this possible, largely using water that would have otherwise fed into the saline Aral Sea. This created the Aral Sea ecological disaster . The shrinking sea could no longer cool the area, leading to rising temperatures. The once important fishing industry was destroyed. Fine dust and salt from the now-dry sea bed is still blown into cities and farm land, creating health problems and reducing crop yields.

More water-efficient greenhouses for growing fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes and cucumbers for local consumption are increasingly common. However, agricultural reform on a scale that would restore the Aral Sea is not considered possible.

About half of Uzbekistan is desert scrub, and can support sheep and camel production. Industrial yarn, used to produce textiles, is Uzbekistan’s second largest export.

Economy – Minerals and Industry

Gold is, by far, Uzbekistan’s largest export, at about $6 billion a year and drawn from the world’s fourth largest deposits. Copper is the third largest export. Valuable deposits of uranium as well as silver, molybdenum (used in making steel), tungsten, zinc, and lead are also mined.

Uzbekistan’s large and well-educated workforce supports a well-developed industrial base that produces petrochemicals, automobiles (including Chevrolet and Daewoo), machinery (including John Deere tractors), textiles, and processed foods.

Mining and industry employ 30% of the population and produce 30% of GDP.

Economy – Energy, Transport, and Potential Growth

Uzbekistan is a net energy exporter with significant deposits of natural gas, oil, coal, and uranium. Despite a vast potential for solar power, its first plant, a Saudi investment, opened only in 2021. Before that, the only renewable sources of energy came from three hydropower plants in the country’s east. Plans exist to build more solar and wind plants, but considerable investment will be needed to achieve its potential.

Uzbekistan is a double-landlocked country with no sea access and its local rivers flow to inland seas, meaning that the country has very little water transport. Water transport is the the cheapest and most efficient transport means and often needs no additional infrastructure. Most of the world’s major economies today got a boost in some way from river transport and access to international markets via ocean access. Uzbekistan’s international river transport is largely limited to Afghan routes.

Without water transport, Uzbekistan is focusing on rail, the second most efficient. It has created an extensive high speed domestic rail system and is working with international partners to build new lines to increase connectivity and, eventually, access to ocean-accessible ports – in India, Iran, or Georgia. While most of these new lines are still theoretical, a line through Kyrgyzstan to China has already been announced and further expansion is planned.

Internally, a new bypass connecting the fertile Ferghana Valley and central Uzbekistan without the need to cross into Tajikistan was finished in 2016. This irked Tajikistan, which had often used the transit rights as a bargaining chip in relations with Uzbekistan.

Uzbekistan is also part of the Turkmen-China Pipeline, completed in 2009, which allows diversification away from Russia and towards China for natural gas sales. Europe is also now looking for ways to directly import Central Asian gas, which would benefit Uzbekistan.

Uzbek airports, even in the capital, are small. However, expansion in air freight and tourist passenger flights is possible. Most major population centers and industrial zones are accessible by public roads in generally good condition.

For growth, most observers still agree that much more could be done to liberalize and streamline agriculture, encourage exports and SMEs, invest in energy efficiency and renewables, and better develop the country’s internal transport networks.

Society and Demographics

Uzbekistan’s population of 35 million is larger than that of the rest of Central Asia combined. With a fertility rate that has stayed above 2 throughout recent history, the population is growing and getting younger due to births and a significant emigration of older individuals seeking opportunity abroad.

About half of Uzbekistan’s population is rural. Despite fairly consistent economic growth for more than two decades, most Uzbeks are quite poor.

Ethnic Uzbeks account for 80% of the population. The Karakalpaks, the only major indigenous minority, have nearly doubled since 1989 but still account for only about 2% of the population, concentrated in an eponymous, semi-autonomous republic that accounts for 40% of Uzbekistan’s total territory. The region is arid and poor but has enjoyed cultural and linguistic freedom. The Karakalpaks have not been very active politically, with the notable exception of the 2022 Karakalpak Protests that erupted when the Uzbek president proposed removing the region’s constitutional autonomy. The protests were quelled only with a declared state of emergency.

Other minorities include growing numbers of Kyrgyz and Tajiks, stable numbers of Kazakhs and a shrinking number of Russians (to about half their 1989 population).

Russian remains taught in schools and is widely spoken in major cities, along with Uzbek. Grocery store labels are often in Russian. Although Uzbekistan adopted the Latin alphabet in 1992, it did not abandon Cyrillic, which remains most common.

More than 90 percent of the country is Muslim. The growing popularity and influence of religion comes with some fears of radicalization, particularly from groups in neighboring Afghanistan such as ISIS.

Briefly on Politics

Under former president Islam Karimov, Uzbekistan became increasingly isolated. He continued various soviet policies such as retaining state ownership of land and major industries, state production quotas and set prices, and conscripting labor, including school children, to help with the annual cotton harvest. This led many international clothing brands to boycott Uzbek cotton. Karimov, however, remains hugely popular in Uzbekistan and is credited with successfully guiding the country through the fall of Communism and to its current state of development.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev came into the presidency in 2016 promising to open the country. He quickly gained a reputation as a hands-on and energetic president, widely touring the country, consolidating his power, and making sure his reforms were being implemented. He also gained visits to many western and eastern countries, including the US.

Reforms have been increasing difficult to implement. For instance, although the state no longer presses for help in the cotton harvest, local bureaucrats, schoolheads, and others with power reportedly still do.

Regional Relations with Bordering Countries

Kazakh relations have been stable and prosperous. All border disputes were resolved by 2019. A formal alliance declared in 2021 has resulted in escalating trade and deeper integration between Central Asia’s two largest and most powerful states.

Turkmen relations were dangerously sour after the fall of the USSR, with border disputes and accusations of assassination plots. After changes in power in both countries, relations are mostly characterized by mutual trade and infrastructure talks.

Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan have Soviet-created enclaves of territory within the others. These have been a source of tension.

Kyrgyz relations are complicated by border disagreements, the treatment of Uzbek minorities in Kyrgyzstan and vice versa. Uzbekistan supplies most of the gas used by southern Kyrgyzstan. Kyrgyzstan aims to develop more hydroelectric power from rivers that flow to Uzbekistan, which worries this would impact its agricultural sector.

Similarly, Uzbekistan once threatened war over the Rogun Dam in Tajikistan. Tajikistan is also highly dependent on Uzbek gas. Tajikistan was also upset by the construction of the Kamchik rail line that allows internal Uzbek lines to bypass Tajik territory, further isolating Tajikistan and depriving it of customs duties. Relations have improved under Uzbekistan’s current president, who has focused on business and profits.

Afghanistan shares a small border with Uzbekistan. During the US occupation of Afghanistan, Uzbekistan provided transport routes and power for the country. Today, although Uzbekistan has not formally recognized the Taliban, it maintains contacts to help secure the border and facilitate trade and diplomacy.

Other Foreign Relations

US relations hit a low in 2005, when, after US criticism of the Andijan Massacre , Uzbekistan forced the US to close its military base in Uzbekistan. Especially since 2019, relations have improved, with the US providing aid to improve transport links to Afghanistan and push against drug and human trafficking from Afghanistan.

Russia’s state-owned Gazprom controls Uzbekistan’s pipelines. Russia is one of two routes for Uzbek gas export and the source of 55% of remittances from Uzbeks working abroad to support their families at home. Remittances make up ~12% of Uzbek GDP. Russia is Uzbekistan’s second largest trading partner. Although Uzbekistan left the Russia-led CSTO in 2019, the countries maintain good relations.

