“Where to find Halal food in Tashkent?” “Where to perform Salat in Tashkent?” Those are some of the questions Muslim travelers often ask when traveling to Tashkent.

Tashkent (Uzbek: Toshkent or Тошкент; Russian: Ташкент) is the capital, and largest city of Uzbekistan.

Tashkent Halal Travel Guide

It is an ancient city on the Great Silk Road from China to Europe. Little remains of the ancient city after the 1966 earthquake and earlier modernisation work following the 1917 revolution. Tashkent remains a Soviet-era city that has little remaining from its ancient Central Asian past. The city has a mixture of modern new office buildings, hotels, parks, and crumbling Soviet-style apartment blocks. The streets are generally clean and there are not too many potholes in the city centre. Further out, the infrastructure is not so good.

Over the last few years the Uzbek government has embarked on a major reconstruction program in the centre of the city. Roads, government buildings and parks are all being reconstructed (many historical buildings and sites are bulldozed in process). To the visitor, the new city looks very impressive, although many of the local residents have yet to see any improvement in their residential areas.

Tashkent is waiting for a boom. The infrastructure, hotels, and shops are there but the influx of people and business has failed to materialise. This is caused in part by a combination of government policy and bad publicity.

Tashkent has a population of 2.3 million people (2022).

• World War II Memorial Eternal flame and park has the names of all the fallen victims of WWII.
• Monument of Courage - Built to acknowledge the courage of the people at the time of the Tashkent earthquake on 26 April 1966. The whole city was reduced to rubble and then modern Tashkent was built.

• Tashkent TV Tower - Ташкентская телебашня | Viewing levels and restaurants with views of the city. The TV Tower, built in 1981, is the highest building in Central Asia. It is 375m high. It is the 10th highest building in the world and the 2nd highest buildings in GIS and has a revolving restaurant 110m above the ground. Make sure to bring your passport.

• Receptions Hall of the Foreigh Affairs Ministry - Prince Romanov Palace
• National Assembly Building - Oliy Majlis Qonunchilik palatasi | The building of the Parliament of Uzbekistan. A meeting place for the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of Republic of Uzbekistan
• New Clock Tower Chime | South of Monument Park

• International Forums Palace
• Experimental nuclear reactor - Reactor Dosimbaev Abdulrahim | A project of the Academy of Sciences Republic of Uzbekistan.

• Oqsaroy Presidental Palace

• Old TV Tower - Старая телевышка | Metro station Alisher Navoiy and Metro station Paxtakor are right there
• Yunusobod Aktepa - Юнусабадский Актеп | An archaeological site of 5-13th centuries. There are found some remains of an ancient settlement with the strength and extensive artisan quarters. The 'Fortress' was here more like a castle-manor. Maybe here was the summer residence of the rulers of Chacha. Excavated here a remains of a Zoroastrian cult altar. The complex was surrounded by a moat.

What to do in Tashkent

• National library of Uzbekistan named after Alisher Navoi | West half km from Metro station Abdulla Qodirii or Metro station Yunus Rajabiy, North 300 m from Metro station Mustaqilliq Maidoni Phone +998 71 232-8394| fax=+998 71 239-1658
• National Library of Uzbekistan

Parks

• Abdulla Kadiri Recreation Park - Abdulla Qodiriy nomli bog’i
• Alisher Navoiy Park This large park is popular on the weekends where many weddings are held. A fairground and man-made lake are also well frequented by locals.
• Amir Timur Monument & Park - Монумент Амиру Темуру | Amir Temur in armour sits on his horse, holding the reins with his left hand and greeting the people with his right hand. A bust of Karl Marx previously occupied the position during Soviet times.

• Babur Recreation Park A nice park with some boating lake

• Boghi Eram Recreation Park Fun fair for the young and not so young.
• Tashkent Botanical Garden - Ботанический сад, Botanika bog’i, Ботаника боғи | The total area covers 66 hectares. The herbarium is a storehouse of unique collections. The Paleobotanical collection include some valued pieces of Middle Jurassic Period Tashkutan from Hissar county, and from Lower-Middle Albian stage, in the southwest part of the Kyzyl Kum region's Kulzhuktau mountains.

