View source for Tashkent

{{Short description|Capital and largest city of Uzbekistan}}
{{for-multi|the Turkish town and district|Taşkent}}
{{Other uses|Tashkent (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Tashkent
| native_name        = {{lang|uz|Toshkent / Тошкент}}
| settlement_type    = [[Capital city]]
| image_skyline      = {{multiple image
|perrow = 1/2/2/1
|border = infobox
|total_width = 280
|image1 = Nest_One_Tashkent.jpg
|caption1 = Skyline of Tashkent with [[Nest One]]
|image2 = Tashkent, Paque Navoi 3.jpg
|caption2 = [[Oliy Majlis|Supreme Assembly]] building
|image3 = Madrasah Kukaldash (Tashkent) 12-07.JPG
|caption3 = [[Kukeldash Madrasah (Tashkent)|Kukeldash Madrasa]]
|image4 = Humo Arena (Tashkent, UZB) 2019.jpg
|caption4 = [[Humo Ice Dome]]
|image5 = Timur Lane Museum, Tashkent, Uzbekistan.JPG
|caption5 = [[Amir Timur Museum]]
|image6 = Успенский кафедральный собор в Ташкенте.JPG
|caption6 = [[Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin, Tashkent|Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God]]
}}
| image_flag         = Flag of Tashkent.svg
| flag_size          = 110px
| image_seal         = Coat of Arms of Tashkent 2019.svg
| seal_size          = 
| image_shield       = 
| shield_size        = 
| motto = {{force singular}} {{lang|uz|Kuch Adolatdadir}}<br />("Strength is in Justice")
| nickname           = ''Tosh'' ({{lit|The rock}}){{force singular}}
| pushpin_map        = Uzbekistan#Asia
| pushpin_relief     = yes
| pushpin_label_position = bottom
| image_map          = 
| mapsize            = 
| map_caption        = 
| image_map1         = Toshkent Shahri in Uzbekistan (special marker).svg
| coordinates        = {{Coord|41|18|40|N|69|16|47|E|region:UZ|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = {{flag|Uzbekistan}}
| established_title  = Settled
| established_date   = 3rd century BCE
| established_title2 = 
| established_date2  = 
| established_title3 = 
| established_date3  = 
| parts_type         = Divisions
| parts              = [[Districts of Tashkent|12 districts]]
| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = City Administration
| leader_title       = [[List of Hokims of the Tashkent Region|Hakim]]
| leader_name        = Shavkat Umirzakov
| leader_title1      = 
| leader_name1       = 
| unit_pref          = 
| area_footnotes     = 
| area_total_km2     = 631.29
| area_total_sq_mi   = 243.74
| area_water_km2     = 
| elevation_footnotes =  
| elevation_m        = 455
| elevation_ft       = 
| population_total   = 3,095,498 <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://toshstat.uz/uz/ |title=Toshkent shahar statistika boshqarmasi }}</ref>
| population_rank    = [[Central Asia#Cities in Central Asia|1st in Central Asia]]<br/>[[List of cities in Uzbekistan|1st in Uzbekistan]]
| population_as_of   = 1 January 2024
| population_footnotes = <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://uzdaily.uz/index.php/ru/post/83111|website=[[Uz Daily]] |title=Распределение численности постоянного населения в городе Ташкент }}</ref>
| population_metro   = 2,633,661
| population_density_km2 = 4816
| population_demonym = {{native name|uz|toshkentlik}}
| population_note    = 
| postal_code_type   = 
| postal_code        = 100000–100214
| area_code          = 71
| registration_plate = 01
| website            = {{URL|https://tashkent.uz/}}
| blank1_name        = [[International Airport]]s
| blank1_info        = [[Islam Karimov Tashkent International Airport]]
| blank2_name        = [[Rapid transit system]]
| blank2_info        = [[Tashkent Metro]]
| module             = {{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
 |child = yes
 |official_name = [[Western Tien-Shan]] Mountain
 |criteria = {{UNESCO WHS type|(x)}}
 |ID = 1490
 |year = 2016
 |area = {{cvt|528,177.6|ha|acre}}
 }}
| timezone           = [[Uzbekistan Time|UZT]]
| utc_offset         = +05:00
| blank_name_sec1    = [[Human Development Index|HDI]] (2019)
| blank_info_sec1    = 0.820<ref name="GlobalDataLab">{{Cite web |url=https://hdi.globaldatalab.org/areadata/shdi/ |title=Sub-national HDI – Area Database – Global Data Lab |website=hdi.globaldatalab.org |language=en |access-date=13 September 2018}}</ref><br />{{color|green|very high}}
| population_density_metro_km2 = auto
| population_density_metro_sq_mi = auto
| area_metro_km2     = 6400
| population_density_sq_mi = auto
| population_urban   = 2,575,431
| official_name      = Tashkent
| native_name_lang   = Presumably means "Stone City" (from Uzbek ''tosh'' "stone").
| length_km          = 25
| width_km           = 30
}}