China is Uzbekistan’s largest trading partner and increasingly a source of loans and funding for infrastructure. Uzbekistan is working with Kyrgyzstan to sponsor a much awaited rail project linking China to Uzbekistan through Kyrgyzstan. Later expansions may extend through Turkmenistan to Iran. Connecting Central Asia to eastern Asia and India has long been seen as something as major economic and political goal – but has been spoiled by internal rivalries in Central Asia and instability in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Turkey is Uzbekistan’s fourth largest trading partner. Turkey has recently increased investments to Uzbekistan, building new thermal and natural gas electric plants. The two countries have recently signed a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership agreement that should help boost investment and trade further. Both are also members of the Organization of Turkic States, which strives to coordinate economic and diplomatic activities between states with Turkic heritage.

Cultural and Identity Markers

The most revered person in Uzbek history is Timur (Tamerlane), the Turco-Mongol conqueror who founded the Bukhara-based Timurid Empire,the first Turkic-speaking empire. Tamerlane is remembered as a great statesman who built monuments, lavishly supported scientists and craftsmen, collected over 600,000 books and made traveling the Silk Road safe, and made Samarkand a world-famous cultural and commercial center.

Ulugbeg was the grandson of Timur, and is remembered as a “king astronomer” who valued education and science over religion and war. He opened his madrasas to men and women, locals and foreigners, Muslims and non-Muslims alike. During his 40 years of rule, no battles were fought, but schools were built and scientists supported.

Babur was another descendent of Timur, born in the Fergana Valley in 1483. He went on to found the Mughal Empire in India and is also highly regarded.

Uzbeks also count among their own many famous scientists that worked or were born within historical empires, but are not all, strictly speaking, Uzbek. This includes figures like Muḥammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī, a 9th-century Muslim mathematician and astronomer who introduced Hindu-Arabic numerals to Europe and is credited with inventing algebra. His name means “the native of Khwarazm,” a region that was part of Greater Iran, and is now part of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Uzbekistan has a national epic called Alpamysh, which also spans other Kipchak Turks’ cultures. The tale follows Alpamys and his bride Barchin, how they court, are wed, are separated, and eventually reunited. In the process, Alpamys exemplifies strength, wisdom, and bravery. Today, professional ashiqs still learn and perform the epic to music on traditional instruments, as it was handed down for many generations.

Alpomish also features endless battles, a feature of life at the time as Bukhara, Samarkand, and Khiva were rich prizes for enemy armies and have been among the most invaded places in the world. Alpomish shows that under these conditions, people dream of a hero to unite and protect them, which remains an enduring trope in Uzbek culture and politics.

The author with perhaps the most influence on modern literature is Abdulla Qodiriy, who lived and worked in the early twentieth century. He argued that Uzbekistan should be independent and develop on its own terms. In 1938 he was shot by the Soviets though he was officially sentenced to death only weeks later. Today, Abdulla Qodiriy remains one of Uzbekistan’s most widely read and known authors.

Three very common names in Uzbekistan remain Timur, Ulugbeg, and Abdulla.

Uzbekistan takes its culinary traditions seriously. The main national dish is plov, a hearty mix of rice, meat, carrots, and onions cooked in oil. It first became widely popular under the Abbasid Caliphate. Uzbekistan’s main national dumplings are manti: large, steamed dough packets filled with meat, onions and spices. Similar is the samsa – a large, baked dough packet filled with meat, onions, and spices. Lagman can be either a pasta soup or pasta topped with stewed meat, tomatoes, onions, and spices.

Uzbek cuisine is known as being meat and grain heavy. Often the only salad available is a small cucumber, tomato, and onion mix. Deserts are also sparse, but still enjoyable – tea served with fruit (fresh, stewed, or dried) and nuts and/or halva (an arabic sweet made from seeds or nuts). Halva likely originated in Iran, but is popular throughout Central Asia.

Uzbek holidays are dominated by Ramadan, New Year’s (for which Uzbeks get four days off), and Nowruz, a holiday of Zorastrain descent popular in many countries once dominated by or near to the former Persian empire.

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About the Author

Josh Wilson

Josh has been with SRAS since 2003. He holds an M.A. in Theatre and a B.A. in History from Idaho State University, where his masters thesis was written on the political economy of Soviet-era censorship organs affecting the stage. He lived in Moscow from 2003-2022, where he ran Moscow operations for SRAS. At SRAS, Josh still assists in program development and leads our internship programs . He is also the editor-in-chief for the SRAS newsletter , the SRAS Family of Sites , and Vestnik . He has previously served as Communications Director to Bellerage Alinga and has served as a consultant or translator to several businesses and organizations with interests in Russia.

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High expectations in Uzbekistan

Subscribe to global connection, ivailo izvorski ivailo izvorski practice manager, global debt and macro unit - world bank.

February 8, 2022

Uzbekistan’s economic transition from plan to market started three decades ago when it became an independent country. But for much of this time, economic modernization proceeded at a snail’s pace. In late 2016, Uzbekistan surprised everyone. It started structural reforms—how it managed macroeconomic policy, how it regulated enterprise, and how it provided public services—with a breadth and speed that exceeded even what we had observed in some of the earlier reformers like Kazakhstan at a similar stage of the process. In 2019, The Economist declared Uzbekistan the most improved economy—the country of the year .

Where is Uzbekistan today? How far has it come over the last four years and what’s ahead? These questions about Uzbekistan’s transition are answered in a new World Bank Country Economic Memorandum .

Starting with weaknesses

The Uzbek government started by focusing on the main vulnerabilities of the economic model that had guided their development strategy. The state had planned and led the distribution of resources and outputs among state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Apart from exports of commodities such as gold that connected the country with global markets, the economy was closed. The model and mindset were inward-looking, with little reliance on competition in markets and, consequently, little economic and social dynamism. The past development model was dominated by heavy industry, abundant use of natural resources and physical capital, and a neglectful attitude toward the employment and development of human capital. Jobs were scarce. Resources were misallocated. Labor mobility was restricted.

Under the old model, the government rationed basic services to all, without linking budget outlays to results, paying little heed to efficiency, accountability, and productivity. In other words, the government was too present in some areas, too little involved in others, but its role throughout the economy lacked adequate effectiveness, efficiency, and support for inclusive and sustained growth.

In late 2016, newly elected President Mirziyoyev began an ambitious economic modernization program to reinvigorate economic growth. This was followed by the November 2018 Reform Roadmap which outlined the government’s economic reform priorities for 2019-2021. The roadmap contains five major pillars: (i) maintain macroeconomic stability; (ii) accelerate the market transition; (iii) strengthen social protection and citizen services; (iv) align the government’s role with the needs of a market economy; and (v) preserve environmental sustainability. The reform priorities within each pillar draw on lessons learned from the market transitions of other countries but are also firmly based in Uzbekistan’s unique context.

Similar sequencing

Where is Uzbekistan today in its transition from plan to market? The sequencing of reforms has been similar to the first reformers in Eastern Europe and East Asia. The government proceeded most resolutely with liberalizing prices and foreign trade and unifying the exchange rate. It has taken more time to reorganize the structure of government finances and revamp the government’s role in the economy. Public spending has changed through the reorientation of capital expenditures toward priority areas for reform and a large increase in social sector—education, health, and government assistance—outlays. The tax system has been simplified and made more neutral through a complete overhaul of tax policy and improved tax administration. Fiscal and debt transparency has substantially improved. The changes in fiscal policy and the structure of government finances have supported the transformation of the economic model and have laid the groundwork for future economic expansion.

