Uzbekistan is located in Central Asia. One of the most
interesting countries of the post-Soviet space, and Asia in
particular. A country with an ancient history, the heiress of the
ancient states of Sogdiana, Bactria, Khorezm, Timur's empire. A
significant segment of the Great Silk Road passed through the
territory of the country.
Of interest to tourists are the
ancient structures of temple architecture - madrasahs, mosques and
mausoleums, historical parts of old cities. Also interesting are the
diverse landscapes of the country, from the Tien Shan mountain
ranges with ski resorts to deserts and the drying Aral Sea.
Central Uzbekistan
Central Uzbekistan is a capital
region in the northeastern part of the country around Tashkent. Tashkent
itself was badly damaged by the 1966 earthquake and completely rebuilt,
there are good museums, and, in a small number, traditional quarters
with medieval architecture, and the first metro in Central Asia. To the
west of Tashkent is the Hungry Steppe, which is not very rich in sights,
and to the south and east the spurs of the western Tien Shan enter
Uzbekistan - real, albeit relatively low mountains here, a popular
vacation spot.
Samarkand and Bukhara
Samarkand and Bukhara are
the most popular regions of Uzbekistan among travelers. Everyone has
heard about Bukhara and Samarkand - in Bukhara, the medieval center has
been completely preserved, in Samarkand - many monuments, including
Registan Square and the Mausoleum of Tamerlane. However, the region is
not limited to these two cities - a large number of medieval monuments
of varying degrees of interest and accessibility are scattered around
it. In addition, one of the most popular land routes to Tajikistan
passes through Samarkand - across the border to Penjikent and further
into the mountains.
Ferghana Valley
The Ferghana Valley is a
region in the valley of the Naryn River, separated from the rest of
Uzbekistan by a mountain range or the territory of Tajikistan. The
Ferghana Valley is connected to the rest of Uzbekistan through the
Kamchik road pass and the railway tunnel underneath it. This is a very
populated, fertile and rather poor territory, which is why the Ferghana
Valley, especially in Namangan, has a very religious population. The
Fergana Valley has a rich history - the Great Silk Road passed here, the
Kokand Khanate was located here, and in the Fergana Valley, primarily in
Kokand, historical and architectural monuments have been preserved,
unlike what travelers will see in the rest of Uzbekistan.
Northern Uzbekistan
Northern Uzbekistan. Most of this area is desert.
In the north, there was once the Aral Sea, but due to the irrational use
of the waters of the Amu Darya for irrigation, the Uzbek part of it has
practically dried up, and the ship cemetery in the former fishing port
of Muynak is one of the two main attractions of Northern Uzbekistan. The
second is the ensemble of the Khiva fortress, preserved mainly from the
middle of the 18th century, included in the World Heritage List. The
sights of the region are by no means limited to this, but due to its
large size and low population, the traveler should have enough time and
the opportunity to organize his own transport.
Southern
Uzbekistan
Southern Uzbekistan often remains outside the interests of
travelers who simply do not have enough time for it. At best, they are
limited to Shakhrisabz, which is included in the World Heritage List. At
the same time, the two southern regions of Uzbekistan have preserved
quite a lot of traces of different civilizations, from the Timurids to
the Russian Empire. Desert landscapes in the north give way to middle
mountains in the south, where sometimes, to see a medieval mausoleum,
you have to travel through the pass and then back.
Tashkent is the capital of the state and by far the largest city in
terms of population. Tashkent was badly damaged by the earthquake of
1966, so there are not very many antiquities preserved here - although
the mahallas of the old city, the market and the Chorsu madrasah, as
well as the Khast-Imam Square ensemble are quite worthy. In Tashkent, on
the other hand, there is a lot of new architecture, large parks,
interesting museums, and, in general, a completely different atmosphere
than in other cities of Uzbekistan - here, due to the interaction of the
Uzbek and Russian population, some special mixture of east and west was
created when you a jazz concert may be held in one house, and a Friday
sermon may be held in the next house.
Samarkand is the most ancient
city of Uzbekistan and all of Central Asia, it is over 2700 years old.
In the past (1925-1930) the capital of Uzbekistan (as part of the USSR)
and the Timurid State. The second largest city in Uzbekistan. The
capital of the Samarkand region.
Bukhara is one of the ancient cities
of Uzbekistan and Central Asia, it is also at least 2700 years old. In
the past, one of the main cities of Islam. The capital of the Bukhara
region. In the past, the capital of the Bukhara Emirate. Now a
city-museum with the richest architectural ensembles of the cultural
heritage of Uzbekistan.
Khiva is one of the oldest cities in
Uzbekistan and Central Asia. In the past, the capital of the Khiva
Khanate. Although almost no buildings older than the 18th century have
been preserved in Khiva, its center, the Ichan-Kala fortress, surrounded
by a wall, is an integral ensemble of clay buildings. Approximately
two-thirds of the citadel is occupied by residential areas, crossed by a
labyrinth of alleys, and the rest by historical mosques, madrasahs,
mausoleums, the Tash-Khauli Palace and the symbol of Khiva - the
Kalta-Minar minaret. Outside the wall there is a second wall, a couple
of palaces and small remnants of a Russian city built after the
annexation of the Khiva Khanate by Russia.
Urgench is the capital of
the Khorezm region. Not far from Urgench is the city of Khiva.
Kokand
is a city in the Ferghana Valley. In the past, the capital of the Kokand
Khanate. One of the oldest cities in Uzbekistan.
Shakhrisabz is a
city in the Kashkadarya region, the birthplace of Tamerlane. The city
was founded 2700 years ago
Karshi is the capital of the Kashkadarya
region.
Termez is the southernmost city of Uzbekistan. A few
kilometers from Termez is the border with Afghanistan across the Amu
Darya River. The capital of Surkhandarya region.
How to get there
Citizens of many countries do not need a visa to
visit Uzbekistan. The visa policy of Uzbekistan is now in second place
(after Georgia) in terms of liberality and openness in the territory of
the post-Soviet space. It is necessary to have only a foreign passport.
An electronic visa for citizens from some other countries is issued
on this website. An e-visa is issued within 2-4 working days.
Customs declaration
Since 2018, Uzbekistan has significantly
simplified customs registration - now, when entering the country, a
customs declaration is filled out only if there are things that are not
intended for personal use.
The declaration does not indicate
foreign currency in the amount equivalent to 2000 US dollars.
If
a declaration is needed, it can be downloaded in advance and filled out.
At the exit, the customs declaration is submitted only if it was
filled out at the entrance. At the same time, the amount of exported
currency should not exceed the amount of imported, while without the
permission of the Central Bank it is allowed to freely export currency
in the equivalent of 100 million soums ($10.5 thousand).
Temporarily imported valuables must also be taken back, technically this
means that if you leave Uzbekistan for a short time, for example, on an
excursion to Turkestan or Penjikent, you must take all your things with
you.
Registration
Foreign citizens who make a trip are
exempted from temporary registration if the period of their stay in each
specific settlement of Uzbekistan does not exceed 3 days. In this case,
it is necessary to have documents confirming the fact of stay (for
example, receiving services or purchasing goods, or tickets). There is
no requirement for continuous registration in one locality.
Temporary registration of a foreigner is carried out upon arrival at the
destination within 3 days, excluding days off (Sunday) and holidays,
despite the fact that this period is calculated from 00:01 the next day
after the date of arrival (crossing the border by a foreign citizen).
For foreigners, a tourist tax has been introduced, the amount of
which depends on the chosen place of temporary residence. For example,
if you stay in a private house, then the fee will be 2% per day of the
minimum wage ($ 0.45 for 2018), for children under 16 years old - the
fee is not paid. In this case, the entire responsibility for
registration rests with the receiving party. Hotels, inns and hostels
pay this fee for you, including this amount in your room/bed payment.
By plane
The country has 11 airports that have international
status, while travelers are likely to arrive at one of the five major
airports: Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, Urgench and Namangan. The
national airline "Uzbekistan Airways" (O'zbekiston Havo Yo'llari) is
based in Tashkent at the Tashkent-Yuzhny airfield and operates flights
to many countries of the world, as well as on domestic routes.
In
addition to Aeroflot, many low-cost Russian carriers also fly to
Uzbekistan:
«Red Wings Airlines» (On Mondays, flights to Fergana,
on Thursdays - to Namangan, on Fridays - to Navoi)
Nordwind Airlines
(Fridays, flight Kazan - Tashkent)
"Nord Star" (Thursdays, flight
Moscow - Karshi)
Ural Airlines (On Tuesdays and Wednesdays flight
Moscow - Karshi, on Tuesdays and Thursdays flight Karshi - Moscow)
and etc.
By train
Before the pandemic, Uzbekistan had regular
passenger rail links with Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Russia and Ukraine. As
of March 2022, passenger rail links with these countries have not been
restored for a number of reasons. Before that, the trains
“Moscow-Tashkent”, “Moscow-Andijan”, “Saratov-Samarkand”,
“Volgograd-Urgench”, “Tashkent-Kharkov”, “Tashkent-Almaty”,
“Nur-Sultan-Tashkent”, passed through the country train "Dushanbe -
Moscow", served by Russian Railways, KazZhD, UzZhD and TajZhd.
Only a very small number of tourists enter or leave Uzbekistan by train.
Railway routes to the cities of Russia and Kazakhstan are mostly used by
labor migrants. The journey from Moscow to Tashkent or vice versa, with
stops in passing settlements and with border controls, takes three days,
and from Orenburg or Samara a little more than two days. You will have
to go through border control 4 times, during which the train stops 4
times at the borders. Each stop lasts from 2 to 4 hours depending on the
fullness of the wagons and the "mood" of the border guards, and the
absence of "accidents" due to the discovery of a wanted person, or who
has a fake passport or stamp in it, etc. Modernized wagons are used
Soviet-style (reserved seat and coupe), there are luxury cars. Trains
always have a restaurant, but there are not always working air
conditioners and sockets. Passengers usually charge their gadgets at the
conductor or in the dining car for money (50-100 ₽). There is always
unlimited hot water in the carriages. During stops, the toilets are
closed, including during, say, a 4-hour border crossing. In winter, the
cars are heated well. Usually, during the passage of the train through
the territory of Kazakhstan and Russia, Kazakh and Russian policemen go
from car to car in search of "offences" and selectively check
passengers' documents and find fault with everything, wanting to fulfill
their "plan" to detect violations. They regard smoking even in the
vestibule as smoking in a public place and scare them with removal from
the train at the nearest station to file an administrative case. Often
poor migrant passengers "negotiate" with them for 500-1000 and even 5000
₽. Here, both Kazakhstani and Russian policemen are distinguished by
special greed. Therefore, be on the lookout, otherwise you will have to
pay a bribe or really get off at the next station. The average price of
tickets for such trains before the pandemic ranged from 6 to 12 thousand
Russian rubles, depending on the season and seats in the car
(compartments and suites are more expensive, reserved seats are
cheaper). On Uzbek and Tajik trains, all conductors are men, while on
Russian and Kazakh trains there are both conductors and conductors.