'''Tashkent''' ({{IPAc-en|t|æ|ʃ|ˈ|k|ɛ|n|t|audio=LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-Tashkent.wav}}),{{efn|{{IPAc-en|USalso|t|ɑː|ʃ|ˈ|k|ɛ|n|t}}}} also known as '''Toshkent''',{{efn|{{IPAc-en|t|ɒ|ʃ|ˈ|k|ɛ|n|t}}; {{langx|uz|Toshkent, Тошкент}}/ {{lang|uz-Arab|تاشکند}}, {{IPA|uz|tɒʃˈkent|IPA}}}} is the [[Capital city|capital]] and [[List of cities in Uzbekistan|largest city]] of [[Uzbekistan]].{{efn|The city was historically known as ''Chach'', ''Shash'', or ''Binkat''}} It is the most populous city in [[Central Asia]],<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mullerson |first1=Rein |title=Central Asia |date=4 April 2014 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-79253-6 |page=154 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Central_Asia/XBZIAwAAQBAJ |language=en}}</ref> with a population of more than 3 million people as of April 1, 2024.<ref name=toshstat/> It is located in northeastern Uzbekistan, near the border with [[Kazakhstan]].

Before the influence of [[Islam]] in the mid-8th century AD, [[Sogdian people|Sogdian]] and [[Turkic people|Turkic]] culture was predominant. After [[Genghis Khan]] destroyed the city in 1219, it was rebuilt and profited from its location on the [[Silk Road]]. From the 18th to the 19th centuries, the city became an [[Tashkent (1784)|independent city-state]], before being re-conquered by the [[Khanate of Kokand]]. In 1865, Tashkent fell to the [[Russian Empire]]; as a result, it became the capital of [[Russian Turkestan]]. In [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] times, it witnessed major growth and demographic changes due to [[Population transfer in the Soviet Union|forced deportations]] from throughout the Soviet Union. Much of Tashkent was destroyed in the [[1966 Tashkent earthquake]], but it was soon rebuilt as a model Soviet city. It was the fourth-largest city in the Soviet Union at the time, after [[Moscow]], Leningrad (now [[Saint Petersburg]]) and Kiev (now [[Kyiv]]).<ref>''Praying Through the 100 Gateway Cities of the 10/40 Window'', {{ISBN|978-0-927-54580-8}}, p. 89.</ref>

Tashkent plays a central role in the country's economic and human development. As of 2024, it recorded the highest [[Human Development Index|HDI]] among Uzbekistan's regions, with a score of 0.840, reflecting significant progress in [[Education in Uzbekistan|education]], [[Healthcare in Uzbekistan|healthcare]], and living standards.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Uzbekistan’s 2023 Progressive Rating Reveals Development Disparities Among Regions |url=https://kun.uz/en/news/2024/10/12/uzbekistans-2023-progressive-rating-reveals-development-disparities-among-regions |access-date=2025-06-07}}</ref> Economically, Tashkent was the leading contributor to the national [[Gross domestic product|GDP]], accounting for 19% of Uzbekistan’s GDP in the first half of 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tashkent City is Top Contributor to GDP |url=https://tashkenttimes.uz/national/13504-tashkent-city-is-top-contributor-to-gdp |access-date=2025-06-07}}</ref> This economic dominance is supported by ongoing [[Infrastructure|infrastructure development]] and urban modernization projects aimed at enhancing its role as a financial and commercial hub.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tashkent's Urban Development Strategy |url=https://tashkenttimes.uz/economy/13357-urban-development-strategy-in-tashkent |access-date=2025-06-07}}</ref> Nonetheless, the city faces challenges such as [[Environmental issues in Uzbekistan|environmental concerns]] and the need for sustainable investment in [[public services]].