• Japanese Garden - Popular during summers. Many couples go there for wedding photos.

• Mirzo Ulugbek Recreation Park From Metro station Hamid Olimjon ten mins walk to south
• Tashkent Zoo South of the Botanical Garden

• Aqua Park The water park has several pools, one with a wave machine, water chutes, and high slides. Well worth a few hours in hot weather. Take your own towel and pool footwear (the paths can get very hot). There is a restaurants inside.

• Tashkentland - 7,000 som An amusement park. It has few nice rides, nothing special if you have been in big park, but a nice place to spend a free afternoon with friends. It is also worth a visit to a simple park in Tashkent. Although they have fewer attractions and are less exciting, they give off a more authentic feeling.

Stadiums

• Pakhtakor Stadium - Стадион Пахтакор, Paxtakor Markaziy Stadioni | This is a multi-purpose stadium

• Bunyodkor Stadium - Bunyodkor Stadioni, Стадион Бунёдкор | This is a multi-purpose stadium. Mostly for football matches

• Jar Sportcomplex SW of Metro station Chorsu

Theaters

• Alisher Navoi Opera and Ballet Theater - Ballet and opera, Государственный Академический Большой Театр оперы и балета имени Алишера Навои| The theatre was built in neoclassical style from the plans of Alexey Shchusev, the architect of Lenin's Mausoleum in Moscow. The theater has special significance for Japanese nationals because it was built by Japanese prisoners of war during the WWII. A plate acknowledging their contributions is part of the building.

• Istiklol Palace - Peoples' Friendship Palace| A concert hall

• Ilkhom Theatre - Театр Марка Вайля Ильхом | Progressive theatre. Performances in Russian, sometimes with English subtitles.

• Russian Drama Theatre Академический русский драматический театрУзбекистан

• Musical Comedy Theatre Ташкентский государственный театр музыкальной комедии (оперетты)

• National Academic Drama Theatre of Uzbekistan Национальный академический театр драмы Узбекистана | 34 Navoiy shoh ko'chasi (ул. Навои), 41.3226, 69.2454 South half km from Metro station Gafur Gulom (Гафура Гуляма) Phone +998 71 244-1751, +998 71 244-3375

• Tashkent Circus - Ozbak Davlaat Sirki, Узбекгосцирк | East of Metro station Chorsu Phone +998 71 244 3509
• Turkiston Palace A concert hall. There is a nice fountain before its.

• State Puppet Theatre - Республиканский театр кукол

• Theatre for Young Audience - Республиканский театр юного зрителя

• Youth Theatre - Молодежный театр Узбекистана

• Ulugh Beg Planetarium East of Metro station Chorsu

Muslim Friendly Shopping in Tashkent

Art galleries

• Art Caravan - Selling hand-made goods.

• Bona Fact - Галерея "Art and Fact” | Photo exhibitions and sales.

• Caravan Art Gallery - High quality handicrafts.

• Granart Art gallery - Арт-Галерея "Granart” , Художественная галерея| Exhibitions, Sale of artworks, Art studio, Cultural and educational activities, Art therapy, Collectors club, Developing interior design, Framing shop

• Hamar centre - Art gallery - Sells souvenirs.

• Human House | Features handmade crafts and clothing of all sorts, ranging from full outfits to purses to beautiful hand-painted tea sets and ceramics at very reasonable prices. It is non-profit and is meant to help provide income to the crafts persons, who are often from remote poor villages.

• Orient House - A souvenir shop

• Renessans Culture gallery - Арт-Галерея "Ренессанс” | Former Pioneer Palace.

Bazaars

Most local residents do their primary shopping in bazaars. Local produce, such as fruit, nuts, vegetables can be very good, especially when they are in season. In the late summer, local melons appear on the streets and in the bazaars and are tasty and very cheap.