By bus
International bus routes launched:
Shymkent - Tashkent: buses run daily from 6:00-7:00 to 19:00-20:00 with
a frequency of one hour. The fare from Tashkent to Shymkent and back is
80,000 soums. Children under 7 years old - free of charge.
Almaty -
Tashkent: buses depart from Tashkent daily, three times a day (at 16:00,
17:00 and 18:00 hours). The fare from Tashkent to Almaty is 100,000
soums, for the return route - 4,000 tenge.
Bishkek - Tashkent: buses
run daily. The fare from Tashkent to Bishkek is 120,000 soums, for the
return route - 1,000 soms.
Khujand - Tashkent: buses depart from
Tashkent daily, three times a day (at 8:00, 12:00 and 18:00). The fare
from Tashkent is 50,000 soums, for the return route - 50 Tajik somoni.
Almaty - Chirchik: daily. The fare from Chirchik to Almaty is 150
thousand soums, in the opposite direction 6000 tenge.
Turkestan -
Tashkent: daily. Travel time - 6 hours 40 minutes. Departure time from
the city of Turkestan (from the bus station "Altyn Orda") at 07:00 and
17:00 hours, and from Tashkent (from the bus station "Tashkent") -
08:00, 18:00 (Astana time). Technical stop - 30 minutes. The fare is
2000 tenge or 50000 sum.
Samarkand - Turkestan: daily.
Be careful
when choosing other routes if they promise to take you to Uzbekistan:
they will only take you to the border of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan!
By plane
There are airports with regular passenger traffic from
Tashkent in most regional centers, except for Gulistan and Jizzakh.
Domestic flights are operated by the national airline Uzbekistan Airways
- a fairly modern one, flying exclusively on Western aircraft and
selling tickets via the Internet.
By train
By the standards of
Central Asia, rail transportation is very developed in Uzbekistan (their
expansion did not stop even after the collapse of the USSR): there are
international trains, domestic high-speed trains and electric trains.
All regions (vilayats) are connected with Tashkent by direct trains.
Between the major cities of the country there is a passenger high-speed
railway with a length of more than 1500 km, connecting the largest
cities of Uzbekistan - Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, Karshi, Navoi.
Electronic train ticket
In addition to railway ticket offices or
stations, tickets for railway trains in Uzbekistan can be purchased
online, payment is available using VISA and Mastercard cards. To
purchase an e-ticket, you must print it after purchasing it on the
website. Before entering the station, two seals will be placed on it. At
the entrance to the train, the conductors will leave one half of the
ticket for you, and take the other half for themselves.
Like
Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and some other countries, Uzbekistan is
connected to the Express-3 ticketing system. The mechanism for buying
tickets in Uzbekistan is not much different from other countries of this
system, but it will be noticeably more expensive than buying on the
website of local railways.
Throughout the country, enhanced
security measures are being applied on the railway, the scheme is
similar to the airport. Before entering the station, you go through a
preliminary control, then checking things through an introscope, then
checking in for the flight (make sure that the ticket has a check-in
stamp). After registration, you cannot go back to the city. Before
boarding the carriage, the conductor will check your ticket again.
Formally, check-in ends 30 minutes, and boarding 15 minutes before
departure, although locals run into the car even a minute before
departure.
The main and busiest route is Tashkent-Samarkand. From
Samarkand the railway continues in four directions:
to Bukhara;
to
Navoi, Uchkuduk, Urgench and Nukus;
to Karshi and Termez;
to
Denau.
In the spring of 2016, a direct railway was opened from
Tashkent to the Ferghana Valley through the Kamchik tunnel. Trains run
several times a day to Andijan.
There are four branded trains in
Uzbekistan. They have seated cars, are much faster and more comfortable
than ordinary passenger trains: other things being equal, it is
reasonable to take tickets for these trains:
Afrosiab
(Tashkent-Samarkand-Karshi) is the pride of the Uzbek railways, a
Spanish-made high-speed train covering 450 km of track in just over two
to three hours. The demand for it significantly exceeds the supply, it
is recommended to buy tickets in advance. There is no rush demand for
other destinations (although when buying on the same day, it may turn
out that only the most expensive tickets remain).
"Sharq"
(Tashkent-Samarkand-Bukhara) runs twice a day, in the morning and in the
evening. Travel time to Samarkand - 4 hours, to Bukhara - a little more
than 6 hours. Sufficiently clean seating cars without air conditioning,
films are shown on the way, the conductors deliver tea, and the peddlers
bring newspapers, samsa and other snacks. On the way you will be offered
a free sandwich and a bag of juice.
"Nasaf" (Tashkent-Karshi). A
train with seated cars, similar to Sharq, travel time is 6 hours.
"Registan" (Tashkent-Samarkand). Named after the famous Registan Square
in Samarkand.
The train schedule can be found on the official
website.
By bus
In Uzbekistan, one of the most ultra-budget
means of transportation between cities is special intercity bus
services. You can book seats and make payment both at the ticket offices
of bus stations in cities and online.
The list of routes is also
available on the website.
By car
Toning
If there is tinting
on the car, a fee is paid upon entering the country in the amount of
$15.
rental
To rent a car for up to 30 days, in addition to a
passport, foreign citizens need an international driver's license. Of
the international brands, Sixt is present here.
There are almost
no differences between intercity taxis and passing cars. The driver of
the first car stopped on the road will most likely go where you need to,
but at the same time you will need to agree on a price with him in
advance (and in non-trivial situations, also specify the route and
waiting time for the car at stops). For long trips, there are usually
standard places where cars (aka taxis) gather in this direction.
A feature of Uzbekistan is that a large number of cars run on natural
gas. Even Soviet vehicles, including trucks, have been re-equipped for
gas (gas-balloon equipment - LPG).
Taxi
There are many
official taxi services in Uzbekistan. Private transportation is common,
but without a license is officially prohibited. For wealthy tourists,
this is the most convenient way to travel around the country. So, in
2012 prices for moving Nukus - Khiva (280 km) demanded $ 70, Khiva -
Bukhara (470 km) - $ 110, Bukhara - Samarkand (270 km) - $ 80 (price for
the whole car). Taxi drivers usually speak decent Russian, try to answer
questions that tourists have about the history and geography of
Uzbekistan to the best of their ability. But you can choose a cheaper
mode of transport - a train ride (to the west of the country), it will
cost you no more than $60 from Tashkent to Nukus.
But with a trip
to the east of the country, more precisely to the Ferghana Valley, there
are some difficulties. You will have to go to the intercity taxi rank
(if in Tashkent), which is located in the Kuylyuk district of Tashkent
city. From there you need to take a taxi, which is almost all equipped
with HBO. Taxi is not expensive, but the price is not constant: from
$20-30 (30-35 thousand soums) to Kokand per person, from $25-45 (40-45
thousand soums) to Andijan, Namangan or Ferghana, Prices usually go up
around holidays. If you are going to go to the cities of the Ferghana
Valley, you should take a minimum of things (if you are one or two of
you), since the car is equipped with LPG, there is little space in the
trunk and taxi drivers are reluctant to take passengers with a large
backpack; in the worst case, you will have to pay extra for one more
place and put your things there. The problem associated with HBO is
refueling: if you are lucky and there is no queue for refueling, then
you need to stand in the cold or in the heat (if summer) for at least 15
minutes. A trip to the farthest city of the valley will take no more
than 5 hours. On the way, taxi drivers can offer to eat in roadside
cafes in the cities of Akhangaran or Angren: if you are hungry, then you
should not refuse (the food is good, usually national cuisine).
Due to the presence of its own automaker - the GM Uzbekistan plant,
Uzbekistan has large duties on foreign cars. The exception is Russian,
Kazakh, Korean and Chinese cars (duties are lower due to bilateral
agreements). As a result, Uzbekistan is filled with such cars as Nexia,
Matiz, Lacetti, Spark, Malibu and Damas minibuses. In addition to them,
Russian Ladas and the Soviet auto industry (Lada, Volga, Muscovites and
others) run. The cost of new cars is very high even compared to Russia,
so there are a lot of old cars.
Roads in Uzbekistan are of
average quality. Near large cities there are wide stretches with good
asphalt, but in many other places the situation is much worse.
By
helicopter
The national airline offers the service of helicopter
tours to the most beautiful places in Uzbekistan to all individuals and
legal entities. For tours, Mi-8 VIP-class with 16 seats, and economy
class - with 22 seats for passengers are used.
Helicopters
deliver to the most exotic places open for tourism. These include: the
Pskem valley, Maidantal, Ikhnach, Ispay lakes, the Angren plateau with
lakes and a hot spring, the Kaptarkumysh rocky "bag", the Pulatkhan
plateau, the peak of Chimgan.
The state, official and most common language in Uzbekistan is Uzbek.
It is spoken by almost the entire population at one level or another,
although among the national minorities of the country (mostly Russian
and Russian-speaking) those who do not know the state language, except
for its basic words, are not uncommon. Since 1993, the Uzbek language
has been officially translated into Latin, but in fact, in the media,
government agencies, signs and signs, Cyrillic and Latin are used
equally, although, of course, Latin is more preferred. By 2023,
Uzbekistan plans to finally switch to the Latin alphabet. For a fairly
large proportion of the population (about 12%, and these are not only
Russians, but also Ukrainians, Belarusians, Koreans, part of the
Armenians, Poles, Germans, Greeks, even part of the Uzbeks, Kazakhs,
Tajiks themselves), the native language is Russian, so the language
barrier for a Russian-speaking tourist in Uzbekistan is absent. Some
exceptions are the Fergana Valley and remote villages and areas where
the vast majority of the population is ethnic Uzbeks, there are few
other nationalities, and only Uzbek is used in everyday life. Even in
Soviet times, residents of remote areas and villages spoke little or
almost no Russian.
In the southern, central and partly in the
eastern part of Uzbekistan, the Tajik language is widely spoken (the
closest relative or actually a variant of the Persian language). For
example, in the cities of Bukhara and Samarkand, the Tajik language is
most common. Also, far from big cities, in some areas, towns and
villages of Bukhara, Samarkand, Kashkadarya, Surkhandarya, Fergana,
Namangan and Tashkent regions, Tajik is also common along with the Uzbek
language. In Karakalpakstan, the westernmost region of Uzbekistan, along
with the Uzbek language, Karakalpak (has the status of a regional
official language) and Kazakh are widely spoken. The Kazakh language is
also spoken in the Tashkent and Navoi regions. The Turkmen language is
partly spoken in the Khorezm and Bukhara regions, and the Kyrgyz
language is partly spoken in the Andijan region.