Progress with enterprise restructuring, privatization, and introducing a supportive investment framework for new private firms has been a lot slower. Private enterprises have started to spring up and become a bit bigger, but private entrepreneurship is still constrained. Firm entry lags regional comparators and after entry, enterprises are struggling to grow. Similarly, the restructuring of the financial sector and bank privatization have been sluggish. Weak corporate governance, lingering directed lending, and capacity gaps faced by the banking supervisor are the key areas for reforms.

Shifting to more effective delivery of education and health has progressed least rapidly. According to the World Bank’s Human Capital Index , a child born in Uzbekistan today will be only 62 percent as productive when she grows up as she would be if she had complete education and full health. Uzbekistan has a favorable demographic structure: The median age is just 28, and two-thirds of the population is between 15 and 64 years old. But without empowering the younger generation through investing in their education and health, a sustained economic transformation will be hard to engineer.

Mixed outcomes

This outcome—its sequencing if not its pace—is not surprising. Countries in both Eastern Europe and East Asia have had similar experiences. Changes that require more fundamental restructuring and deeper rethinking of the role of the government take longer. What may be more worrying is that in Uzbekistan the speed and breadth of reforms have sometimes been emphasized more than their depth and their careful implementation. As a result, Uzbekistan’s performance has been mixed.

Reforms depend on experience with markets and prices, initial conditions, and institutional strength. In countries such as Estonia, Poland, and Russia, the first year of transition was dedicated to market liberalization, small privatization, the building of essential market institutions, and controls of medium/large SOEs to forestall asset stripping. During the second and third years, the authorities further developed market institutions and started medium/large privatization. During the fourth year, large and medium privatization continued, and best practices of corporate governance were introduced for the remaining SOEs. Based on this timeline, Uzbekistan’s transition proceeded in line with comparators in terms of market and trade liberalization, small privatization, and the building of essential market institutions. By contrast, large and medium privatization of both SOEs and the state-owned commercial banks is just gearing up, four years after the transition began.

Uzbekistan’s efforts have delivered some of the results that were expected, but they’re definitely raising expectations a lot more. Impressively, the reform momentum has not slowed during the coronavirus disruptions. The next stage of market and institutional reforms is aiming to increase the efficiency of labor, capital, land, and resource markets. It should be starting soon.

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• The Culture Of Uzbekistan

The Central Asian nation of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country with a population of around 30,023,709 individuals. 80% of the population of Uzbekistan comprises of ethnic Uzbeks. Other ethnic groups living in the country include Russians, Tajiks, Kazakhs, and Karakalpaks. Islam is the largest religion in Uzbekistan with 88% of the population adhering to it. Most of the country’s Muslims are Sunnis. Christians affiliated to the Eastern Orthodox Church comprise 9% of the total population. Here are some notable aspects about the culture of Uzbekistan. 

7. Cuisine In Uzbekistan

Local agriculture influences the cuisine of Uzbekistan. Bread and noodles are an important part of the diet as grains are produced in large quantities in the country. Mutton is also frequently consumed. Palov, a dish comprising of rice, meat pieces, grated onions, and carrots, is a signature dish of Uzbekistan. Shurpa (a soup of meat pieces and vegetables), somsa (a meat pastry), chuchvara (a kind of dumpling), kebabs, etc., are some of the popular food items of Uzbekistan. Tea, both green and black, is consumed throughout the country (usually without sugar and milk). A chilled yogurt drink called Aryan is popular during the summer.

6. Literature

Uzbekistan has a rich literary heritage. Some of its most famous writers of the past include the poet Alisher Navoi whose work comparing the Turkish and Persian language, is highly praised. The 11th-century Uzbek writer Abu Rayhan al-Biruni is famous for his study of India. Babur, the first Mughal ruler of India who came from the Ferghana Valley, wrote an autobiography that is regarded as one of the finest literary works. The country also has a rich oral literary tradition where elderly minstrels recite historical events and mythological stories through epic songs.

5. Uzbek Art And Craft

Like literature, the country also has a long history of art and craft. During the Soviet rule, the same suffered competition from the factory-produced goods. With the increase in tourism in recent decades, however, the country's artists and artisans are once more thriving. Miniature paintings, wood carvings of architectural features, sonduq, silk textiles, etc., are some of the popular traditional crafts from Uzbekistan.

4. Performance Arts In Uzbekistan

Uzbek music involves instruments like dotars, flutes, small drums, and tambourines. The singing style is nasal and throaty. Uzbeki women sing Sozandas that are accompanied by percussion instruments. Today, the music scene in the country is also influenced by foreign cultures. Uzbek dance music is produced by a fusion of electric instrumental music and folk music. The Sufi dance called zikr that involves moving in circles to enter a trance state, is also practiced today. Folk songs and dances are performed during festivals and weddings and also to entertain foreign tourists.

3. Sports In Uzbekistan

Over the years, Uzbekistan has produced many sports personalities of international fame. Djamolidine Abdoujaparov, a former racing cyclist, who has thrice won the Tour de France points contest, is an Uzbek. Artur Taymazov, a wrestler from the country has won two Olympic gold medals in 2004 and 2008. Kurash, a traditional Uzbek fighting art, has gained popularity globally. Football is the most popular sports in the country.

2. Festivals In Uzbekistan

Uzbeks celebrate New Year on January 1 with by decorating a new year tree and gifting each other. People listen to traditional music as they dine with family and friends on New Year’s Eve and sing the national anthem to welcome the new year at midnight. Women’s Day, introduced during the Soviet rule, is celebrated on March 8. Women receive gifts on this day. Other secular celebrations include the Independence Day on September 1 and Victory Day on May 9. With the majority of Uzbeks being Muslims, festivals associated with the religion are observed in the country. The Zoroastrian holiday of Navrus is also observed by drinking the Sumaliak soup. During holidays, Uzbeks prefer visiting friends and family. They usually enjoy feasts and drink vodka. Concerts and parades are also held in the town squares or villages.

1. Life In The Uzbek Society

Prior to the Soviet rule in Uzbekistan, the gender roles were strictly defined in the traditional Uzbek society. Men were expected to work outside the home while women were assigned the role of managing the household and children. Women did, however, often supplement the income by weaving, spinning or embroidering. Things changed during the Soviet period when both men and women enjoyed the right to education and work. Large numbers of Uzbek women entered the workforce during this time. They also attained higher education and became doctors, nurses, teachers, etc.

In today’s Uzbekistan, society is male-dominated but women still constitute a significant part of the workforce. The number of women is, however, low in politics and in the higher management and administrative positions. The society is more conservative in the Ferghana Valley where full veiling of women is occasionally practiced.

Early marriages are common in Uzbekistan and marriages are usually arranged by parents, especially in rural areas. Marriages are extended multi-day celebrations with the bride’s family usually bearing the expenses of the celebrations.

Domestic units in Uzbekistan are usually large with several generations living under the same roof. Nuclear families are more common in urban areas. Families are mostly patriarchal with the eldest male member having the final say in most matters. The youngest son usually inherits the parental house and is obliged to care for the elderly parents in return.