Since Uzbekistan gained independence, Tashkent has retained its multiethnic population, with ethnic [[Uzbeks]] forming the majority. In 2009, it celebrated 2,200 years of its [[recorded history|written history]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.fergananews.com/articles/6299 |title=Юбилей Ташкента. Такое бывает только раз в 2200 лет |website=Фергана – международное агентство новостей |access-date=10 December 2017}}</ref> The master plan of Tashkent until 2045 was approved.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-12-26 |title=Government of Uzbekistan approves master plan of Tashkent through 2045 |url=https://www.gazeta.uz/en/2024/12/26/tashkent-master-plan/#:~:text=The%20government%20of%20Uzbekistan%20approved,7.4%20million%20during%20this%20period. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250210115956/https://www.gazeta.uz/en/2024/12/26/tashkent-master-plan/#:~:text=The%20government%20of%20Uzbekistan%20approved,7.4%20million%20during%20this%20period. |archive-date=10 February 2025 |access-date=2025-04-26 |work=Газета.uz |language=en |url-status=live }}</ref>

==History==
{{For timeline}}

===Etymology===
During its long history, Tashkent has undergone various changes in names and political and religious affiliations. [[Al-Biruni|Abu Rayhan Biruni]] wrote that the city's name Tashkent comes from the turkic ''tash'' and persian ''kent'', literally translated as "Stone City" or "City of Stones".<ref>Sachau, Edward C. Alberuni's India: an Account of the Religion. Philosophy, Literature, Geography, Chronology, Astronomy, Customs, Laws and Astrology of India about AD 1030, vol. 1 London: KEGAN PAUL, TRENCH, TRtJBNBR & CO. 1910. p.298.</ref>

[[Ilya Gershevitch]] (1974:55, 72) (apud Livshits, 2007:179) traces the city's old name Chach back to [[Iranian languages#Old Iranian|Old Iranian]] *''čāiča-'' "area of water, lake" (cf. ''Čaēčista'', the [[Aral Sea]]'s name in the [[Avesta]]) (whence [[Middle Chinese]] transcription *''źiäk'' > [[standard Chinese]] ''Shí'' with [[Chinese character]] 石 for "stone"<ref>{{iranica|Čāč|Čāč}}</ref><ref>{{iranica|personal-names-sogdian-1-in-chinese-sources|Personal Names, Sogdian i. in Chinese sources}}</ref>), and *''Čačkand'' ~ ''Čačkanθ'' was the basis for [[Turkic language|Turkic]] adaptation Tashkent, popularly etymologized as "stone city".<ref name = "livshits2007">Livshits, Vladimir (2007). "The Leader of the People of Chach in Sogdian Inscriptions" in Macuch, Maggi, & Sundermann (eds.) ''Iranian Languages and Texts from Iran and Turan. Ronald E. Emmerick Memorial Volume''. p. 179</ref> Livshits proposes that ''Čač'' originally designated only the [[Aral Sea]] before being used for the Tashkent oasis.<ref name = "livshits2007"/>