Of the foreign
languages, except for Russian, English is the most common. Almost all
young people speak English at one level or another, since this language
is taught from the first grade, often by native speakers, most of whom
are volunteers from Western countries. English is also spoken by almost
all workers in the tourism and service sector. Also, the Turkish
language has some popularity among the population, since the presence of
Turkish business and, accordingly, immigrants (life is cheaper here)
from Turkey is very noticeable in the country. Among the Tajik
population of the country, Persian language skills are in trend. In
Termez, due to the rather large diaspora of Afghans, Persian (or Dari)
is also popular. Arabic (as the language of worship in Islam and the
language of part of the local Arabs), French, German, Spanish, Italian,
Chinese, Korean and Japanese (as there are many tourists from their
respective countries) also have some popularity. Many souvenir sellers
in major centers and attractions with shops and shops speak several of
the above languages at once.
There are four main tourist areas in Uzbekistan from the point of
view of an architecture and history lover. These are Tashkent, Bukhara,
Samarkand and Khiva. In each of the cities you can hire a guide ($30-40
for 3-4 hours).
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Itchan-Kala
Historical center of the city of Bukhara
Historical center of
Shakhrisabz city
Samarkand - crossroads of cultures
Western Tien
Shan (Chatkal Nature Reserve)
Things to do
Mountain tourism -
Chimgan. Water tourism - rafting on the turbulent Chatkal River. Beach
holidays - Aydarkul lake, Charvak reservoir. Hiking in the forest -
Sukok.
Afisha.uz is the largest Uzbek information resource in the
field of culture, entertainment and leisure.
The
country's currency is the Uzbek sum (UZS). This is one of the cheapest
world currencies, at the end of 2022 the exchange rate is a little more
than 11 thousand soums for $ or €, and about 180 soums for 1 ₽. Uzbek
coins have denominations of 50, 100, 200 and 500 soums, and banknotes -
from 1,000 soums to 200,000 soums. At the same time, until 2020, smaller
denominations were also used in the country, up to completely
meaningless ones of 1 or 5 soums, and large ones were rare or absent
altogether, which is why wads of money served as the actual monetary
unit, and for a 100-dollar bill they gave literally a bag of sums. Now
all these difficulties are in the past, banknotes smaller than 1000
soums have been withdrawn from circulation.
International bank
cards and payment systems such as Visa, Mastercard and UnionPay work.
MIR cards do not work here now due to the country joining the sanctions
in this regard.
There is also a national payment system UzCard
and Humo, and most of the local residents use it.
From cash
currency, it is better for a foreigner to have US dollars or euros. The
exchange rate of Russian rubles is less favorable. Currency can be
freely changed in all banks, the rate differs slightly. It is also
possible to exchange directly through some ATMs.
For tourists,
national clothes and fabrics, carpets, silk embroidery, and ceramic
dishes are of interest as souvenirs.
In Uzbekistan,
the oldest traditions of making ceramics have been preserved. In the
Fergana Valley there are deposits of clay, which has almost no
impurities, dishes from it have always been valued and diverged along
the Silk Road both to the west and to the east. The historical center of
ceramics production is the city of Rishtan in the Ferghana region, here
potters made up the majority of the male population of the city, and it
was in Rishtan that the only ceramics factory in Central Asia was built.
On sale you can find both the products of the Rishtan plant, and
handicrafts of Rishtan masters, as well as ceramics from other regions
of the country.
Rishtan ceramics is the most massive. It is
distinguished by a thin and clear ornament of blue and turquoise colors.
You can distinguish factory work from handmade by the absence of traces
of the potter's wheel on the bottom; in addition, factory products are
of the same size and are easily stacked on the counter.
Bukhara and
Gijuvan ceramics are only handmade. In it, the lines and patterns are
large and fuzzy: the local paint spreads when glazed.
Samarkand
ceramics is a little less common. It can be distinguished by the dark
green or dark brown color of the dishes, on which white or gold fine
patterns are applied with a needle.
Although Uzbekistan is a Muslim country, pork is present in some
dishes, but beef and lamb are more commonly used. Horse meat is eaten
only in the form of sausage (kazy). Dishes of Uzbek cuisine are very
rich and fatty, so it is recommended to drink them with hot tea. The
most popular drink in Uzbekistan is green tea. It is served absolutely
everywhere. Moreover, you can come to almost any place and order only
tea, which will certainly be brought in a teapot. Before you start
drinking, wait a bit - the tea should have time to brew. They drink
green tea from bowls.
With the exception of Tashkent, the word
"restaurant" in the name means that the institution is designed for
tourists. On the one hand, there, most likely, everything will be in
order with sanitation, on the other hand, higher prices are guaranteed.
Cafe often (though not always) simply refers to a place where you can
buy a pack of juice or a bottle of water, and drink them right there.
The best establishments are those where there are no tourists, but only
locals. Usually they don't have any names; there is simply a poster at
the entrance, where it is drawn what is offered in this place at all
(often not everything is drawn; it may turn out that something has
already ended, especially in the evening). As a rule, there is no menu
in such places either - focus on the amount of 10-15 thousand soums per
person (2015). If the place looks decent, you are unlikely to get
poisoned there, but if in doubt, it is better to look for something
else. Wet sanitary napkins definitely do not interfere. The portions are
big, keep that in mind.
Alcohol is sold in large stores with a
license and in specialized wine and vodka stores.
Pilaf is a visiting card of Uzbek cuisine. It was included in
the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list, as well as in the top ten
best street food according to the Guardian. Uzbek pilaf is similar to
the pilaf prepared in Russia and other countries of the former USSR, but
more aromatic due to local spices and sweeter, since raisins or prunes
are usually added to it.
Lagman - handmade noodles with meat and
vegetable sauce. Sometimes lagman is more like a soup, but it is often
thick as a second dish. Uighur or chuzma-lagman is cooked with long,
elongated noodles, and in Uzbek or kesma-lagman, the noodles are cut
into small strips. Both options are common.
Shurpá is a rich soup
with meat and vegetables, sometimes beans. European tourists in
Uzbekistan prefer beef shurpa, as not everyone likes lamb because of its
specific taste and smell. It is better to eat shurpa with a tortilla.
Dzhyz is just fried meat, served without any garnish, at best with
onions. Sometimes served by weight, how much you order. As a side dish,
you can order the so-called fresh salad - tomatoes, cucumbers and
onions, without dressing.
Manti - steamed in a special dish -
mantyshnitsa. Dough with meat, onions and spices inside. There are manti
with potatoes or pumpkin. They are ordered individually or in portions
(usually 3-5 pieces per serving). This portion is usually enough to fill
up.
Shish kebab comes in different sizes and from different
meats. Usually you just choose a skewer with raw meat and it is grilled
for you.
Samsa - hot pies, come with potatoes, meat and chicken.
They also order by the piece, and even more often just buy on the
street.
The meal is usually served with flatbread and green tea.
Do not forget also about Uzbek fruits - melons, watermelons,
peaches, plums, figs.
To the surprise of most foreigners, there are quite a few legal nightclubs and bars in Tashkent that work until the morning.
The hotel business is well developed in Samarkand
and Khiva, and quite well in Bukhara. In each of these cities you will
find dozens of small private hotels, often in historical buildings and
with traditional Uzbek hospitality, but at the same time with modern
renovation. In the season you can count on 40-50 dollars per room, in
winter and summer prices are lower. In Tashkent, the demand for hotels
is strongly skewed towards business travelers and businessmen, so prices
are noticeably higher. In other cities of the country, there are very
few tourists, and the situation with hotels has changed little since the
Soviet era: there are few places, and their quality is low.
In
hotels, breakfast is usually included in the price of the room. For
breakfast, you will be given so much delicious food that you will not
want to have lunch, and perhaps even dinner.
Although Uzbekistan is a secular country, restraint in
behavior and dress is recommended, especially when visiting mosques and
mausoleums. There is no strict dress code, and on the streets of large
cities you can meet women in short skirts or with bare shoulders. Women
should dress more modestly when visiting the Fergana Valley, where the
population is more conservative.
The local population in the summer
from 11:00 to 16:00 prefers to stay at home, so do not be surprised at
the small number of people on the streets during the day. The hottest
months in Uzbekistan are June, July and August, the temperature can
reach +50 degrees. Be sure to carry water with you, preferably bottled.
Uzbek cuisine is quite fatty and high in calories, which should be taken
into account by tourists with a weak stomach.
Over the years, the
police in Uzbekistan have been infamous, as local police have harassed
tourists for any reason in the hope of getting some kind of bribe from
them. Law enforcement reform following the death of longtime President
Islam Karimov in late 2016 has brought these problems to naught.
Moreover, a special tourist police was created. Now law enforcement
officers and border guards almost do not interfere in the tourism
sector, although they still have the right to stop you at any time and
ask you to show your registration. Usually registration is checked on
the spot, and you are released within a couple of minutes. If this does
not happen, you should not pay a fine on the spot - it is better to ask
to go to the department, and also to attract the attention of
passers-by. It doesn't hurt to have tickets and hotel bills with you as
proof of where you've stayed and where you've traveled from.
For many
years, there was an unspoken ban on photographing government buildings,
as well as stations of the Tashkent metro. According to the current
legislation, you can take pictures of everything, except for objects
marked with a special sign with a crossed-out image of a camera. As a
rule, these are objects of the army and law enforcement agencies.
Taxi prices and bazaar prices are not fixed (although price tags may be
posted) and you can bargain. You still won’t win against professional
traders, but it’s realistic to get some kind of discount. It is very
important to know how much the locals pay, otherwise you can lose a lot
in price. Find out prices in advance - for example, in a hotel, by
searching the Internet or from passers-by. Bargaining often begins by
asking you to name your price. Quote a price lower than what the locals
pay or what you see on the price tag. Here everyone - both buyers and
sellers - bargain with special skill and pleasure. Some sellers are even
offended if you took the goods without haggling.
Demonstration of
non-traditional orientation in Uzbekistan is not welcomed (up to
criminal prosecution), as well as in a number of other Islamic
countries.
Greetings Assalomu alaikum! (Peace be upon you!) you need to answer
Waalaikum assalom! (And peace to you too!). It is considered a sign of
respect when greeting to put your right hand on your left chest, as many
locals do. Here hardly familiar people greet each other warmly,
sometimes even just passers-by, so don't be surprised by this. Locals
and especially children are very fond of welcoming tourists and offering
their help. If you do not need it, it is enough to thank them and
politely refuse by saying Yuk, rahmat. (No thanks). You can also impress
the locals with your knowledge of the language by looking into our Uzbek
phrasebook.
In Uzbekistan, there is a real cult of honoring the
elders, so you should also try to treat older men and women with
respect. In public transport, in queues or simply on benches in parks,
locals tend to give way to the elderly. It is not uncommon for a 16-,
25- or even 30-year-old guy to give way to a 45-50 year old man (not to
mention women of any age) in a transport seat. Age is of great
importance - this is almost the first thing that is asked here, and even
if the interlocutor is only a year younger than you, he will consider
you older, treating you accordingly. Children refer to "you" even to
their parents and older brothers / sisters. In Uzbekistan, as in many
Muslim countries, children are also revered and loved. For example, many
residents of the Fergana Valley address their own and other people's
children as "you".