• Chorsu Bazaar - Eski Juva | The biggest and the most exiting oriental market in Tashkent. Eski Juva Bazaar is the biggest and oldest bazaar in Central Asia, operating on the same spot for over 2,000 years. The stalls of the bazaar stand under seven huge domes covered with colored glazed tiles. In the biggest domed building you will find all kinds of spices and cooking herbs: saffron, brown tree bark, red and black pepper, thyme and cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, as well as raisins, and dried Apricots, almonds and pistachios, walnuts and peanuts. The bazaar is famous for peanuts boiled in sugar or honey, covered with sesame seeds. Under the small domes are the workshops. Here craftsmen make and sell jewelry, painted cradles (beshik); gold embroidery; Uzbek chests with metal decorations; embroidered suzanes (thin tapestries), jiyak (lace for trimming the lower edges of women's trousers); quilted men's (chapan) and women's (yashmak) caftans; kurpacha quilts, and pichok knives in leather or brass sheaths, and national musical instruments. Potters offer lyagan dishes and kosa bowls with blue and turquoise painted patterns. You will also find carpets from Khiva, Samarkand, Bukhara, Afghanistan, and Turkey.

• Central Market - Beautifully laid out displays of local produce, dried fruit, and nuts. Every Friday and Saturday there is a wholesale dried fruit bazaar. The least noisy and crowded bazaar in Tashkent. Only here can you can buy button and oyster mushrooms, Caspian sturgeon, and Far Eastern salmon.

• Farkhatsky Bazaar | Selling only melons, especially in September - Oct.

• Hippodrome Bazaar | Best for (leather) clothing, shoes. Very crowded.

• Parkentsky Bazaar | Best for biscuits, cigarettes, coffee, cookies, cooking oil, soft drinks, liquor in large quantities.

• Yunusabad Food Market - Юнусабадский продуктовый рынок | north one km Opening Hours:

Broadway

Saligokh St, known locally as "Broadway", has some street artists, etc. The street is easy to find from the Amir Temur Monument, just head away from the Uzbekistan Hotel. The 'mirstore' just off of Saligokh St has a modern supermarket, coffee bar and hugely overpriced fashion stores. This area, known locally as "Demir," also has Mir Burger, which has burgers, pizza and local dishes at reasonable prices. There is also a Georgian restaurant ("Tblisi") and a Chinese restaurant. There is a heavy police (militsiya) presence here and foreigners are not often, but occasionally asked for their documents. It is advisable to keep a photocopy of your passport and visa with you, but leave the originals in the hotel safe.

Modern designer fashion and shops selling luxury goods from famous international brands have appeared in Tashkent. Catering for the wealthy, these can be found in the Broadway area, on Amir Temur Street and Pushkin Street.

Department stores, malls

• Central Department Store - Tashkent Department Store (Former TSUM) | Could be find some souvenir.

• Tashkent Shopping Center - Turkuaz Chorsu

• Trade Center Tashkent Plaza -Next to International Business Center Phone +998 71 2389408
• Shopping center Poytakht - Торговый центр Пойтахт | Mustakillik Metro Station

• Universam Yunusabad Department Store

Handicrafts

• Abdulkasym Madrassah - Lacquer paintings with oriental motifs.

• Rakhimov Ceramics Studio
• Hamza Art Gallery, Caravan Cafe and Restaurant, 22, A. Kakhar Str.
• Souvenir Shops also can be find in some hotel as: Grand Mir, InterContinental, Dedeman Silk Road, Tashkent Palace, Uzbekistan Hotel

Supermarkets

• Kontinent - Good supermarket with a wide range of stuff.

• Turkuaz Hypermart - Formerly GUM | Good for Western clothing and travel accessories.

Muslim Friendly Food & Restaurants in Tashkent

There are hundreds of small cafes in Tashkent (and other Uzbek cities and villages) offering these and other local dishes at inexpensive prices. A meal of salad, bread, tea, soup, and shashlik at around USD2-3 isn't difficult to find. Sanitation standards can leave a lot to be desired in many of these cafes. Especially on warm days, look to see if the meat is kept refrigerated before it is cooked. Before meals you will always be offered warm water poured over your hands from a jug. Before drinking tea, it is traditional to bless the cup with the first splash of tea from the pot. This serves ritual and hygienic purposes. Locals also believe in the sterilising properties of vodka.

In regular restaurants with (seemingly) western appearance, western prices are applied, e.g. a simple meal can easily be 10-15$ and drinks 3$ and more.