Ünal (2022) critiques Gershevitch's and Livshits's etymology as being "based on too many assumptions". He instead derives the name ''Čač'' from Late [[Proto-Turkic]] *''t<sub>1</sub>iāt<sub>2</sub>(ă)'' "stone", which he proposes to be seemingly another translation, besides the apparent Chinese translation 石 ''shí'' "stone", of *''kaŋk-'' (whence Chinese transcription 康居 [[Eastern Han Chinese|EHC]] *''kʰɑŋ-kɨɑ'' > [[standard Chinese]] ''[[Kangju|Kāngjū]]''), which possibly meant "stone". Against [[Harold Walter Bailey]]'s and [[Edwin G. Pulleyblank]]'s suggested [[Tocharian languages|Tocharian]] origin for *''kaŋk-'', Ünal proposes that it was instead an [[Iranian languages|Iranian]] word and compares it to [[Pashto]] ''kā́ṇay'' "stone".<ref>Ünal, Orçun (2022). [https://sino-platonic.org/complete/spp325_proto_Turkic_consonants.pdf "On *p- and Other Proto-Turkic Consonants"] ''[[Sino-Platonic Papers]]'', '''325''', pp. 45-46</ref>

===Early history===
The first occupants identified in the Tashkent oasis were the Burgulik (Burghulik, Burgulyuk or Burganlik) culture, an ancient pastoral society of the Late Bronze and Early Iron Ages. The Burgulik era is usually divided into two periods, Burgulik I occurred during the 9th to 7th centuries BCE and Burgulik II, from the 6th to 4th centuries BCE. Archaeological excavations indicate that the Burgulik people were involved in animal husbandry, possibly agriculture with some irrigation and handicrafts. They lived primarily in basement shaped huts or hollowed cave dwellings and there was no evidence of wooden architecture.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Ibragimov |first=R |title=The Historical Development Stages of the Tashkent Oasis |journal=Bulletin of Science and Practice |volume=7 |issue=12 |pages=401–408 |date=2021 |language=en |url=https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/the-historical-development-stages-of-the-tashkent-oasis/viewer |doi=10.33619/2414 |access-date=2025-08-27}}</ref> The hill fort, Shashtepa, in the southern part of the city was constructed during Burgulik I and is believed to have been abandoned in the 7th century BCE.<ref>{{cite book |last=Filanovich
|first=Margarita Ivanovna |date=2010 |title=Древняя и средневековая история Ташкента в археологических источниках
|url=https://www.klex.ru/24ir |trans-title=The History of Tashkent in Antiquity and the Middle Age from Archaeological Sources |language=ru |location=Tashkent |page=64 |isbn=9789943015036 |access-date=2025-08-27}}</ref>

Shashtepa was one of the largest villages of the Burgulik era as the availability of running water from the Dzhun Aryk, a branch of the Chirchik River and fertile soil made its location ideal for the sedentary life of agriculture.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Juraboyevich |first=Yuldashev Jamol |date=2025 |title=From the History of the Exploration of the Tashkent Oasis |url=https://www.academicpublishers.org/journals/index.php/ijai/article/view/3617/4639 |journal=International Journal of Artificial Intelligence |volume=05 |issue=03 |publisher=American Academic Publishers |pages=1574–1579 |access-date=2025-08-27}}</ref> At the later stage (6th–3rd centuries BCE), it was influenced by the late Saka culture of Southern Kazakhstan (Usun) and the culture of Northern Fergana (Aktam burial ground).<ref name="culture"/>

The Burgulik culture was replaced by the Kaunchin culture (Chach),<ref name="culture">{{cite book |last=Болелов |first=С. Б. |chapter=Бургулюкская культура |url=https://old.bigenc.ru/archeology/text/1889070 |trans-chapter=Burgulyuk Culture |title=Большая российская энциклопедия 2004-2017 |language=ru |publisher=Министерство Культуры Российской федерации |isbn=5-85270-333-8 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220925211127/https://bigenc.ru/archeology/text/1889070
|archive-date=25 September 2022 |access-date=2025-08-28}}</ref> which is usually associated with the population of the Kangju (K'ang-chü) state, a Chinese name for a kingdom in Central Asia that existed from about 140 BCE to the 5th century CE. Chinese sources suggest that a settlement existed here at oasis near the Chirchik River in the 2nd century BCE. Tashkent might have been or near "Beitian," (Pi-tien)<ref>{{cite book |last=Zadneprovsky |first=Y. A. |chapter=The Nomads of Northern Central Asia After the Invasion of Alexander |url=https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000105703
|title=History of Civilizations of Central Asia Volume II |publisher=UNESCO publishing |page=464 |isbn=978-9231027192 |date=1994-06-01 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220000000/https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000105703 |archive-date=2021-02-20 |access-date=2025-08-28}} [https://archive.org/details/history-of-civilizations-of-central-asia-volume-2/page/463/mode/2up Alt URL]</ref> the summer capital of Kangju.<ref>Pulleyblank, Edwin G. "The Consonantal System of Old Chinese," ''Asia Major 9'' (1963), p. 94.</ref>