The international dialing code
of Uzbekistan is +998. Internet domain of the country .uz
The
following mobile operators operate in the country: Ucell, UMS, Beeline,
Perfectum Mobile and UzMobile.
For tourists, specially designed
tariffs from UMS and Beeline have been launched, designed for 30 days of
use. To connect a SIM card at this tariff, you only need a passport. You
can buy such SIM-cards immediately upon arrival at the Tashkent airport,
at the information desk. To purchase SIM-cards at other tariffs, you
must have a passport with temporary registration.
Uzbekistan in its current form only came into being in the 1920s as a Soviet republic. The name of the state is derived from the Uzbek people, whose name in turn goes back to Uzbek Khan.
In 1938, numerous stone tools, animal bones and the skeleton of a
child were discovered in Teshik-Tosh, located between Termez and
Dushanbe (Tajikistan), which could be dated to the period between 30,000
and 40,000 BC. This discovery represented the first Paleolithic
discovery in Central Asia.
Under Darius I, all of Central Asia
came under Achaemenid rule; this rule was finally ended by Alexander the
Great with his military campaign in the Oxus-Jaxartes region. The area
of today's Uzbekistan was then part of the historical region of
Bactria. The Silk Road, which since ancient times has partly run through
what is now Uzbekistan, left a significant influence.
Late
antique Central Asia (ca. 300 to 750) was a politically fragmented area:
the border with the Sassanid Empire ran in the southwest, other areas
were controlled by various groups (horsemen) (see also Iranian Huns).
At the beginning of the 8th century, Islam was able to establish
itself as a result of the Arab conquest of Qutaiba ibn Muslim. Small
Sogdian dominions were incorporated and in 751 Transoxania finally
belonged to the Islamic world. The following centuries were dominated by
the Samanids in Bukhara (819 to 1005). The Turkish element prevailed and
the Karluk Khans ruled as "Kara-Khanids" in Bukhara.
From the
middle of the 12th century, the Khorezm Shahs and the rival Kara Kitai,
who had fled from China, ruled.
In 1220, the Mongols invaded
Uzbekistan. This period is considered to be very unstable. There were
repeated wars among the nomads. At the end of this period stood the new,
current Uzbek folk hero Timur Lenk (also Tamerlane, Amir Timur in
Uzbekistan), who proclaimed himself ruler of all of Transoxiana in 1370
and assumed the title of Emir. He is considered a ruler of opposites,
who sought to restore the Mongol Empire and proceeded with extreme
brutality. Nevertheless, he is also considered an important patron of
art and literature, who enabled the region to begin a cultural and
scientific boom.
In the Timurid dynasty, he was succeeded by his
grandson Ulugh Beg, a well-known astronomer. The Timurids ruled until
the beginning of the 16th century. Only then did the era of the real
Uzbeks begin, a Turkic people who originally came from (western)
Siberia.
The era of the Uzbek khanates, with the caravan trade
increasing until 1600, is considered a golden age of culture and
science. In the 17th century, the country experienced exceptional
stability under the Janid dynasty (1599–1785). The Janid dynasty is
considered to have a very Muslim influence and promoted the construction
of a large number of mosques and madrasas.
The early 18th century
marked the beginning of a period of internal problems and unrest. The
Khanate of Kokand, founded in 1710, established itself in Bukhara in
1740 and defeated the ruling Khan there. At that time, the area of
today's Uzbekistan consisted mainly of the two khanates of Khiva and
Kokand and the Emirate of Bukhara.
In the 19th century, the Great Game began between the United Kingdom
and the Russian Empire for supremacy in Central Asia. Russia eventually
gained colonial control over Uzbekistan. In 1868, Russia's military
superiority over the Emirate of Bukhara and the Khanate of Khiva finally
became apparent. However, these remained as independent states under
Russian protectorate. The Khanate of Kokand, on the other hand, was
completely annexed by the Russian Empire. Under Russian rule, the areas
in Central Asia were combined to form the General Government of
Turkestan. The capital became Tashkent, the current capital of
Uzbekistan.
In 1918, after the Bolsheviks seized power, the
former General Government of Turkestan was transformed into the
Turkestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic within the Russian SFSR.
In 1920, the People's Republics of Khorezm and Bukhara were proclaimed
in the Khanate of Khiva and the Emirate of Bukhara. The overthrown Emir
Said Alim Khan of Bukhara and his allies were first driven to
Afghanistan and finally defeated.
In 1924/1925, the Uzbek Soviet
Socialist Republic (Uzbek SSR) was formed from the Autonomous Soviet
Socialist Republic of Turkestan and the two People's Republics of
Khorezm and Bukhara. In 1925, the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic was
granted member status of the Soviet Union. In 1929, Tajikistan was
separated as an independent Tajik SSR, while the Karakalpak Autonomous
Soviet Socialist Republic (Karakalpak ASSR) was incorporated into
Uzbekistan. The first capital of the Uzbek SSR was Samarkand; this
status was not transferred to Tashkent until 1930. Active and passive
women's suffrage was introduced in 1938.
In 1963, 40,000 km² were
transferred from the Kazakh SSR to the Uzbek SSR; Uzbekistan in its
current borders was created.
In the 1930s, a large part of the
recruited local party leadership fell victim to Stalin's purges. A
Stalinist party and state bureaucracy emerged. The years 1941 to 1945
were marked by the German-Soviet War; the Stalin era ended in 1953.
From 1959 to 1983, Sharaf Rashidov was first secretary of the
Central Committee of the Communist Party of Uzbekistan and thus de facto
head of government.
On March 24, 1990, Islam Karimov became
President of Uzbekistan.
On June 20, 1991, the country declared its independence from the
USSR. In 1991, the USSR collapsed. Islam Karimov, who had been the first
party secretary in Uzbekistan since 1989 and was elected the first
president of Uzbekistan in the 1991 presidential election, became
president. He held office as president of Uzbekistan until his death in
2016.
In the 1990s, there were repeated internal conflicts,
especially in the Fergana Valley in the east of the country. In 1999, 20
people died in a bomb attack in Tashkent.
A series of bomb
attacks occurred in 2004. On March 29, 2004, at least 19 people died in
a suicide attack. On March 30, 2004, a group of about 20 extremists
engaged in a firefight with the militia and blew themselves up near the
capital Tashkent. A car bomb also detonated in front of a dam. On July
30, 2004, terrorists blew themselves up near the Israeli and United
States embassies in Tashkent, killing eight people. Official Uzbek
authorities blamed the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, which is
associated with Islamic fundamentalism.
In the 1990s, the Islamic
Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) fought mainly against the corruption and
authoritarian style of government of Islam Karimov. There were initially
no links to other terrorist groups. When the Afghanistan war began in
2001, the IMU sided with the Taliban. In 2015, they pledged allegiance
to the Islamic State. IS has repeatedly succeeded in recruiting Islamist
assassins from Uzbekistan for terrorist attacks in major western cities.
Like all former Soviet republics, Uzbekistan was one of the
countries with restrictive entry conditions. It was not until July 2018
that an electronic procedure for applying for a tourist visa for
Uzbekistan was introduced for 48 countries of origin. In 2018 and 2019,
visa-free travel was introduced in several steps, including for all
citizens of the European Union, citizens of the Schengen area and
citizens of other countries, including Switzerland, a total of 64
countries today and a further 12 countries in the e-visa procedure.
In May 2005, 400 to 600 people were shot dead by Uzbek military and
police forces during a demonstration in the city of Andijon in the
Fergana Valley. The unrest, which lasted several days and affected not
only Andijon but also Qorasuv and other cities near the border with
Kyrgyzstan, was attributed by the Karimov regime to the Islamists of the
Hizb ut-Tahrir 'Liberation Party' and the fight against them was
presented as a fight against terror. However, they were probably
triggered by social and political causes such as high unemployment,
housing shortages, poverty and political oppression.
The European
Union (EU) initially did not comment on the incidents. However, the EU
later issued a ban on the export of weapons to Uzbekistan and a ban on
high-ranking Uzbek politicians entering the EU. The sanctions were
relaxed at the end of 2007 and, with the exception of the arms embargo,
were lifted in October 2008. In October 2009, the arms embargo was also
lifted.
Uzbekistan stretches between the 37th and 46th northern latitude and
between the 56th and 73rd eastern longitude. The country stretches about
1425 km from west to east and about 500 km from north to south.
Uzbekistan is, alongside Liechtenstein, the only landlocked country that
is bordered only by landlocked countries, which is sometimes referred to
as a double landlocked country. The state border has a total length of
6893 km. Of this, 144 km are with Afghanistan, 2330 km with Kazakhstan,
1314 km with Kyrgyzstan, 1312 km with Tajikistan and 1793 km with
Turkmenistan.
The Uzbek territory also includes the exclaves of
Soʻx, Shohimardon, Chong-Kara and Jangail, which are surrounded by
Kyrgyzstan; conversely, the Kyrgyz exclave of Barak and the Tajik
exclave of Sarvan are surrounded by Uzbek territory.
Uzbekistan stretches from the deserts of the Aral Sea in the west
over about 1200 km to the fertile Fergana Valley in the east.
The
Aral Sea, which is threatened by complete drying up, had an area of
about 17,000 km² in 2004. To the southwest of the lake is the gently
undulating, desert-like Ustyurt Plateau, the western half of which
belongs to Kazakhstan and forms a large nature reserve.
Most of
Uzbekistan's area is taken up by deserts. Southeast of the Aral Sea in
the Turan lowlands lies the Kyzylkum Desert (Uzbek: Qizilqum), which
covers two-fifths of the territory of Uzbekistan and continues into the
adjacent territory of Kazakhstan. It is only interrupted by a few
remaining massifs, which reach a height of 920 m in Gora Aktau. To the
south of this lies a large steppe landscape through which the Amu Darya
flows.
In the east of Uzbekistan lie the Turkestan mountain range
and the foothills of the Tian Shan as well as parts of the Fergana
Valley, a densely populated depression between the Tian Shan and Alai
Mountains with important agricultural areas.
Since 2023, it has
been known that the highest mountain in Uzbekistan is the Alpomish at
4,668 meters on the border with Tajikistan. Previously, the
4,643-meter-high Hazrat Sulton in the Hissar Mountains (Viloyat
Surxondaryo) was considered the highest elevation in the country. The
lowest point in the country is twelve meters below sea level in the
Kyzylkum Desert.
The two most important tributaries of the Aral Sea and the largest
rivers in Central Asia, the Amu Darya (Uzbek: Amudaryo) with a length of
2539 km and the Syr Darya (Uzbek: Sirdaryo) with a length of 2212 km,
flow through Uzbekistan. However, only part of both rivers are in
Uzbekistan.