There are many small restaurants serving simple meals at good prices. Burgers and Halal kebabs are common. Borsch (soup) is tasty and perfect on a cold day.

• Bravissimo Serves cakes and good local food. Russian language only

• Bukhara Food Offer cheap, good quality food. Try the Following dishes: lavash (Armenian), shurpa (Uzbek), kazi kabob (Uzbek).

• Cafe Bukhara Cheap and tasty local food. Nice atmosphere and you can buy your drinks in a shop next to the place.

• Central Asian Plov Center - Plov is available for lunch, together with fresh tomato and other salads. All the plov is prepared outside in huge cauldrons. Go early as the place gets packed and sometimes they run out.

• Dilkash - Mirobod Ko'chasy Specialty is shashlik from 7,000 som, fresh salads, and non. Plov and soup also available. No liquor is sold on premises, but nearby shops sell vodka and soft-drinks.

• Neft i Gaz Kitchen A company canteen, but many people go there, as it is affordable and tasty. It serves most traditional dishes: plov, lagman (a soup with spaghetti, meat and other ingredients), borsh. Languages are Russian and Uzbek, but it is easy to order, as it is canteen type and you can just point to what you want.

Mid-range

• Amfora Greek Restaurant - АМфОРА | Near junction of Shahrisabz and Movarounnakhr

• Ariston | Like Polyanka, excellent food and cabaret entertainment (suitable for families).

• Ariston Park | One of a few good places to eat in Boghi Eram Recreation Park.

• Caravan

• Al Delfin | Excellent Arabic food. Great sheesha can be found here.

• Jumanji - One of the best restaurants in town. Serves big portions of high quality Chinese, central Asian, and European food.

• Khan Kuk Kwan | Korean food.

• Mir Burger | Turkish McDonalds.

• Nam Dae Mun | Fine Korean and Japanese restaurant. Reasonably priced.

• Pizzeria Bella Napoli | Small pizzeria, great atmosphere, and reasonably priced too (suitable for families). You might need to reserve a table on weekends as the place gets packed some evenings. Free delivery.

• Polyanka Cafe | Excellent food and cabaret entertainment (suitable for families).

• Ristorante Semo de Roma - One of the best Italian restaurants in town. Excellent food and a very nice terrace.

• La Riva | Fast food plus huge variety of different international dishes from Russia, Korea, Italy, Tatarstan. Many college students drop in throughout the day and the evening.
• Salvador Dalí restaurant
• Sultan Fast food
• Tang Cheng Chinese Restaurant | Good Chinese restaurant.

As is common in other Central Asian countries, tea is drunk by most people, but without milk. Black coffee is also available everywhere. Some coffee shops and cafes offer good coffee, but the best of them is probably Amore Coffee at the MIR store just off of Broadway.

Muslim Friendly Hotels in Tashkent

Tashkent's hotel scene for budget and mid-range accommodation is not very welcoming, but improving slowly.

When you check out you will be given a tiny registration card that the next hotel will ask for.

• Amir Khan Hostel Opened in March 2018. Modern and clean common facilities (bathrooms, kitchen) and rooms. As of March 2018, no lockers in the rooms, but just a shelf per guest. A curtain at each bed provides privacy. Towels are provided free of charge.

• Gulnara's B&B - Гостевой дом "Гульнара" | Clean, and comfortable. Rides from the airport can be arranged for a reasonable price. The owner can be very rude and unfriendly sometimes.

• Glen Eden Hotel - Гостиница Глен-Эден | A two-star hotel. Rooms with bath or shower, air conditioning, direct dial international telephone, internet access, satellite TV, Minibar with alcohol removed, hairdryer. In the hotel: lobby, reception. security service, restaurant, children's play room. Laundry service.

• Grand Tashkent Hotel - Гранд Ташкент | A two star hotel

• Jahongir Hotel - Частный гостевой дом Джахонгир | A two-star hotel with excellent staff. In the suburbs but near a metro station. Economy rooms are with shared bath.

• Mirzo guesthouse | Traditional house. Clean. Friendly owner. He often plays traditional music for the guests. Wi-Fi in the evening only.

