The 1966 Tashkent earthquake occurred 60 years ago, on April 26, 1966, at 5:23 a.m. The epicenter of the Tashkent earthquake was located at the site of an ancient fortress in the center of Tashkent. Strong ground oscillations with a frequency of 2–3 Hz lasted 10–12 seconds. How strong was the 1966 Tashkent earthquake The… Read More »
In 15 photographs, this is the story of how Navruz was celebrated in Uzbekistan from the 1870s to the early 2000s. About half of these photos are black and white; I colorized them using Photoshop (what is Navruz without color). No other changes were made. Navruz in the late 19th century In the territory corresponding… Read More »
In 2026, the first day of the Ramazon (Ramadan) fast for Muslims in Uzbekistan began on February 19. The last day is March 20, right before Navruz. This text is intended for those who live in or travel around Uzbekistan and do not observe the fast but want to understand how Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr… Read More »
In the USSR, which included Uzbekistan and, of course, its capital Tashkent, New Year was celebrated for the first time in 1935, making the old attributes of Christmas — Ded Moroz, the tree, and gifts under the tree — secular. In January 1937, Ded Moroz received a companion — Snegurochka. In Soviet times, New Year… Read More »
Tashkent in winter today is nothing like it was 20–30 years ago or earlier. Winter weather now is closer to autumn or spring. From my childhood — before school and during my school years in the 1960s–1970s — I remember above all cold winters with deep snow that stayed on the ground for a long… Read More »
Of course, Tashkent and an Uzbek kishlak in winter in these two photographs by Max Zakharovich Penson are not contemporary; the famous photographer died in Tashkent in the middle of the last century. But if you try, even today you can find similar corners in the Uzbek provinces and even in the capital. In the… Read More »
November 7 was celebrated in Uzbekistan for decades. The photos show how it was marked in 1919, 1931, 1965, 1970, 1973, and 1981. The last official celebration of November 7 in Uzbekistan took place in 1990. History of the November 7 holiday in Uzbekistan The October Revolution in Russia (then part of the empire that… Read More »
It took me thirty-five years to recover from the autumn smells that haunt me — the smells I associate with cotton harvesting and Soviet cotton campaigns in Uzbekistan. I picked cotton as a student at one of Tashkent’s universities in 1979, 1980, and 1981, living for at least a month on wooden bunks in field… Read More »
Autumn in Tashkent has been a theme explored by both painters and photographers. Vladimir Petrov’s paintings, Soviet photographs from the 1960s–1990s, and contemporary 21st-century images allow us to see how the appearance of Uzbekistan’s capital has changed. Autumn in Tashkent in Vladimir Petrov’s works Autumn Tashkent in the 1950s in Petrov’s works Soviet painter and… Read More »
Independence Day of Uzbekistan (history) Uzbekistan’s Independence Day has been celebrated annually on September 1 since 1992. In Uzbek, it is called O’zbekiston Respublikasi Mustaqilligi kuni — Independence Day of the Republic of Uzbekistan. This day was established in honor of the proclamation of the country’s state independence from the USSR. This happened on August… Read More »