The headwaters of the Amu Darya, known in ancient
times as the Oxus, hence the classic term Transoxiana, originate outside
Uzbekistan in the Pamirs, which belong to Tajikistan and Afghanistan. In
its middle course, the Amu Darya initially forms the Uzbek-Afghan border
and then runs parallel to the border between Uzbekistan and
Turkmenistan, which, however, only follows the river directly in part.
Its mouth belongs entirely to Uzbekistan.
The headwaters of the
Syr Darya originate in the Tian Shan, which belongs to Kyrgyzstan. In
its middle course, the Syr Darya crosses the part of the Ferghana Valley
that belongs to Uzbekistan, then flows through the territory of
Tajikistan, southwest of Tashkent again through Uzbekistan, while its
lower course belongs to Kazakhstan.
Other important rivers are
the Surxondaryo (Surchundarya), a right tributary of the Amu Darya, the
Qashqadaryo (Kashkadarya), which reaches the oasis of Qarshi (Qarshi),
and the Zarafshon (Zerafshan), which irrigates the oases of Samarqand
(Samarkand) and Bukhara (Bukhara) and finally ends in the desert
southwest of Bukhara without reaching the Amu Darya.
The major
irrigation canals include the Great, Northern and Southern Ferghana
Canal.
The largest lakes in the country, only some of which lie
entirely in Uzbekistan, are the Western Aral Sea (G'arb orol dengizi),
Lake Aibugir, Lake Sarykamysh (Sariqamish ko'li), Lake Aydar and the
artificial Talimardzhan reservoir.
Uzbekistan's climate is in the temperate zone. Depending on the
region, there is a continental humid climate, a temperate steppe climate
or a temperate desert climate. Summers are usually hot and cloudless,
winters are changeable and cold.
Depending on the region, annual
precipitation is only 50-400 mm, but in the mountains it sometimes rises
to over 1000 mm per year. Temperatures fluctuate greatly both yearly and
daily.
Due to its size and the many landscape zones, and despite the fact
that around 80% of the country's surface area consists of desert and
steppe, Uzbekistan offers a rich flora and fauna. Almost two percent of
the country is protected.
A good 4,300 plant species have been
identified in Uzbekistan, including a number of endemic species (species
that only occur here). The country's vegetation is characterized by the
arid, continental climate. Important vegetation units in the country, 80
percent of which is characterized by plains, are dry, semi-desert
formations, locally called chul, in the plains and hills up to about 450
to 500 m altitude, with saxaul "forests", Artemisia and Salsola steppes,
as well as grass-rich steppe vegetation, locally called adyr. In the
mountains there are also forests (locally tau), predominantly with
juniper species (Juniperus seravschanica, Juniperus semiglobosa,
Juniperus turkestanica), less frequently with deciduous trees such as
walnut. In the high mountains there are alpine meadows, locally called
yailau, up to an altitude of 4600 meters. Uzbekistan is a country with
little forest; in 2014 the forest share was estimated at 9,600,000 ha,
or 21.7 percent of the country's area. Around ten percent of the
country's plant species are endemic (378 species). In the latest edition
of the Red Lists, 324 species were listed as threatened with extinction.
The genera Astragalus (273 species), Cousinia (related to burdocks, 149
species), and Allium (137 species) are particularly rich in species in
Uzbekistan.
The more than 40 species of mammals include steppe
sheep species such as the Karakul sheep, red deer, goiter gazelles,
saigas, brown bears, wolves, foxes, lynxes, badgers, wild boars and
porcupines. Even snow leopards are native to the western foothills of
the Tian Shan. The Caspian tiger is now extinct, but until a few decades
ago it roamed the formerly green Amu Darya delta. The cheetah is also
now extinct.
Over 400 species of birds are found in Uzbekistan,
including Houbara bustards, fieldfares, partridges, starlings, booted
eagles, vultures and falcons.
There are also around 60 species of
reptiles and over 70 species of fish.
The excessive extraction of water from rivers to irrigate land for
cotton cultivation is causing serious ecological damage and massive soil
salinization. In addition, there is a high input of fertilizer residues,
herbicides and pesticides, which permanently pollutes soil and
groundwater.
The Aral Sea is on the verge of drying up because
its tributaries have been used too heavily for artificial irrigation
since the times of the USSR. Its depth has halved and its area has
decreased from 66,000 km² to currently around 7,000 km² (as of 2018).
The disappearance of the once huge lake will make the climate even
drier.
There are considerations as to whether the current annual
rainfall of 12.2 km³ could be increased to over 20 km³ by means of
artificially induced rain. Attempts in this direction were already made
in the 1970s and 1980s in the Piskom River region near Tashkent, in the
Qashqadaryo region and in the Fergana Valley.
On May 1, 2020, the dam of the Sardoba water reservoir in Uzbekistan, which was only put into operation in 2017, broke. In an earthen section, the dam could not withstand the weight of the masses of water that had fallen during severe thunderstorms in the Sirdaryo region in the east of the country. According to a statement from the Uzbek presidential administration, the disaster can be considered a consequence of global warming and associated extreme weather events in the region and was due to "heavy rainfall and storms in the region". The variant of a "technical" disaster is also being considered, since the Sardoba dam was only put into operation in 2017 and apparently did not meet safety standards. The dam collapse resulted in more than 100,000 people in Uzbekistan and neighboring Kazakhstan having to be evacuated by May 3 and thousands of hectares of farmland being flooded. President Mirziyoyev instructed the government to transfer 9.5 million euros to the Sirdaryo region to eliminate the consequences of the floods and to bring the injured residents of the border region (about 100 thousand people) to safety. Another 15 million US dollars was donated by the Uzbek-born Russian businessman Alisher Usmanov.
In 2021, 50 percent of Uzbekistan's population lived in cities. The
largest cities in Uzbekistan are (estimate as of January 1, 2022):
Tashkent (Toshkent) (approx. 2.9 million inhabitants)
Namangan
(approx. 661,000)
Samarkand (Samarqand) (approx. 562,000)
Andijon
(approx. 459,000)
Nukus (approx. 329,000)
Fargʻona (approx.
299,000)
Uzbekistan had 35.4 million inhabitants as of April 1, 2022. Annual
population growth was + 1.9%. The statistical number of births per woman
in 2020 was 2.9. The life expectancy of Uzbekistan's inhabitants from
birth in 2020 was 70.3 years (women: 72.8, men: 67.9). The median age of
the population in 2020 was 27.8 years. In 2020, 29.8 percent of the
population was under 15 years old, while the proportion of people over
64 was 4.9 percent of the population.
The population density is
78 inhabitants per km², which corresponds to almost a third of the
population density in Germany. However, the population is unevenly
distributed across the country: the population density in the Ferghana
Basin is over 570, while in the Viloyat Navoiy it is only 8.4
inhabitants per km². The population growth is just under one percent.
The migration rate is also very low at 0.3 percent (as of 2009). By
2012, the population had risen to 29.6 million and thus the population
density to 66.1 inhabitants per km².
In 2017, there were
approximately 1,150,000 people living in Russia who were born in
Uzbekistan.
The population of Uzbekistan consists of over 100 ethnic groups, of
which, according to official figures, 71% are Uzbeks, 5.1% Russians, 5%
Tajiks, 4.1% Karakalpaks, 3.2% Kazakhs, 2.7% Tatars, 2.5% Koreans (the
latter are also known as Koryo-Saram). The smaller minorities include
Turkmen, Uighurs, Volga Germans, Armenians, Meskhetians, Azerbaijanis
and Kurds. The German minority in Uzbekistan (most of whom are Volga
Germans) is estimated at around 8,000 people (as of 2018, which is still
⅓ compared to 2001). In the 1940s, Stalin deported around 40,000 Volga
Germans to Tashkent.
The Tajik side claims that the number of
Tajiks in Uzbekistan is much higher than officially stated. This claim
has recently been taken up by some international human rights
organizations, such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. In
fact, however, it is hardly possible to determine the proportion of the
population that is made up of Tajiks in some parts of the country, such
as the area around the cities of Samarkand and Bukhara, as the
population there is traditionally bilingual (Turkish and Persian
speaking, or in today's terminology Uzbek and Tajik speaking) and a
separation into two different peoples was only introduced by modern
official terminology.
In official surveys, many citizens of Tajik
ethnicity state that they are Uzbek. During the Uzbekization under
Sharaf Rashidov, the General Secretary of the Communist Party from 1959
to 1982, Tajiks had to choose between remaining in their region, for
example in the city of Samarkand, by stating "Uzbek", or relocating to
Tajikistan. Nevertheless, discrimination against Tajiks has been
increasingly reported recently. In 2000, many Tajiks were forced to
leave their homes and imprisoned.
The state language is Uzbek, a Turkic language. In the autonomous
republic of Karakalpakstan, the Karakalpak language is also an official
language. In the cities of Samarkand and Bukhara, the Tajik (Persian)
language is widely spoken, and Russian continues to be of great
importance as a common language and as a language of education and
business. 57 to 70 percent of the population speak at least a little
Russian. In madrasas (Koran schools), instruction is mostly in Arabic.
Due to a lack of exact population statistics, there are only imprecise
estimates of the number of Tajik native speakers. Academic circles
assume that they make up as much as 30% of the population.
Following a decision by the Uzbek parliament, the switch from the
Cyrillic to the Latin alphabet has been taking place since the
mid-1990s. In fact, both alphabets are now used in parallel. In
addition, in 1998 there were book burnings and suppression of
Persian-language (Tajik) newspapers and media. A good 50 percent of the
total of around 1.2 million students learn German as a foreign language,
the maximum figure is 750,000.
Around 90% of the population are Sunni Muslims, and there are also
Shiite Muslims (especially in Bukhara and Samarkand). Around 8% are
Russian Orthodox (mostly members of the Russian minority). Christians in
Uzbekistan include members of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the
Catholic Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church and various Protestant
communities. There are also Jews (around 93,000 believers, see Uzbek
Jews), Buddhists, followers of Bahaism and followers of the teachings of
Krishna.
Although the constitution provides for secularism and
religious freedom, individual (especially Protestant) Christians and
Christian communities or groups are severely disadvantaged. The pressure
on Uzbek Christians has increased over the years. According to the World
Persecution Index, Uzbekistan ranks 21st (as of August 2021). Amnesty
International also complains about the limited freedom of religion,
especially for groups not officially permitted, such as Christian
evangelical communities and Shiite Muslims.
Ramadan is probably
practiced by 40% of Muslims in the cities and 85% in the countryside.
To this day, Central Asian popular Islam is influenced by two other
religions, monotheistic Zoroastrianism, which probably originated in
Bactria between 1800 BC and 600 BC, and Buddhism. Elements of shamanism
and popular Islamic forms of piety are also widespread, as is expressed,
for example, in pearl necklaces and amulets that are supposed to protect
against the so-called evil eye and are common in parts of the country.
