Alisher Navoi Avenue, Tashkent
Alisher Navoi Avenue is one of the oldest and central-most thoroughfares of Tashkent. Prior to 1893, it was called Toshkocha and Kattakocha, and then was known as Shaikhontohur.
Back in the old days, the street used to connect the city proper with the artisans-inhabited neighborhoods. Among the traces from that period, still in place, is the mausoleum of Sheikh Khavandi Tohur, built in the 15th century. Other than this and the 19th-century Eshonquli Dodkhoh madrasah, there were practically no large buildings in the area.
Under the Russian colonial rule, in the second half of the 19th and the early 20th century, the street became busy linking the new, Russian-built part of town with the old part. In 1884, the first Russian school was opened here, the first tram line was put into operation, and, in 1908, the first kerosene lanterns in Tashkent were installed.
In 1938, the avenue got its current name, marking the 500th anniversary of the nationally-beloved poet and thinker, Alisher Navoi, one of the pioneers of vernacular language in the literature of Uzbekistan. His statue, outside the Alisher Navoi State Museum of Literature, was installed in 1949. Another statue of Navoi, in the "Alley of Poets", was inaugurated on February 9, 1991, on the occasion of his 550th anniversary.
The vast majority of the buildings currently seen here were constructed during the 1930s-70s. These include the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Management (1930), the Central Telegraph, the "Vatan" cinema (1937-1940), and the Palace of Culture and Labor (1940) presently occupied by the Museum of Literature and the Young Spectators' Theater.
Many of them feature typical look of Stalinist Empire architecture, with strong 鈥渘ational鈥� highlights borrowed from Central Asian traditional motifs. Symmetry, columns, large front entrances and impressive balconies are in stark contrast to the later architecture. The Navoi Museum itself is exemplary of this, as is the building across from it, and further down the street eastward, the current Ministry of Health. Toward the Anhor canal, residential buildings from that era have a different kind of charm 鈥� slightly run-down but clearly majestic in their heyday.
Navoi Avenue is also an important shopping destination; its section between Independence Square and Circus is lined on both sides with numerous stores and boutiques. Here, you can shop till you drop for pretty much everything, from clothes to accessories to organic food to souvenirs. And to make it even more pleasant and less exhausting, there's no shortage of cafes and restaurants either.
Back in the old days, the street used to connect the city proper with the artisans-inhabited neighborhoods. Among the traces from that period, still in place, is the mausoleum of Sheikh Khavandi Tohur, built in the 15th century. Other than this and the 19th-century Eshonquli Dodkhoh madrasah, there were practically no large buildings in the area.
Under the Russian colonial rule, in the second half of the 19th and the early 20th century, the street became busy linking the new, Russian-built part of town with the old part. In 1884, the first Russian school was opened here, the first tram line was put into operation, and, in 1908, the first kerosene lanterns in Tashkent were installed.
In 1938, the avenue got its current name, marking the 500th anniversary of the nationally-beloved poet and thinker, Alisher Navoi, one of the pioneers of vernacular language in the literature of Uzbekistan. His statue, outside the Alisher Navoi State Museum of Literature, was installed in 1949. Another statue of Navoi, in the "Alley of Poets", was inaugurated on February 9, 1991, on the occasion of his 550th anniversary.
The vast majority of the buildings currently seen here were constructed during the 1930s-70s. These include the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Management (1930), the Central Telegraph, the "Vatan" cinema (1937-1940), and the Palace of Culture and Labor (1940) presently occupied by the Museum of Literature and the Young Spectators' Theater.
Many of them feature typical look of Stalinist Empire architecture, with strong 鈥渘ational鈥� highlights borrowed from Central Asian traditional motifs. Symmetry, columns, large front entrances and impressive balconies are in stark contrast to the later architecture. The Navoi Museum itself is exemplary of this, as is the building across from it, and further down the street eastward, the current Ministry of Health. Toward the Anhor canal, residential buildings from that era have a different kind of charm 鈥� slightly run-down but clearly majestic in their heyday.
Navoi Avenue is also an important shopping destination; its section between Independence Square and Circus is lined on both sides with numerous stores and boutiques. Here, you can shop till you drop for pretty much everything, from clothes to accessories to organic food to souvenirs. And to make it even more pleasant and less exhausting, there's no shortage of cafes and restaurants either.
Sight description based on Wikipedia.
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Alisher Navoi Avenue on Map
Sight Name: Alisher Navoi Avenue
Sight Location: Tashkent, Uzbekistan (See walking tours in Tashkent)
Sight Type: Shopping
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Tashkent, Uzbekistan (See walking tours in Tashkent)
Sight Type: Shopping
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Create Your Own Walk in Tashkent
Creating your own self-guided walk in Tashkent is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Islamic Architecture Walking Tour
A visit to Uzbekistan is like leafing through the charred chapters of the Silk Road. Nowhere is this ambiance more exemplified than within the Islamic architecture adorning the streets of Tashkent.
One such architectural jewel is the Kukeldash Madrasah, dating back to the late 16th century. There is talk of making it into a museum, but it is currently still being used as a religious school.
... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.6 Km or 2.2 Miles
One such architectural jewel is the Kukeldash Madrasah, dating back to the late 16th century. There is talk of making it into a museum, but it is currently still being used as a religious school.
... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.6 Km or 2.2 Miles
Tashkent Introduction Walking Tour
The capital city of Uzbekistan, Tashkent, also historically known as Chach, is the country's cultural, industrial and administrative hub. First settled some time between the 5th and 3rd centuries BC, throughout its long history the city has had various changes in political and religious affiliations. The name Tashkent comes from the Turkic tash and kent, which literally means "Stone... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.0 Km or 2.5 Miles
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.0 Km or 2.5 Miles
Shopping in Tashkent
In the East they say, "A guest on your doorstep is happiness in your home!". Indeed, the Uzbeks, like no other people, are happy to welcome foreigners to their exotic world of aromas, tastes and cordial relationships manifested in authentic local food and products. In Tashkent you can find both of these, and in a great variety, on the street markets (bazaars), in smaller shops and big... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 6.0 Km or 3.7 Miles
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 6.0 Km or 3.7 Miles