Children are usually the primary responsibility of the mother while other women in the family also help bring up the child. Babies are usually hidden from public view for about 40 days after birth.

Elders are highly revered in the Uzbek culture. Younger people are expected to greet their elders politely. Greetings between men are in the form of a handshake with the left hand placed over the heart. Women greet either by kissing each other on the cheeks for close family members or friends. Women are expected to wear modest clothes covering their body. They are expected to speak in low voices and be gentle and dignified in their attitude.

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Uzbekistan – the Crossroad of Cultures

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Over the centuries, ancient and prosperous land of Uzbekistan hosted representatives of different ethnic groups, cultures and regions. Hospitality, kindness, generosity and a true tolerance have always been distinct traits of Uzbek nation and its mentality.

Nowadays, representatives of more than 130 nations and ethnic groups coexist as a one family in Uzbekistan. They work with great dedication in all areas.

Serik Usenov, Chairman of Republican Kazakh Cultural Center

“Tolerance for Uzbekistan is the value inherited from ancestors. It is our common duty to protect and preserve this priceless legacy. Uzbeks are ancient nation that always shares bread it and says: “Welcome!”. All of us, living in a diversified country, have the same rights and duties. All of us, regardless of our nationality, live in Uzbekistan in peace and harmony.”

Notably, over 100 activists of national cultural centers received different medals and awards of the Republic of Uzbekistan. More than 10 representatives of various nationalities were awarded the title “Hero of Uzbekistan”.

The constitution of Uzbekistan and its law state that all citizens, regardless of their nationality, language and religion have equal rights and freedoms. They are granted necessary opportunities for preserving and enriching their ethnic culture, traditions and customs. State universities and institutions run their educational curriculum in 7 languages; National TV Radio Company broadcasts in 12 languages. Local newspapers and magazines are printed in more than 10 languages.

16 religious confessions carry out their activities in the country. “Enlightenment and religious tolerance” resolution put forward by the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev on the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly in September 2017, in New York is a bright example of Uzbekistan’ commitment to human rights, principles of tolerance and friendship. This initiative was supported by international community that acknowledged its essence and in December 2018 unanimously adopted the resolution during the UN General Assembly session. The document strives to reaffirm religious tolerance and mutual respect, ensure religious freedom, protect the rights of religious devotee, protect their faith and prevent discrimination.

Viktor Pak, Chairman of Association of Korean Cultural Centers of Uzbekistan

“Koreans arrived to Uzbekistan more than 80 years. Around 200 thousand Koreans live in this country. They consider it a homeland. Some of my closest friends are Uzbeks. They wouldn’t start an evening meal without Korean salad “kim-chi”. In our family, cooking palov once a week has become a tradition. And this is for no reason. We love Uzbek bread and milk. We, Koreans, live in peace and understanding with all compatriots.:

141 national cultural centers play a significant role in embracing ethnic diversity and further harmonization of interethnic relations. Through developing cultural identity, language, folk crafts, they make a contribution to enriching cultural presence and strengthening one, multicultural family spirit.

Committee on Interethnic Relations and Friendship Cooperation with Foreign Countries under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan coordinates the work of cultural centers, provides practical assistance.

Bright events carried out across all regions of the country add a deeper meaning to cultural and social life of the Republic. It strengths tolerance and good-neighborliness spirit between all representatives of nations and ethnic groups living in Uzbekistan.

This all speaks of a unique and effective system of non-government organizations in the area of multinational relations. A range of activities held by the centers contribute to peaceful and prosperous living in the Republic, addressing significant cultural and education tasks and developing cooperation with foreign countries.

As per initiative of the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, a unique building located on Babur street handed over to the Committee on Interethnic Relations and Friendship Cooperation with Foreign Countries. The building has become a Palace of Friendship and Culture. A park next to this building that hosts a number of cultural events renamed to “Friendship Park”.

National cultural centers are also committed to developing members’ cultural and humanitarian relations with their ancestry.

Vladimir Boyko, Chairperson of the Republican Ukrainian Cultural Center “Slavutich”

“In close collaboration with the Writers Union of Uzbekistan, the Embassy of Ukraine in Uzbekistan and Committee on Interethnic Relations and Friendship Cooperation with Foreign Countries we translated the works of eminent Ukrainian poets and writers into Uzbek language to introduce them to local readers. At the same time, we encourage Ukrainian diaspora to immerse themselves in cultural legacy of our homeland, Uzbekistan.”

Annually, representatives of all nations and ethnic groups celebrate a national holiday “Nowruz”, Russian “Maslenitsa”, Bulgarian “Martenitsa”, Armenian “Vardavar”, Polish “Dožínky”, Korean “Chuseok”, Tatar and Bashkir “Sabantuy”, Greek “Ohi Day”, Chinese New Year and other national holidays.

Uzbekistan implements the program on promoting cultural identity, folk crafts, traditions and customs of ethnic groups living in the country among the general public. The best concert venues, stages of theaters, exhibition halls of the country are provided for these occasions.

Social life of Uzbekistan is a proof that justice ensured in interethnic relations.

For example, the village of Manas in the Dustlik district of the Jizzakh region was the first settlement that was completely reconstructed in Uzbekistan under the program “Prosperous Villages”. The village inhabited with ethnic Kyrgyz group was transformed into a modern town with all amenities within 45 days.

New residential houses are being built in Jizzakh region. Particularly, gypsy community living in this area also feel positive changes and move to new houses.

More than 35 hectares of land and 780 new houses for 3,200 people were allocated in the makhallas of Altynkul and Almazar in the Pakhtakor region. Currently, renovation works of new villages are at its final stage. They comprise two sewing workshops to ensure women employment, including for representatives of gypsy community.

Maftuna Tohtamisheva, seamstress

“We used to live in old barracks. But we have been provided with good living conditions. My family, for instance, moved in a house comprising three rooms.  I work in this sewing factory throughout the week and take care of house and my son during the weekend.”

Infrastructure development is yet another area. Thus, this village is supplied with more than 10 kilometers of roads, 8 kilometers of electricity and 3 kilometers of water supply networks. It also has a school and preschool educational institutions. The state allocated 150 billion soums for these purposes.

Radabboy Ravshanov, veteran

“We, gypsies, didn’t have any amenities for living. Today, we have paved road, flowers and spruce s; a lot of changes are happening around. Makhalla committee has a new building; a kindergarten is on the way. I was provided with six houses for six of my children. Constructions works are soon to end.”

Literacy courses were organized for some of the gypsy children who did not attend the school for various reasons. Thus, the gypsies who began to settle in the Jizzakh desert in the 1960s became equal citizens of the multinational country.

A person who loves its nation and people, respects representatives of other ethnic groups. A right course taken by the leader of the Republic displayed in the peace and tolerance for the world preached by the people of Uzbekistan.

“Dunyo” Information Agency, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, 2020

Geography Notes

Short essay on uzbekistan.

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Lying south and southeast of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan’s territory falls mainly be west of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, and between Central Asia’s two major rivers north of Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan, Syr Darya and Amu Darya, though they only partly from its boundaries. Although the territory does reach the Caspian Sea, it includes the southern part of the Aral Sea. The Soviet government created the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic as a constituent unit of the USSR in 1924, but in 1991 after the dissolution of the Soviet Union it de­clared its independence.