The education system has been slightly reformed several times in recent years. School education lasts twelve years. After that, there is the option of transferring to various colleges and universities. There are also a number of English-speaking universities in Tashkent. Thanks to the free education of the Soviet era, less than one percent of people are illiterate.
The country's health spending amounted to 5.6% of gross domestic product in 2019. The country's health system is still largely based on the Soviet system of state polyclinics. A private health sector also emerged in the 1990s. However, this has been on the verge of collapse since a parliamentary decision in September 2009. The mortality rate among children under 5 was 14.1 per 1,000 live births in 2021.
After the declaration of independence of Uzbekistan, the legal basis of the new state was created within a short time. The constitution of Uzbekistan is based on democracy, the rule of law and a market economy with social guarantees and protection of fundamental rights. The practical implementation of the constitution by politicians, however, has been subject to severe criticism due to a lack of rule of law and significant democratic deficits.
Islom Karimov emerged victorious from the first direct presidential
elections on December 29, 1991 with 86 percent of the vote and became
the first president of the independent Republic of Uzbekistan. His term
of office was extended in a referendum on March 26, 1995 until 2000. On
January 9, 2000, he was confirmed for another term of office with 91.9
percent. The vote was criticized by many states as not being free and
not very democratic. The only opposing candidate stated that he had
voted for the president himself. In a referendum on January 27, 2002,
Karimov again had his term extended until December 2007.
Although
Article 90 of the Uzbek constitution stipulates that the president's
five-year term can only be extended once, Karimov was re-elected in
further elections, with some of the opposing candidates even voting for
the incumbent. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE) stated that the 2007 election did not meet many criteria for
democratic elections. Islom Karimov was President of Uzbekistan until
his death on September 2, 2016. On September 8, 2016, Prime Minister
Shavkat Mirziyoyev was appointed interim president. Mirziyoyev has been
President of Uzbekistan since December 14, 2016. Through a referendum on
April 30, 2023, which, according to election observers from the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), did not meet
the requirements for a free election, Shavkat Mirziyoyev had a
constitutional amendment approved that extends the president's term of
office to seven years and allows Mirziyoyev to remain in power until
2040.
An important step on the road to democracy was the election of the
Oliy Majlis on December 25, 1994, the first multi-party parliament in
the history of Uzbekistan. Since then, two new parliamentary elections
have taken place, the first in December 1999. The current parliament was
elected on December 26, 2004, with a run-off election in January 2005.
The next new elections were held on December 27, 2009.
According
to the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Oliy Majlis is
the highest representative state body that performs the legislative
function.
Until the 2004 elections, the Oliy Majlis was a
unicameral parliament. It consisted of 250 deputies elected in the
territorial single-mandate constituencies for a term of five years.
Since December 26, 2004, Uzbekistan has had a bicameral parliament. It
is composed of the lower, legislative chamber with 120 deputies elected
for five years, and the upper chamber, the Senate, with 100 senators. 16
senators are appointed by the president, the others, six per region, are
elected by the respective provincial councils, the Tashkent City Council
and the Karakalpakstan Council.
The deputies are united in five
party factions and two blocs: the faction of the People's Democratic
Party of Uzbekistan, the faction of the National Democratic Party
Fidokorlar, the faction of the Social Democratic Party Adolat, the
faction of the Milliy Tiklanish party, the faction of the Party of
Homeland Progress, the bloc consisting of deputies elected by local
government bodies and the bloc of voter group initiatives.
The
parliament has twelve committees and four commissions for all areas of
socio-political and socio-economic life.
The Oliy Majlis is
headed by the Chairman and his three deputies, who are elected from
among the deputies for the entire legislative period. One of the
deputies of the Chairman of the Oliy Majlis is a representative of the
Republic of Karakalpakstan, who is currently the Chairman of the
Joqargʻı Kenʻes, the Parliament of Karakalpakstan.
To organize
the work of the Oliy Majlis and exercise other powers in accordance with
the legislation, the Kengash (Council) of the Oliy Majlis is
established. It consists of the Chairman of the Oliy Majlis, his
deputies, the chairmen of the committees and commissions, and the
chairmen of the party factions and parliamentary blocs.
During President Karimov's 25-year reign from 1991 to 2016, the
country's domestic policy was almost entirely determined by the
president, who also had considerable influence on parliament. Under his
rule, Uzbekistan had the reputation of being one of the most repressive
states in the world. Public protests by the opposition were suppressed
with massive violence. According to estimates by human rights activists
and Western observers - there is no independent press in Uzbekistan -
around 500 people died as a result of police violence during the unrest
in May 2005.
Numerous opposition members went into exile after
Islom Karimov took office in the early 1990s, several were imprisoned
for several years, others disappeared. In fact, there is no opposition
in Uzbekistan, as almost all opposition members live abroad. Domestic
opposition members must expect severe reprisals. Critical foreign
websites are blocked in Uzbekistan.
According to Human Rights
Watch, in 2004 around 7,000 people were in prison for political and
religious persecution.
The death penalty has been officially
abolished in Uzbekistan since 2008. Nevertheless, according to the
International Crisis Group, people are tortured to death in prisons in
Uzbekistan. Human Rights Watch sees "torture as deeply rooted in the
criminal justice system [in Uzbekistan]". According to Amnesty
International, there are credible reports of routine and pervasive abuse
by security forces and security personnel. The perpetrators are not
punished.
Since the death of Karimov and the inauguration of the new President
Shavkat Mirziyoyev in December 2016, there have been increasing signs of
emerging political liberalization. Relations with neighboring countries,
which had been extremely strained under Karimov, improved, many
political prisoners were released, and the UN High Commissioner for
Human Rights visited the country for the first time. The European Bank
for Reconstruction and Development, which had suspended its activities
more than a decade ago due to the domestic political situation, resumed
them. The reaction to the murder of student Jasurbek Ibragimov, who died
in Tashkent on June 1, 2017, was also significant. There were
spontaneous protests from civil society demanding that the case be
solved. The state forces did not suppress them, as they did during
Karimov's time, but supported their demand for the crime to be
investigated.
However, it is unclear whether the liberalization
course will be maintained or whether it is just a tactical maneuver by
Mirziyoyev as long as he has not yet consolidated his power base. The
cautious opening course of the new president also raised hopes for the
development of press freedom in Uzbekistan. But the mood changed when
Khurshid Mirzakhidov, head of the National Society of Uzbek Radio and
Television since February 2017, was fired by Mirziyoyev in early August
of the same year for a critical program about the late Islam Karimov.
The Uzbek Press and Information Agency then announced that it would take
tough action against the private media. The agency's general director,
Lazis Tangriev, declared: "We will show no mercy to those who harm our
culture."
Uzbekistan maintains political relations with more than 100 countries
and has diplomatic missions in over 40 countries, including two in
Germany. There are over 50 embassies in Tashkent, including the German
Embassy in Uzbekistan.
In the 1990s and the first half of the
2000s, Uzbekistan tried to maintain good relations with Russia, the USA
and Great Britain. However, relations between the USA and Uzbekistan
have now cooled because Karimov had the American military base
evacuated. One reason for this was that the USA condemned the bloody
repression in Andijon. The foreign minister is Vladimir Norov.
The Uzbek state continues to see itself as part of the global
anti-terror coalition. The reasons for this are the events in Andijon in
May 2005 and the attempted terrorist attacks on President Karimov in
previous years. The government portrays Islamic fundamentalism as the
greatest threat to the country and has been fighting it for a long time.
However, this is often used as a justification for imprisoning innocent
people, usually just people who are not loyal to the government.
Support for the global fight against terrorism also resulted in the use
of the Termez air transport base by around 80 German Bundeswehr
soldiers, who were stationed there to provide logistical support for the
ISAF mission in Afghanistan until 2015.
Uzbekistan last received
support in 2002 from both the US government, which transferred 202
million euros for its army and security units, and from the then German
Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, who repeatedly expressed himself very
favorably towards the regime.
United Nations (UN)
Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)
Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
Organization for Economic
Cooperation (ECO)
Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC)
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
Türksoy
Organization of Turkic States
Uzbekistan withdrew from GUAM
(previously GUUAM) and the Turkic-Central Asian Summit (OATCT) in May
2005.
Uzbekistan recognizes almost all international treaties and
agreements and has joined many international agreements and conventions.
It has not yet joined the World Trade Organization. However, Uzbekistan
is an observer and is actively involved in negotiations. One of the
reasons for not joining so far is the inadequate prosecution of
copyright infringements. In 2001, it was admitted to the Shanghai
Cooperation Organization. It works with the EU on the basis of a
cooperation and partnership agreement and with NATO as part of the
Partnership for Peace program.
Russia, China, South Korea, Germany and Kazakhstan are Uzbekistan's
five most important suppliers. Imports in 2008 amounted to seven billion
US dollars, and exports to around 10.4 billion US dollars. The main
imports are machinery, food and chemicals. The main exports are cotton,
gold and natural gas.
Uzbekistan has taken an important step
forward on the key issue of currency convertibility. Full convertibility
has been in place since October 15, 2003. At the same time, the
government is trying to achieve macroeconomic stability through a highly
regulated monetary policy. The exceptionally high quotas on the amount
of cash are intended to control the economy and trade, keep the currency
stable and curb inflation. This is hindering economic life. However,
there was growth of seven percent in 2005; a solid budget and a positive
foreign trade balance have been achieved. But macroeconomic stability
does not yet bring about real growth in trade and the private sector or
prosperity.
In mid-November 2005, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Uzbek
counterpart Islam Karimov signed a military assistance pact in Moscow.
According to the pact, a military attack on one of the two states will
be considered "aggression against both sides": "In the event of
aggression against one of the contracting parties, the other side will
offer all necessary assistance, including military assistance."
According to reports, the treaty also grants both countries the right to
mutual use of their military infrastructure. Karimov expressly described
the treaty as a "historic agreement." "Russia was and remains our most
loyal ally." Putin praised Russia's relationship with Uzbekistan in a
similar way.
Commentators see the agreement as confirmation that
Uzbekistan wants to bind itself primarily to Russia in the future and
focus less on US interests. Russia is thus increasing its influence in
the Central Asian country. Many observers believe that the agreement
represents a major setback for the US Silk Road strategy (see also: The
Great Game).
The Russia policy of Karimov's successor Mirziyoyev
has not changed significantly. "Relations with Russia were, are and will
continue to be accompanied by a strategic partnership" - emphasized the
Uzbek president during his first official visit to Russia in Moscow in
April 2017.
Germany is one of Uzbekistan's most important partners in Europe.
