Tashkent's Museums

Museums are definitely the most beautiful historical sites in Uzbekistan. Tashkent was rebuilt after a disastrous earthquake in 1966 to serve as a "beacon of Soviet dominance in the East" that would "light the socialist path to wealth for Asia's neighboring peoples." Tashkent, a city created on a grand scale, is a remarkable mix of Oriental Brutalist architecture from the twentieth century, medieval mausoleums, and a fast-paced modern metropolis.

Apart from gigantic monuments, Tashkent is also a great spot to sample some good cuisine; for example, the capital's 100,000-strong Korean community guarantees that delicious Korean-Uzbek cuisine is easy to get by.

In Uzbekistan, just a few museums are worth visiting; Tashkent is one of them. The façade of the Fine Arts Museum is magnificent, but the inside is much more so, with an extraordinary collection of the finest silk, woodcarving, suzani weaving, pottery, and jewelry.

Tashkent's State Museum of History is another must-see, if only for the former Lenin museum's remarkable shape. It's the best place to learn about the country's rich and varied history (but bring a guide; the museum's English-language explainers aren't particularly useful). If at all feasible, visit the museum at the end of your journey: you'll get so much more out of the exhibits if you've visited the locations where they came from and grasp the historical background, not just intellectually, but emotionally.

City: Tashkent