With a population of 24.5 million, the largest in Central Asia, the nation is not only the most populous, but contains the largest number of the native Turkic peo­ples, overwhelmingly outnumbering the other ethnic groups, and have registered the highest growth rate in the region. The cultural and historic roots of the Uzbeks date back to the ancient times. Several cit­ies such as Bukhara, Khiva, Kokand, and Samarkand were cultural, political and trade centers for centuries.

Although a large part of the country is occupied by the extensive desert of Kyzl Kum, some of the world’s richest irrigated oases exist m a narrow band of densely populated area in the east. The most im­portant of the oases is the Fergana Valley, drained by the Syr Darya, and divided pri­marily between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

This and other oases such as Tashkent, Andizhan, Bukhara, Khiva, Kokand and Mary (Merv), Samarkand, and Zeravshan form the rich agricultural tracts that fulfill the nation’s major producer of high-grade cotton. Most of the major oases are located where mountain streams de­scend on to the lowland except such oases or Zeravshan that are located in the desert lowlands.

Uzbekistan is Central Asia’s largest ag­ricultural producer. In cotton production it ranks third in the world (China and In­dia rank higher). Besides cotton, rice, sugar beets, vegetables, fruits (particularly grapes, pomegranates, figs and melons are grown. Known for its orchards and vine­yards, Uzbekistan is also important for raising Karakul sheep and silkworms.

Plenty of sunlight, mild winters, fertile ir­rigated soil, and good pastureland make conditions suitable for the cultivation of these crops and for cattle raising. Raising silkworms is a traditional occupation among farmers, dating to the 4th century. The Fergana Valley is especially known for silk production. The country’s mineral resources in elude metallic ores such as copper, zinc lead, tungsten and gold. Uzbekistan possesses substantial reserves of natural gas oil, and coal. Most of the natural gas is con­sumed domestically, and gas pipelines link the important cities and stretch from Buk­hara to the Ural Mountains in Russia.

Petroleum fields exist in the Fergana Val­ley, in the vicinity of Bukhara, and in Karakalpakstan. Dams on the Syr Darya and its tributaries are utilized to produce hydroelectricity. The country is deficient in water resources. The existing canals— the Great Fergana, Northern Fergana, Southern Fergana and Tashkent now face shortfalls in irrigation waters due to depletion of the rivers.

In manufacturing, Uzbekistan is Cen­tral Asia’s major producer of machinery and heavy equipment. The manufactured items include machines and equipment for cotton cultivation, harvesting and process­ing, and for use in textile industry, irrigation, and road construction. Cement, textile, chemical fertilizers, and tea packing are some other industries. The country predictably exports cotton, natural gas, oil, silk and fruits, as well as manufactured goods such as machines, cement, textiles, and fertilizers.

The country is nearly self-sufficient in energy sources, and agricultural products development. The disruption of the Soviet trading system caused by the collapse of the USSR in 1991 did not particularly af­fect the nation. Since independence, the nation has followed a slow and cautious path of privatization.

Economic develop­ment in the future would depend largely on overcoming the current infrastructural handicaps such as the antiquated means of distribution and processing of raw materi­als. Neither surface nor air transport now available is adequate to handle the trans­port of the produce such as fruits and vegetables.

There are few well-developed highways. Most of the country’s trade was with the Soviet Union; the nation is con­sidering plans to enlarge the trading area to include the developing countries. The majority of Uzbekistan’s popula­tion lives in rural areas. In the early 1990s just over 40 percent of the population was registered as urban and only 16 of the cit­ies contain population over 100,000. Population comprised mostly of the non- Uzbeks.

With a population of a little over 2 million is the largest city of Central Asia, and the capital and the “primate” city of Uzbekistan. It lies in a large oasis along the Chirchik River on the Trans- Caspian railroad in the foothills of the Tien Shan Mountains. Dating back to the 1st century B.C., the city has been a his­toric trade and handicraft center on the historic caravan routes from the Orient to Europe during medieval times.

When the Russians occupied it in 1865, the walled city had a population of 70,000. Several old buildings, mausoleums, and religious shrines survive in the “older” section. Tashkent lies in the most industrialized part of Uzbekistan, and contains one of the largest textile mills in Asia.

Other in­dustries include food-and tobacco- processing plants, and factories that manu­facture machinery, electrical equipment, chemicals and furniture. The modern, planned section built during the Russian period, co-exists with the old Oriental quarters with its narrow, winding streets, numerous mosques, and bazaars.

Other major cities of Uzbekistan— Samarkand (370,000), Audizham (293,000), Bukhara (238,000), Fergana (198,000), and Kokand (176,000) are con­siderably smaller than Tashkent, but are just as important from the cultural and his­toric standpoint. Their histories extend back to ancient times, and they have served as political, and trade centers for centuries.

With the exception of Bukhara these cities are located in the industrial heartland of the nation; each, including Bukhara, on the historic route way (be­tween China and the Middle East) has a significant industrial component. It spe­cializes primarily in the manufacture of textiles, processed food, and machinery. The “old” sections of these cities were partially reconstructed during the Soviet period.

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Central Asia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan Tours

Uzbek Culture

Uzbek culture & traditions.

Uzbekistan is home to many cultures: the majority group is the Uzbek, making seventy-one percent of the population, followed by Russians, Tajiks, Kazakhs, and other minority groups. Uzbekistan culture is unique and vivid that has developed over long and vibrant history. Uzbek culture evolved blending various customs and traditions of the nations who inhabited the territory of today’s Uzbekistan.

The main contribution to the development of Uzbek culture was the ancient Iranians, nomad Turkic tribes, Arabs, Chinese, and eventually Russians. Traditions of multinational Uzbekistan are reflected in the music, dances, fine art, applied arts, language, cuisine, clothing, other handicrafts, and rituals. The Great Silk Road also played a significant role in the evolution of Uzbekistan culture as it served to exchange not only goods but also inventions, languages, ideas, religions, and customs.

After gaining Independence, Uzbekistan has seen a rapid development of handicrafts and traditional applied arts, the rebirth of Uzbek traditions and customs, and it could be said that the country has reinvented Uzbekistan’s traditional culture. Today Uzbekistan’s culture is one of the brightest and original cultures of the East. The best way to get acquainted with the Uzbek culture is through our Uzbekistan Tours or the Central Asia Tours .

Uzbek Cuisine

Uzbek cuisine is one of the most colorful of Oriental cuisines. Thanks to the Silk Road, Uzbekistan’s culinary tradition is made of a mix of East and West, offering roasted meats and tandoor-baked bread from Central and Eastern European countries like Turkey, Iran, and Morocco and steamed dumplings and noodles found in the likes of China, and other Eastern Asian countries.

Uzbek cuisine

Uzbek dance and music, uzbek music and national musical instruments.

Music and musical instruments traveled along with vagrant musicians following caravans moved from country to country.

Uzbek Music

Traditional uzbek dances.

The Uzbeks dances distinguish with softness, smoothness and expressiveness of movements, easy sliding steps, original movements on a place and on a circle.

Uzbek Dance

Uzbek national holidays, uzbek games, traditional uzbek clothes, uzbek national clothes.

The traditional costume of Uzbeks remains an important component of the cultural, ethnic, and religious identity. The most striking piece of male attire is the long, striped, wrap-around cloak chapan, doppe. While the women’s attire consists of the plain khan-atlas tunic-dress and wide trousers as well as skull-cap, kerchief and turban.