This is due, among other things, to the fact that Germany is one of the
most important buyers of Uzbek natural gas. The former German Foreign
Minister and current Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is
considered a political friend of Uzbekistan and campaigned at the
European Union level for an end to all sanctions against Uzbekistan and
Uzbek politicians. At the end of February 2008, a German delegation led
by the then Minister of Economic Affairs Glos traveled to Uzbekistan and
Turkmenistan. The delegation of around 100 people was supported by
diplomats from the Foreign Ministry and representatives of the business
community. Represented were Deutsche Bank, EADS, MAN, RWE, Siemens,
Taklog International Transports GmbH, Thyssenkrupp and Wintershall,
among others. The topic of energy supply with natural gas was
particularly important in the bilateral talks.
There are around
55 German company representatives in Uzbekistan (around 15 with Germans
seconded), including Siemens and three German banks that finance both
cotton trade and supply business with Uzbekistan.
Ethnically, culturally and historically, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan
are closely linked. The foundations of interstate relations were created
with the treaties of "Eternal Friendship" in 1997 and 1998.
2006
saw the first visit of an Uzbek president to Kazakhstan. During his last
visit in November 2014, Uzbek President Islam Karimov emphasized the
importance of the neighboring country for his country: "Kazakhstan is
the country closest to us and has always supported the Uzbek people in
difficult times."
Among the Central Asian states, Uzbekistan is
Kazakhstan's largest trading partner. More than two thirds of all Kazakh
imports from Central Asia come from Uzbekistan.
The relationship with Kyrgyzstan has been politically tense for many years. Parallel to the internal political unrest that broke out in Kyrgyzstan in 2010 and led to the overthrow of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, the situation escalated in the southern Kyrgyz provinces of Osh and Jalal-Abad, where ethnic clashes between Kyrgyz and Uzbeks had broken out. Tens of thousands of Uzbeks then fled to Uzbekistan. According to official figures, 170 people died in the clashes, while the media spoke of 2,000 fatalities. Because of the ongoing influx of refugees, the Uzbek side even closed the common border. Border disputes, such as the conflict over the Ungar-Too, also strained the relationship between the two states.
Uzbekistan itself has 52,500 soldiers in service. The armed forces
consist of the army, the air force and the military security forces,
which are subordinate to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and should not
be confused with the militia. In addition, there is a kind of national
guard, which is subordinate to the national security service and is
responsible for the security of important figures in the country. The
country does not have a naval force. According to the Defense Law of
1992, the army is a defense army. The current (as of April 2014)
Minister of Defense of Uzbekistan is Qobul Raimovich Berdiyev.
After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 in the United States,
the Uzbek government, at the request of the United States, allowed the
stationing of the US Air Force at Karshi-Khanabad Airport in southern
Uzbekistan. This base subsequently played an important role in
reconnaissance and attacks on al-Qaeda fighters in Afghanistan. After
the attacks in the city of Andijon in May 2005, in which more than 400
civilians were killed, were condemned by the US government, US troops
were ordered to vacate the air base within 180 days. The last US troops
left Uzbekistan in November 2005.
Since a decree by President
Karimov in November 2008, conscription for the one-year basic military
service only takes place once a year. In addition, a service for
conscription of a mobilization reserve was introduced.
Around 100
Bundeswehr soldiers were stationed in Uzbekistan from 2002 to 2015. The
Germans used the Termez base, 500 kilometers south of Tashkent, to
supply the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan
(ISAF).
The Uzbek militia, as the police are called in some states of the former Soviet Union, is notorious because of the rampant corruption in its ranks. It therefore does not enjoy a good reputation among large sections of the population. Checkpoints are set up at regular intervals on country roads and access roads to cities. Passers-by have to pass these checkpoints slowly and are sometimes stopped for more detailed checks. License plates are often recorded, which enables the population to be monitored. In the larger cities, militiamen are also stationed on the side of the road, usually every two to five hundred meters. The already strong presence of the militia was further expanded as a result of the unrest in May 2005.
Uzbekistan is divided into twelve viloyates (Uzbek, pl. viloyatlar;
in Soviet times oblast, German: province), an autonomous republic (Uzbek
respublika) and a city (shahar) with viloyatrank. The Viloyats and the
autonomous republic are divided into 157 districts (tuman, see the
structure of former Soviet federal subjects or raions) and 26
independent cities, the capital (with Viloyatrang) into eleven urban
districts. A total of 91 cities, 1049 urban-type settlements or small
towns (shacharcha) and 1457 "rural communities" (qishloq fuqarolar
yig'in, literally "village citizens' assembly") are subordinate to the
districts. 15 urban settlements and twelve "rural communities" are
subordinate to various independent cities, as well as one city
(Yangiobod, part of the independent city of Angren). One urban
settlement (Ulug'bek) is subordinate to the Mirzo Ulug'bek district of
the capital Tashkent (all information as of January 1, 2011).
The
Uzbek constitution guarantees the autonomous republic the right to
decide to secede from the Republic of Uzbekistan by referendum. It is
also entitled to its own constitution and laws, as long as they are in
line with the Uzbek constitution.
In the former Soviet Union, Uzbekistan was one of the poorer regions.
More than 60% of the population lived in sparsely populated rural
communities.
Uzbekistan is the eighth largest cotton producer
(2022/23 season) and has been the third largest cotton exporter in the
world in recent decades. In recent years, the textile industry and
production have expanded greatly, so that by 2023/24 Uzbekistan will be
able to process the still large amount of cotton produced entirely
itself and become a cotton importer. Uzbekistan continues to be a major
producer of natural gas, gold and copper, as well as a local producer of
chemical products and machinery.
Following independence in 1991,
the then government attempted to cushion the Soviet-style planned
economy with subsidies and strong control of production and prices. In
1994, due to high inflation, the economy began to be reformed. The
investment climate for foreign investors should be improved, the role of
the state should be gradually reduced, privatization should be further
promoted and a stricter monetary policy should be introduced. However,
the state remains a dominant factor in the Uzbek economy and the reforms
have failed to deliver the urgently needed structural changes. In 1996,
the IMF postponed a $185 million loan because the political situation in
Uzbekistan at the time made it impossible to meet the fund's conditions.
Due to the Asian and Russian crises, exports and monetary policy were
further tightened. A main reason for the current stagnation is the
economic policy that is alienating foreign investors.
Over the
past few years, according to official figures, GDP has grown
continuously by at least eight percent. In 2016, growth was 7.8 percent.
In the following year, growth fell by 2.5 percentage points to 5.3
percent. According to the Uzbek Statistics Agency, gross domestic
product grew by 5.1 percent in 2018 compared to the previous year. In
2019, it was 5.5 percent. At the same time, the inflation rate rose to
19.2 percent compared to 14 percent in the previous year.
The
unemployment rate in 2020 was 6.1%. Of all the employees statistically
recorded in 2019, 5.7 million worked in the formal sector and 7.8
million in the informal sector. Since 2019, the government has been
pushing for the legalization of jobs, thereby gaining 308,000 more
employees in the formal sector. The total number of employees was
estimated at 18.1 million in 2017, of which 41.6% are women.
The most important agricultural growing areas are the densely populated Ferghana Basin in the east and the regions around the cities of Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara. Around 50% of the agricultural land will be used to grow cotton in 2023/24. Large parts of the cultivated areas have to be artificially irrigated. This leads to massive problems of soil salinization and the imminent drying up of the Aral Sea. Drip irrigation is now increasingly being used to remedy this.
A wide variety of grains, vegetables and fruits are grown in Uzbekistan. Uzbek pumpkins are particularly popular, even far beyond the country's borders. Since the area used to grow cotton has been reduced, crop and horticulture has increased. Most agricultural products are offered directly on local markets and are rarely exported.
Cotton is an omnipresent topic in Uzbekistan and the country's most
important agricultural product. It is such a central element of
Uzbekistan's culture that it even appears on the country's coat of arms.
There are fountains in the shape of a cotton boll and high-rise
buildings and walls with stylized cotton depictions. In addition to
growing cotton for textile processing, cottonseed oil is also produced,
which is widely used in Uzbek cuisine.
The 2008 cotton harvest
was around 3.6 million tons of raw cotton. Uzbekistan was the sixth
largest cotton producer in the world, with 1.1 million tons of
high-quality cotton. In 2009, the cotton harvest was only around 3.4
million tons of raw cotton, which is largely due to the fact that parts
of the cultivated land are now used for other agricultural products.
Uzbek cotton production, which is largely state-run, was partly
based on child labor and conscripted students. In 2008, Uzbekistan
banned the use of children in the cotton fields. This was done under
pressure from international companies in the clothing industry,
including Walmart, Tesco, Gap Inc., H&M and C&A. Since then, machine
harvesting has been significantly expanded (approx. 20% in 2024 - 15% to
40% depending on the source), thus reducing the necessary labor input.
According to GIZ, after the change of government in 2016, the
authorities initiated a complex and ambitious reform plan to improve
social and environmental practices in the cotton industry - from
production to the final product. These reforms aim to position the
sector for new export markets and create new employment opportunities.
As a positive result, impartial monitoring by the International Labor
Organization (ILO) confirmed that there is no longer systemic child
labor and forced labor in the cotton harvest. And yet challenges remain.
The center of Uzbek silk production is in and around Margilan. Mulberry trees grow along streams and canals, which are the food source for silkworms. The silk threads are processed into fabrics and some are exported.
Uzbekistan is rich in natural resources such as natural gas, gold,
copper and uranium. Other important natural resources are silver, lead,
zinc, tungsten, molybdenum and kaolin.
Many of the raw materials
have hardly been mined so far.
A large number of international companies are involved in the
production of natural gas in Uzbekistan. Almost all investments are made
in cooperation with the Uzbek holding company Uzbekneftegas, which is
state-owned.
The development of natural gas production in the
Bukhara-Khiva region has been underway since 2004 in cooperation with
Lukoil Overseas and is expected to be completed in 2008. Production is
planned to last 35 years. The deposits are geologically estimated at
around 283 billion m³. Production in the Ustyurt Plateau was resumed in
2004 in cooperation with Zarubezhneftegaz, a subsidiary of Gazprom, and
the Swiss Gas Project Development Central Asia AG, Gazprom also has a
50% share here, and is expected to produce the existing eight billion m³
of natural gas by 2017. Sinopec, a Chinese company, plans to invest in
existing production areas by 2010 and also in the exploration of new
production areas in the Andijon and Namangan regions as well as in
Bukhara, Khiva and Ustyurt. The Swiss company Zeromax GmbH is involved
in the development and use of the new gas deposits in the Bukhara-Khiva
region and in the exploration in the Tandyrtschi region. The exploration
of the deposits in the Aral Sea basin is being carried out by a
consortium of Lukoil Overseas (Russian), Petronas Carigali Overseas
(Malaysian), CNPC International Ltd. (Chinese) and KNOC Aral Ltd.
(Korean). An agreement to this effect was negotiated at the end of 2006.
At the end of June 2008, construction began on a gas pipeline from
the Bukhara region to China. The Chinese partner is CNPC. The
construction costs of the first section, which is 500 kilometers long,
are expected to be around two billion US dollars. The two lines are
scheduled to be completed at the end of 2009 and in 2011.