• Orzu Hotel - Гостиница Орзу | A two-star hotel. 34 Rooms, Sixteen singles, sixteen doubles
• Tashkent Apartment | A house with three separate bedrooms, owned by PageTour travel agency. Owners are very nice and helpful; no problem to arrange pickup from airport, book train tickets or help to change money on the market. Only downside that they do not provide registration slips for your stay (Aug 2012).

Mid-range

• Expo Tashkent Hotel - Next to the Expo Centre. - Take a metro to Bodomzor 500 m northwest from there

• Grand Ist Hote

• Grand Orzu Hotel - Отель Гранд Орзу | A three star hotel 50 guestrooms, including twenty one single rooms with king size beds, ten luxe rooms and 19 double rooms with two standard beds.

• Grand Raddus Hotel - Гранд Раддус JSS | A three-star hotel

• Oasis Asaka Hotel - Оазис Асака | A four star hotel

• Hotel BEK - БЕК

• Hotel City Palace - Former Markaziy Hotel, Sheraton | Opened in 1999 by Sheraton and was run by them until a few years ago, when they left having lost money after some alleged financial irregularities. The hotel is one of Tashkent's taller buildings. The rooms are still very good, but service and maintenance. Bar/restaurant bills must be paid in cash.

• Miran International Hotel Отель "Miran International" | A five-star luxury hotel

• Grand Mir Hotel - Гран Мир | A four-star luxury hotel for business travellers. Wi-Fi. Rates include fitness centre and a healthy breakfast.

• Le Grande Plaza Hotel - formerly BUMI, Гостиница Ли Гранд Плаза | Executive floor with lounge, outdoor pool, South Indian restaurant. 10 km from airport.

• Ramada Tashkent Former Hotel Park Turon, Парк Турон | A four star hotel. One hundred twenty deluxe roorms with tea/coffee maker, cable/satellite TV, Minibar with alcohol removed, in-room safe, work desk, iron & ironing board (on request), hair dryer, blackout drapers and design bathroom with shower and bathtub.Upon request, rollaway beds, baby cribs

• Radisson SAS - Радиссон SAS
• Tashkent Palace Hotel - Formerly Le Meridien | A four star, traditionally-styled and visually impressive hotel.

Stay safe

Tashkent is generally a very safe place to visit. As anywhere, remember to watch your personal belongings. There have been incidents of robbery, including some violent assaults but they are very rare. Travellers should use the same caution they would use in any large city, especially at night. It is not advisable for foreigners to walk around alone at night, especially in areas where few people are about and/or lighting is poor. Police sometimes levy small on-the-spot fines for minor offences such as appearing to be slightly intoxicated.

The emergency number is ☎ 103 for medical emergencies and ☎ 101 for fires, while the police emergency number is ☎ 102. Major clinics are listed below:

• Tashkent International Medical Clinic - TIMC | Medical and dental care.

• VIP Poliklinik | Phone +998 13 62625, +998 13 94260

Go next

• Samarkand - Part of the UNESCO World Heritage list

• Architectural Complex Zengi-Ata - Комплекс Занги-Ата | Burial place of sheikh Aj-Hodzha, nicknamed Zengi-Ata, which means "black", who lived from the end of 12th to the first half of 13th century. Parts of its: Zengi-Ata Madrassa (Медресе Занги-Ата) and Zengi-Ata Mosque (Мечеть Занги-Ата)

• Maidanak Observatory - Майданакская высокогорная обсерватория | Located on the western top of mountain Maidanak (altitude 2650 m), 35 km southward of the village Yakkabog, Kashkadarya province

• Big Solar Furnace - Большая Солнечная Печь | A project of the Academy of Sciences Republic of Uzbekistan
• Lake Charvak Chor bogh | The reservoir was created by erecting Charvak Hydropower Station on the Chirchiq River, a short distance downstream from the confluence of Pskem and Chatkal rivers in the western Tian-Shan mountains. The reservoir popular resort place for locals.

• Ugam Chatkal National Park - Chatkalskiy State Nature Reserve, Угам-Чаткальский Национальный Парк | About 570 km² of mountain steppes, mountain forests, alpine meadows, river valleys and floodplain forests.

Copyright 2015 - 2023. All Rights reserved by eHalal Group Co., Ltd.