Uzbek National clothes

Uzbek crafts.

For ages Uzbekistan has been known for its beautiful handmade products. Including glazed tiles to the fines silks, finely worked jewelry set with precious stone, to handwoven and knotted carpets.

Uzbek Silk Production in Margilan

In the early days, silk was considered a luxury and Margilan was the silk capital of todays Uzbekistan. Silk was the most valuable material, that was practiced for the generation of money, as a tribute, and as a means of payment. 

Uzbek Suzani Culture

Within the remarkable traditions of Uzbek art, a special place takes an artistic design of fabrics suzani.   Uzbekistan is famed for its suzani: decorative silk embroideries, striking imagination with bright colors, and a variety of exquisite patterns. 

Uzbek Suzani

Carpet workshop.

Every house in Uzbekistan is furnished with carpets. Although these days they are often factory-made synthetic rugs from China, however traditionally they would have been handwoven locally.

Uzbek carpets

Knife workshops of chust, uzbek knives, uzbek pottery​, uzbek ceramics, puppetry in uzbekistan.

Puppet theatre in the region was a rich tradition going back to the 5th century BCE under the reign of the Achaemenid Empire, possibly reaching its high point of popularity under Timur, who was a patron of the art form, and the Timurid dynasty during the 1400s.

Uzbek puppetry

Karakalpak culture, republic of karakalpakstan.

The traditional culture of Karakalpaks is one of nomadic agriculture, largely resembles neighboring Kazakh culture rather than Uzbek culture.

Karakalpak Culture

Uzbek traditions, uzbek wedding.

Weddings in Uzbekistan follow a lot of customs and traditions from centuries ago. Traditionally, the Uzbek people celebrate their wedding in a very cheerful and richly splendor with a lot of guests. Neighbors, immediate and remote relatives, workmates, and friends are all invited to the wedding.

Uzbek childbirth traditions

Uzbek childbirth traditions.

The birth of a child is a  joyful and significant event in Uzbekistan . In the Uzbek family, the arrival of the baby is followed by several traditional events following the growth of the newcomer. 

Uzbek Mahalla (The Neighborhood)

Uzbek mahalla, notable people of uzbekistan ​, notable people of uzbekistan.

Page updated 15.12.2022

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The 9 best places to visit in Uzbekistan

Aug 15, 2024 • 8 min read

Get to know Uzbekistan with this guide to the top places to visit, like the historic center of Bukhara. Shutterstock

Set at the crossroads of the ancient Silk Road, Uzbekistan is famed for its stunning historical architecture and beautiful mosques and medressas, alongside Soviet modernism, a flourishing arts and crafts scene, a rich traditional culture, and the genuine hospitality of local people. 

The continental climate brings four distinct seasons, and escaping into nature and visiting off-the-beaten-track destinations are adventures that will leave lifetime memories.

Here are our top recommendations of places to visit in Uzbekistan for architecture, culture, nature and immersion in the arts.

1. Registan, Samarkand

Best for dramatic architecture

The historic  Registan  Square in Samarkand impresses first-time visitors more than any other attraction in Uzbekistan. Included on the UNESCO World Heritage list, the square consists of three striking medressas – the Ulugbek, Sherdor and Tilla-Kori – which together served as a university for Islamic scholars. The name Registan means "a sand place". Since the Timurid period, this has been a place where people have met, important decisions were announced, and crucial events in Uzbekistan’s history occurred. 

Samarkand is blessed with many other historical attractions, including the Bibi-Khanym Mosque , the Shah-i-Zinda Necropolis , the Gur-e-Amir mausoleum and Ulugbek’s Observatory – all of them well worth visiting. One day might be enough to cover most important stops, but if you want to enjoy the pace of life in Samarkand, wander around talking to local craftspeople and leave some time for tea and local cuisine, allow two days or more.

Local tip: Opened in 2022, Samarkand International Airport is the second-biggest airport in the country and a good entry point to Uzbekistan. Turkish Airlines, WizzAir, AirDubai, FlyAirstan, Jazeera Air and several Uzbek airlines operate regular flights to this modern airport, and from Samarkand, it’s easy to travel around the country by rail – to Bukhara, Khiva and Nukus and then fly back to the capital Tashkent.

Best for history 

In Samarkand, an ancient mosque might sit alongside an office tower or a modern neighborhood, but Bukhara ’s old city really makes you travel in time. Protected by UNESCO, the historical part of the city still feels completely authentic, with timeless mosques, minarets, medressas, craft workshops, caravanserais and local eateries. Set around an artificial pool called Labi Hovuz, the central square has a unique atmosphere and is a great place to admire the architecture, enjoy local food, sip tea, slurp ice cream, bargain with souvenir sellers, or just have a breather sitting on a bench in the sun.

There are many must-visit stops in Bukhara. Be sure to make time for the Ark , a former residence of Bukhara Emir, the eye-catching medressas of Mir-i-Arab , Nadir Divanbegi and Abdul Aziz Khan , the Kalon Minaret , and the inspiring Sitorai Mohi Hosa summer palace. 

While the old city might seem compact on the map, Bukhara deserves at least two full days. This is one of those cities where you can discover endless new layers each time you return.

Planning tip: Multicultural, ancient and packed with interesting experiences, Bukhara is best enjoyed in spring and autumn when the weather is not too hot or too cold.

3. The Savitsky Museum in Nukus

Best stop for art lovers

Karakalpakstan, an autonomous republic in the west of Uzbekistan, lures many visitors thanks to the unusual landscapes of the Aral Sea , the Ustyurt Plateau and the ancient fortresses in the surrounding desert. But one of the most interesting destinations is the Savitsky Museum  (or the Nukus Museum of Art) in the regional capital, Nukus. It displays a vast collection of Russian avant-garde art, secretly preserved during Soviet times. Its founder, Igor Savitsky, was an art connoisseur who saved roughly 100,000 artworks, showcasing the rich lifestyle and heritage of people in this area. 

Planning tip: Trains from Tashkent to Nukus can take more than 20 hours; many travelers arrive by air to maximize time for sightseeing.

4. Ichan Kala, Khiva

Best for stepping into the past

The open-air museum that is the city of Khiva used to be the capital of the Khorezm Shakhs and later the hub of the Khiva Khanate, and it still preserves its own language, traditions and culture. The fascinating Ichan Kala (which means “inner city”) is the fortress in the heart of Khiva, and most of the architectural attractions are located inside of it. Visit the atmospheric Juma mosque, the Tosh-Hovli Palace (with its harem rooms for wives of the ruler), and the Kalta Minor minaret, and you’ll feel the grandeur and tranquility of Central Asia in the Middle Ages.

Some of the historic buildings have been transformed into boutique hotels – it’s a very unusual feeling to stay overnight in a room of medieval features, but with all the modern facilities you could want, such as air-conditioning and a hot shower. Get to know the culture of Khiva through classes, from baking bread all the way to lessons in energetic Khorezm dancing. 

5. Margilan

Best for lovers of traditional art forms

Moving from historical to artistic sites, the city of Margilan in the Fergana Valley is a great place to discover the history of  ikat  fabric the weaving of textiles with designs pre-dyed into the fibers. This unique weaving technique has independently developed in many different parts of the world, including in Indonesia, Japan, India and Latin America, but the Silk Road made Uzbek ikat particularly famous, thanks to its quality and the variety of the fabrics produced in silk, cotton and velvet. 