Oil production in Uzbekistan is far less significant than natural gas production. With a production of around 100,000 barrels per day and a consumption of over 150,000 barrels per day, Uzbekistan has to import oil on a net basis, despite its proven reserves of 600 million barrels of crude oil.
Metal smelting is located in the mining regions of Angren and
Olmaliq. Gold exports currently bring in significantly higher foreign
exchange earnings than natural gas exports.
Uzbekistan is
currently the world's fifth largest producer of the radioactive metal
uranium. Since there is no domestic demand for uranium, all production
is intended for export. Reserves are estimated at 186,000 tons, with a
current production rate of 1,500 tons per year. A five-year investment
program has been running since 2007 to increase annual output by around
150% to 3,500 tons per year. To this end, old mines were reopened, new
deposits developed and existing ones modernized.
In Asaka in the Fergana Valley, Uz-DaewooAvto produces around 190,000
small cars (as of 2009) of the Daewoo Matiz, Daewoo Nexia and Damas
types annually for the Central Asian market. Uz-Daewoo was formerly a
joint venture between UzAvtoprom and the South Korean car manufacturer
GM Daewoo, but has been completely in Uzbek hands since Daewoo's
financial crisis in 1998. Since October 2007, General Motors has entered
into a joint venture with UzAvtoprom under the name GM Daewoo Auto &
Technology Uzbekistan (see: GM Uzbekistan). In February 2008, further
agreements were signed, with GM holding 25% of the joint venture. The
UzAvtoSanoat plant already produces the Chevrolet Captiva, Epica and
Tacuma models. GM supports UzAvtoSanoat through its dealer network to
sell Chevrolet cars produced in Uzbekistan in the CIS countries. With a
planned workforce of 5,000, 250,000 Chevrolet Captiva, Chevrolet Epica,
Chevrolet Lacetti and Tacuma cars are to be produced annually.
The Il-76 military transport aircraft and the IL-114 passenger aircraft
are produced in Tashkent, but Russia is striving to move production to
Ulyanovsk.
Other mechanical engineering is mostly related to
agriculture, in particular the manufacture of cotton products.
Tourism in Uzbekistan is under construction. The infrastructure does
not yet consistently meet the requirements of an internationally
oriented tourism. In Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva, many hotels
now meet the international standard, including with free Internet
access. Often, ATMs or bank branches are located in the hotels, so you
can easily provide yourself with cash at any time. Currently, most of
the tourism can be found along the Silk Road, which runs through the
country for almost the entire length. Popular destinations are the
ancient cities of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva. Optimal travel times are
spring (April to June) and autumn (September to October), as the summer
is very hot. In the Ugom-Chatqol National Park, winter sports in the
form of heliskiing are also possible. The centers of domestic tourism
are, among others, Chimgon and Beldersoy, which serve as an easily
accessible recreation area for the population of Tashkent.
Since
February 2019, all citizens of the European Union, citizens from the
Schengen area and citizens of other countries, including Switzerland,
have been able to enter the country visa-free. As a result, the number
of countries whose citizens do not require a visa has now increased to
64. In addition, a number of citizens of other countries have been
allowed access to the e-visa system. This brought the number of states
with access to 76.
The state budget in 2016 included expenditures of the equivalent of
21.23 billion US dollars, which was offset by revenues of the equivalent
of 21.09 billion US dollars. This results in a budget deficit of 0.1% of
GDP.
The national debt amounted to 11.6% of GDP in 2016.
in 2020, the share of government spending (in % of GDP) was in the
following areas:
Health: 6.8 %
Education: 4.9% (1991)
Military:
2.8% (2019)
Uzbekistan's integration into world trade is hampered by the
country's pronounced import substitution policy. An important reason for
this policy is the fact that Uzbekistan has built up capital-intensive
industries (for example, the automotive industry), although capital is
relatively scarce in the country. Another reason is the outdated
technology in other industries. The goods produced in these factories
would not be able to withstand free competition with imported goods.
Therefore, Uzbek production is protected by high, sometimes prohibitive
import duties.
The inflow of foreign capital, especially in the
form of direct investments, is lower than in all other successor states
of the former Soviet Union. On the other hand, the emigration of
workers, especially skilled workers, is very high. At least 2 million
Uzbeks worked in Russia alone. In 2012, foreign workers transferred $
5.7 billion to Uzbekistan, which was equivalent to one tenth of
Uzbekistan's economic output.
Uzbekistan has a relatively good infrastructure compared to its
neighbours, although its geographical location and lack of access to the
sea mean restrictions for freight transport. Most of the transport is
carried by road.
The shares of freight transport are distributed
by tonnage between road transport (90.7%), pipelines (oil and gas)
(4.7%) and rail (4.6%). 98.5% of passenger transport is carried by road,
1.2% by air and 0.3% by rail.
The length of the road network is over 81,600 kilometres, of which 71,237 kilometres are paved (as of 2007). The Tashkent–Samarkand–Bukhara–Urganch-Nukus route along the old Silk Road is of particular importance; however, the route is in very poor condition over long distances. The M-39 highway (Almaty, Kazakhstan-Tashkent-Samarkand-Termez) runs through Kazakh territory in a section between Tashkent and Samarkand and therefore has to be bypassed for transit between the two cities. The M-37 connects Samarkand with Bukhara and continues to Ashgabat in Turkmenistan. Between Bukhara and Urganch, a main road (A-380) with no direction separation runs through the desert. This stretch, with a new motorway section of around 250 km between Bukhara and Urganch, is part of the European route 40 (the latter between Bukhara and Urganch through Turkmen territory), which also runs between the Caspian Sea and the Aral Sea northwest out of the country into Kazakhstan, but is only available there as an "unpaved track". Other national roads on Uzbek territory are the M-34 from Tashkent via Guliston to Dushanbe in Tajikistan, the M-41 from Termez via Dushanbe to Kyrgyzstan.
The railway is operated by the state-owned Oʻzbekiston Temir Yoʻllari
(UTY). Between 1991 and 2007, the rail network was expanded by around
500 kilometers to a total length of around 3,950 kilometers. The newly
built routes were often necessary to avoid transit journeys through
neighboring countries. The majority of the rail network is single-track,
not electrified and is to be expanded. The routes around Tashkent, i.e.
essentially from the capital to the southwest and into neighboring
Kazakhstan, have been electrified. The electrification of the routes is
being pushed forward. A high-speed line currently runs from Tashkent to
Bukhara. DB Engineering & Consulting is working on electrifying the
route from there to Urganch and Khiva.
The Registon has been
running between Tashkent and Samarkand since 2003, with a journey time
of three hours and 40 minutes, and the Sharq has been running between
Tashkent and Kogon (near Bukhara) since 2005, with a journey time of
seven hours. In July 2011, the first 250 km/h Talgo train was delivered,
which runs on the Tashkent-Samarkand route under the name Afrosiyob and
reduces the journey time to two hours. There is also train 49/50 as a
daily daytime connection Samarkand-Tashkent-Samarkand, which meets
western standards.
The connection from Tashkent to the Ferghana
Valley, which opened in 2016, is very important. The connection leads
through the mountains with the 19 km long Kamchiq tunnel. It was only
this tunnel that made the inner-Uzbek railway connection from the
Ferghana Valley to the rest of the country possible. The railway lines
in the valley run through neighboring countries and are currently
closed.
Tashkent has had a subway with a 36.2 km network since
1977, which is constantly being expanded.
1,100 kilometers of the waterways are navigable. However, the heavy water withdrawals from the Amu Darya severely restrict shipping traffic. The only port worth mentioning is in Termez.
Uzbekistan has a state-owned airline, Uzbekistan Airways (Uzbek: Oʻzbekiston havo yoʻllari), which offers both domestic flights and international flights, including to Frankfurt am Main. Tashkent has an international airport. The second international airport is Urganch. Uzbekistan Airways offers flights to Frankfurt, Istanbul, Rome and Mumbai, among others. Nukus, Samarkand and Bukhara are also served by flights from Moscow.
The electricity supply in Uzbekistan is 220 volts and 50 Hz.
Electricity is produced in coal, gas and hydroelectric power plants. The
Chorvoq Dam, for example, supplies part of the electricity for Tashkent
and Chirchiq.
In large parts of Tashkent there is a district
heating network that ensures the supply of hot water. Many households
are also connected to the gas network.
The energy supply is
considered reliable in the cities, but not in the countryside. Power
outages are more common there.
The telecommunications network largely dates back to the Soviet era
and is therefore in urgent need of modernization. The state-owned
telephone company Uzbektelecom has taken out a loan of USD 110 million
from the Japanese government to modernize the network. In addition to
the approximately 1.821 million telephone connections (as of 2007),
there are 22.8 million mobile phone connections (as of January 2018).
There are five mobile phone providers: the Uzbek companies UCell
(formerly Coscom), Uzmobile and Perfectum Mobile, and the Russian
companies Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) and VimpelCom with the brand name
Beeline (formerly Unitel). However, a nationwide expansion of the GSM
network is still pending; UCell signed a contract with Nokia Siemens
Networks for this in November 2007. The mobile phone operators planned
to invest around USD 200 million in 2009 in the construction of UMTS and
WiMAX networks and in the modernization of the networks. UMTS is due to
go into regular operation in Tashkent at the end of 2008.
Uzbekistan is connected to international networks via land and radio
lines via Kazakhstan and Russia. The Trans-Asia-Europe fiber optic
network (TAE) is currently being built, stretching from Frankfurt (Main)
to Shanghai, following the Silk Road.
In 2020, 71 percent of
Uzbekistan's inhabitants used the Internet.
The Uzbek post office
is hardly comparable to the post office in Europe. Delivery to private
mailboxes is not usually made. However, mail can be sent all over the
world without any problems. A letter to Germany usually takes between
one and three weeks. Uzbek stamps are usually very lovingly designed
with motifs from culture and the animal kingdom.
Uzbek cuisine is very varied, and includes more than a thousand
dishes. Typical of Uzbek cuisine are soups such as shorva and naryn,
bachor (salad), the main courses plov or manti, as well as lagmon -
which is served both as a main course and as a dessert - and halva.
Green tea (ko'k choy) is drunk all year round in teahouses, the
so-called choyxonas. In summer, however, ayron, a chilled yoghurt, and
fruit juices are preferred. Alcoholic drinks are generally not very
popular, except for wine, which is consumed in large quantities for a
country with a predominantly Muslim population.
The history of
Uzbek cuisine, or the origin of the various Uzbek dishes, can be traced
back several centuries in some cases. This explains the traditional
rituals used to prepare food that are still common today. Today, as well
as several centuries ago, Uzbek cuisine is closely connected with
oriental cuisine and that of other Turkic-speaking countries due to the
country's location, language, culture and religion.
Special Olympics Uzbekistan was founded in 2001 and has participated in the Special Olympics World Games several times.