Tashkent makhallas

I spent two days in October 2024 in Tashkent trying to figure out what is special about the Tashkent makhallas. I read the nomination document and Nan’s summary and I went to Hazrat Imam Complex, Chorsu, and Shayhantaur as well as many other neighborhoods but everywhere there is construction, fences, barriers etc, hard to say that I saw anything that has OUV.

Tashkent is one of the capital cities that does not have its own World Heritage Site yet. Although it has a long history as a trade hub in Central Asia, much of the historic city was destroyed by a major earthquake in the 1960s. Consequently, the city today is rather modern, heavily influenced by Soviet architecture principles.

In search of their own World Heritage Site, Tashkent settled on the makhallas, historic city districts that function as cities within the city. Tashkent has multiple makhallas, but based on the nomination file it is unclear which ones are actually included in the nomination. Indeed, the nomination file would have to be fleshed out, if Uzbekistan ever tried in earnest to get Tashkent inscribed. For my day in Tashkent, I had to do some research and make some educated guesses.

I started at Ko'kcha Darvoza which is a historic makhalla located in the North West of the city. I think I passed through the neighbourhood walking from Tinchlik station to Kukcha Mosque. The mosque features a large graveyard with the beautifully restored Yunus Rajabi Mausoleum. The mausoleum is dedicated to a revered Sufi saint who lived in the 15th century.

From there I walked to the makhalla of Eski Shahar, one of the oldest and most historic neighbourhoods in Tashkent. Most visitors will come here as it features the most prominent tourist site of Tashkent: the Hazrat Imam Complex. The complex includes several buildings, such as the Barak-khan Madrasah, …