Margilan is a cozy small town where you can visit long-established makers of Central Asian ikat at the Yodgorlik Silk Factory , speak to modern weavers at local crafts centers, or just enjoy the abundance of the local farmers market and the laidback lifestyle of this mainly agricultural area.

Planning tip: Margilan has been a hub for silk production since the time of the Silk Road; get here easily by shared taxi from Fergana or train from Tashkent. Come on Thursday or Sunday for the local market. 

Best for ceramics fans

There is probably no other city in the world with quite so many ceramic artists as Rishtan. As soon as you enter the town, you will see pottery items for sale on both sides of the highway, but don’t rush to buy here because you will find better quality and more authentic works in the studios of local craftspeople.

Rishtan was already famous for glazed ceramics 1000 years ago, thanks to the unique soil – the richest source of terracotta clay in the region. The workshops of Alister Nazirov and Rustam Usmanov are famous for preserving and popularizing the ancient techniques of Uzbek ceramics art. However, there are many skilled crafters and ceramics centers for all tastes and budgets in the city.

7. Tashkent

Best stop for city slickers

The Uzbek capital, Tashkent , is not just an entry point to the country, but a diverse and fascinating destination in its own right. Islamic architecture, vibrant avenues, art and history museums, theaters, international gastronomy and nightlife make for a modern, cosmopolitan experience.

Start with a visit to central Amir Timur square, where you can drop into the Amir Timur Museum , view the Amir Timur monument and the Tashkent clock tower (which now hosts two quirky restaurants), and visit a famous piece of Soviet monumental architecture, the Hotel Uzbekistan . 

Nearby, so-called Broadway Street is especially colorful in the evening with souvenir shops, street food and amusements. A short hop west, Tashkent City Park offers plenty of ways to keep busy, with an aquarium, planetarium, dancing fountains and street shows, as well as diverse restaurants, modern hotels, shopping malls and an open-air cinema. For a shopping treasure hunt, head to the vast Chorsu Bazaar , Tashkent’s best-loved marketplace, or the Navruz Ethnopark to discover traditional clothing and accessories, local crafts and authentic Uzbek food. 

8. Konigil Village 

Best crafts stop if you’re short on time

On the outskirts of Samarkand, the village of Konigil is an atmospheric destination. This village is an amazing place to learn about the crafts of the region in one place. The Meros Paper Mill specializes in traditional silk paper, and you can also see the production of vegetable oil, ceramics, carpets and other local crafts. There are places to sample local food and even a small guest house, conveniently located in one tranquil space near the small, tree-shaded Siab River. Time slows down here, and it’s a beautiful escape for a half day or more. 

9. Zaamin National Park 

Best escape for nature lovers

Among the many picturesque mountain areas in Uzbekistan, Zaamin National Park holds a special place in the hearts of locals, thanks to its unspoiled natural scenery. Until recently, this picturesque destination east of Samarkand was off the radar of foreign tourists but well-explored by the people of the area. The air of Zaamin is considered to have healing properties, and nature here is pure and abundant – indeed, the area is often compared to Switzerland.

Many unique types of flora and fauna are found here, including black storks, black bears, lynx and snow leopards, and locals are warm and sincere. There’s a beautiful lake-like reservoir and great trails for hiking, and people come there in both summer and winter to stay in the area’s new international hotels and run in the Zaamin Ultramarathon in June. 

This article was first published Sep 27, 2023 and updated Aug 15, 2024.

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About Uzbekistan

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Where in the World is Uzbekistan? Uzbekistan is located in the heart of Central Asia and borders Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan. The country is about the same size as Sweden or California with more than two-thirds of it desert and steppe in the west. The only relief is the delta where the Amu-Darya River empties into what remains of the Aral Sea. In the east, however, Uzbekistan tilts upward towards the mountains of its neighbors. This is where the country’s life-giving rivers rise.

The richest farmland (and therefore the bulk of the population) is nestled in the gaps in the mountains, on the alluvial planes at their base, and along the country’s two big rivers – Amu-Darya and Syr Darya.Uzbekistan contains some of the world’s oldest, most historic cities including Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva.

Uzbekistan has an extreme continental climate. It is generally warmest in the south and coldest in the north. Temperatures in December average -8˚C (18˚F) in the north and 0˚C (32˚F) in the south. Extreme fluctuations can take temperatures as low as -35˚C (-31˚F).

During the summer, temperatures can reach 45˚C (113˚F) and above. Humidity is low. Spring (April to June), and fall (September through October), are in general the most pleasant times to travel. The weather is mild and in April the desert blooms briefly. Fall is harvest time and the markets are full of fresh fruit.

If you’re interested in trekking, then the summer months of July and August are the best times since summers are almost dry. In recent years Uzbekistan was notably affected by the global warming and dry-out of the Aral Sea resulting in hotter and drier summers and colder and longer winters.

Uzbekistan is a dry, double landlocked country of which 11 percent consists of intensely cultivated, irrigated river valleys. More than 60 percent of its population lives in densely populated rural communities. Uzbekistan is the world’s second-largest cotton exporter and the fifth largest producer. The country relies heavily on cotton production as the major source of export earnings. Other major export earners include gold, natural gas and oil.

People and Culture

Uzbekistan is a multinational country. The two main languages are Uzbek and Russian but you will also hear several other languages including Korean, English, German, Tajik and Turkish. Besides the Uzbek population, Uzbekistan contains many other nationalities, all with their own mode of life.

People in Uzbekistan wear different types of clothes. In villages you will observe women wearing traditional clothes like long variegated dresses and scarves. In cities they are less traditional and more modern.  Men wear pants more often than jeans. Shorts are worn rather rarely and usually only by people in the city.

Being a guest or inviting someone into your home is a big thing in Uzbekistan. People will often visit a friend or neighbor without a special reason. Uzbek people are known to be very hospitable and find it an honor to have a guest in their home. There are even special seating arrangements for guests. The eldest person or honored guest is usually invited to sit at the head of the table, away from the door. Young people or hosts sit by the door to act as “waiters.” They bring and take away dishes, pour tea and do other things.

Uzbekistan is also known for its national cuisine. Unlike their nomadic neighbors, the Uzbeks have been a settled civilization for centuries. Between the deserts and mountains, the oases and fertile valleys, they have cultivated grain and domesticated livestock. The resulting abundance of produce has allowed them to enrich their cuisine.

The seasons greatly influence the composition of national foods. In summer, fruits, vegetables and nuts are widely used in cooking. Fruits grow in abundance in Uzbekistan such as grapes, melons, apricots, pears, apples, cherries, pomegranates, lemons, figs and dates. Vegetables are also plentiful, such as eggplants, peppers, turnips, cucumbers and luscious tomatoes. There are also some lesser-known species of vegetables such as green radishes, yellow carrots, and dozens of pumpkin and squash varieties.

The Uzbeks prefer mutton to other kinds of meat; it is the main source of protein in the Uzbek diet. Beef and horsemeat are also eaten.

The wide choice of bread is a staple for the majority of the population. Round, unleavened break or leplyoshka/non is usually baked in a tandir (round ovens made of mud) and served with tea. The national bread is often sold on street corners. Some varieties are cooked with onion or meat while others are simply sprinkled with sesame seeds.

The most well-known Uzbek dish is plov or osh. It is cooked with fried meat, onions, carrots and rice. Sometimes raisins, barberries, chickpeas or other fruits are added.  Uzbeks are very proud of their skills to cook plov. A master plov chef cooks plov on an open flame, sometimes serving up to 1,000 people from a single cauldron on holidays or special occasions like weddings.

Tea is a reverent beverage in the finest Oriental traditions; it is the drink of hospitality. Tea is first served to guests and then to family members. Green tea is more popular in Uzbekistan than black but black is preferred in Tashkent.

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• UNESCO World Heritage Convention - Samarkand
• University of Washington - Silk Road Seattle - Samarkand
• Ancient Origins - Samarkand: An Ancient Link Between East and West
• Eye on Asia - Samarkand - A city profile
• Encyclopaedia Iranica - Samarqand History and Archeology
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• Samarkand - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Samarkand , city in east-central Uzbekistan that is one of the oldest cities of Central Asia . Known as Maracanda in the 4th century bce , it was the capital of Sogdiana and was captured by Alexander the Great in 329 bce . The city was later ruled by Central Asian Turks (6th century ce ), the Arabs (8th century), the Samanids of Iran (9th–10th century), and various Turkic peoples (11th–13th century) before it was annexed by the Khwārezm-Shāh dynasty (early 13th century) and destroyed by the Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan (1220). After it revolted against its Mongol rulers (1365), Samarkand became the capital of the empire of Timur (Tamerlane), who made the city the most important economic and cultural centre in Central Asia. Samarkand was conquered by Uzbeks in 1500 and became part of the khanate of Bukhara . By the 18th century it had declined, and from the 1720s to the 1770s it was uninhabited. Only after it became a provincial capital of the Russian Empire (1887) and a railroad centre did it recover economically. It was briefly (1924–36) the capital of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic. Samarkand today consists of an old city dating from medieval times and a new section built after the Russian conquest of the area in the 19th century.

The old city’s plan has streets converging toward the centre from six gates in the 5-mile- (8-km-) long, 11th-century walls. The walls and gates were destroyed after the capture of the town by the Russians, but the plan of the medieval period is still preserved. The old city contains some of the finest monuments of Central Asian architecture from the 14th to the 20th century, including several buildings dating from the time when Samarkand was Timur’s capital city. Among the latter structures are the mosque of Bībī-Khānom (1399–1404), a building that was commissioned by Timur’s favourite Chinese wife, and Timur’s tomb itself, the Gūr-e Amīr mausoleum, built about 1405. To the second half of the 15th century belongs the Ak Saray tomb with a superb fresco of the interior. Rīgestān Square , an impressive public square in the old city, is fronted by several madrasahs (Islamic schools): that of Timur’s grandson, the astronomer Ulūgh Beg (1417–20), and those of Shirdar (1619–1635/36) and Tilakari (mid-17th century), which together border the square on three sides. Samarkand has several other mausoleums, madrasahs, and mosques dating from the 15th to the 17th century, though they are not as impressive as the structures from Timur’s day. The principal features of Samarkand’s ancient buildings are their splendid portals, their vast coloured domes, and their remarkable exterior decorations in majolica, mosaic, marble, and gold. The historic city was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2001.

The newer, Russian section of Samarkand, construction of which began in 1871, expanded considerably during the Soviet period, and public buildings, houses, and parks were built. There are Uzbek and Russian theatres, a university (established 1933), and higher-educational institutions for agriculture, medicine, architecture, and trade.

Samarkand derived its commercial importance in ancient and medieval times from its location at the junction of trade routes from China and India . With the arrival of the railway in 1888, Samarkand became an important centre for the export of wine, dried and fresh fruits, cotton, rice, silk, and leather. The city’s industry is now based primarily on agriculture, with cotton ginning, silk spinning and weaving , fruit canning, and the production of wine, clothing, leather and footwear, and tobacco. The manufacture of tractor and automobile parts and cinema apparatus is also economically important. Pop. (2007 est.) 312,863; (2022 est.) 561,700.

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5 Interesting Historic Sites in Uzbekistan

With humans having lived in uzbekistan as early as the paleolithic period, uzbekistan is home to a number of fascinating historical sites. here's our pick of 5 of the best..

Lucy Davidson

30 sep 2021, @lucejuiceluce.

Having once been both a central point of the Silk Road and part of the Soviet Union, Uzbekistan is a country which is rich in history. Today, the double-landlocked country is emerging from the break up of the Soviet Union in 1991, and is home to among the most devout Muslim populations in Asia.

Though it is a fairly isolated country, Uzbekistan is full of relatively unknown sites which hark back to its diverse history. From stunning mosques which punctuate the skyline alongside Soviet-era architecture, to older sites such as ancient cities and mausoleums, here are 5 key historic sites in Uzbekistan for any history enthusiast.

1. Guri Amir

Guri Amir, in the former Silk Road city of Samarkand in modern Uzbekistan, is the mausoleum of the Mongol leader Timur (1369-1405), also known as Tamerlane. Timur was responsible for building many of Samarkand’s most impressive sites, including the Registan trio of madrassahs.

A blue-domed building encrusted with Samarkand’s trademark clay tiles, Guri Amir is the final resting place not only of this famous leader, but of his two sons and two grandsons.

2. Registan of Samarkand

Registan is one of the main sites in the ancient city of Samarkand in Uzbekistan. Samarkand was founded in approximately 700 BC and its location along the vital trade route known as the ‘Silk Road’ transformed it into a prosperous centre of commerce.

Now made up of three ornate madrassahs – centres of learning – facing onto a central courtyard, Registan was the medieval centre of Samarkand. Of these three symmetrical buildings, each of which is elaborately adorned with glazed clay tiles, the Ulugh Beg Madrassah is the oldest, dating back to 1420. The other two madrassahs, Sher-Dor and Tillya-Kori, were built in the seventeenth century under the rule of Yalangtush Bakhodur. Registan is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site of Samarkand.

3. The Bibi-Khanym Mosque

The Bibi-Khanym Mosque in Samarkand in Uzbekistan was originally constructed by Timur (1369-1405), a warrior and Mongol leader who ruled this important Silk Road city.

A vast structure crowned by a blue dome and overlooking a courtyard, the Bibi-Khanym Mosque was built by Timur for his wife between 1399 and 1405. Much of the Bibi-Khanym Mosque was destroyed in an earthquake in the nineteenth century and has since been reconstructed.

4. Shah-i-Zinda

Shah-i-Zinda in the UNESCO-listed city of Samarkand in Uzbekistan is an incredible complex of mausoleums, mosques and madrassahs. The most important of these shrines, alluded to by the name ‘Shah-i-Zinda’, meaning ‘living king’, is what is thought to be the mausoleum of Kusam ibn Abbas, cousin of the Prophet Mohammed.

Like many of the buildings in Samarkand, the structures are adorned with geometric shapes created using colourful glazed tiles. Some of the buildings of Shah-i-Zinda have undergone significant (and controversial) renovations and reconstructions.

5. Itchan Kala

Itchan Kala is the inner town (protected by brick walls some 10 m high) of the old Khiva oasis, which was the last resting-place of caravans before undergoing the extensive desert crossing to Iran. Although few very old monuments still remain, it is a rounded and well-preserved example of the Muslim architecture of Central Asia.

Today, there are several outstanding structures such as the Djuma Mosque, the mausoleums, and the madrasas as well as the two stunning palaces built at the beginning of the 19th century by Alla-Kulli-Khan.