Some scholars believe that a "[[Stone Tower (Ptolemy)|Stone Tower]]" mentioned by [[Ptolemy]] in his famous treatise [[Geography (Ptolemy)|''Geography'']], and by other early accounts of travel on the old [[Silk Road]], referred to this settlement (due to its etymology). This tower is said to have marked the midway point between [[Europe]] and [[China]]. Other scholars, however, disagree with this identification, though it remains one of four most probable sites for the Stone Tower.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dean |first=Riaz |title=The Stone Tower: Ptolemy, the Silk Road, and a 2,000-Year-Old Riddle |publisher=Penguin Viking |year=2022 |isbn=978-0670093625 |location=Delhi |pages=134 (Map 4), 170 |language=English}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Dean |first=Riaz |date=2015 |title=The Location of Ptolemy's Stone Tower: the Case for Sulaiman-Too in Osh |journal=The Silk Road |volume=13 |pages=76}}</ref>

===History as Chach===
[[File:Chach. Uncertain ruler. Circa AD 625-725.jpg|thumb|left|Coinage of Chach circa 625-725 CE]]
In pre-Islamic and early Islamic times, the town and the province were known as ''Chach''.  The [[Shahnameh]] of [[Ferdowsi]] also refers to the city as Chach.

[[File:Ambassadors from Chaganian (central figure, inscription of the neck), and Chach (modern Tashkent) to king Varkhuman of Samarkand. 648-651 CE, Afrasiyab, Samarkand.jpg|thumb|Ambassadors from [[Chaganian]] (central figure, inscription of the neck), and Chach (modern Tashkent) to king [[Varkhuman]] of [[Samarkand]]. 648-651 CE, [[Afrasiyab (Samarkand)|Afrasiyab murals]], Samarkand.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Baumer |first1=Christoph |title=History of Central Asia, The: 4-volume set |date=18 April 2018 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1-83860-868-2 |page=243 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DhiWDwAAQBAJ&pg=RA1-PA243 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="SW">{{cite book |last1=Whitfield |first1=Susan |author-link=Susan Whitfield |title=The Silk Road: Trade, Travel, War and Faith |year=2004 |publisher=British Library. Serindia Publications, Inc. |isbn=978-1-932476-13-2 |page=110 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ArWLD4Qop38C&pg=PA110 |language=en}}</ref>]]
The principality of Chach had a [[Square (geometry)|square]] citadel built around the 5th to 3rd centuries BC, some {{cvt|8|km}} south of the [[Syr Darya]] River. By the 7th century AD, Chach had more than 30 towns and a network of over 50 canals, forming a trade center between the [[Sogdiana|Sogdians]] and [[Turkic peoples|Turkic]] nomads. The [[Buddhist]] monk [[Xuanzang]] (602/603? – 664 AD), who travelled from China to India through Central Asia, mentioned the name of the city as {{transliteration|zh|Zhěshí}} ({{lang|zh|赭時}}). The Chinese chronicles ''[[History of Northern Dynasties]]'', ''[[Book of Sui]]'', and ''[[Old Book of Tang]]'' mention a possession called {{transliteration|zh|Shí}} {{lang|zh|石}} ("stone") or {{transliteration|zh|Zhěshí}} {{lang|zh|赭時}} with a capital of the same name since the fifth century AD.<ref>Bichurin, 1950. v. II</ref>

In 558–603, Chach was part of the [[First Turkic Khaganate|Turkic Khaganate]]. At the beginning of the 7th century, the Turkic Khaganate, as a result of internecine wars and wars with its neighbors, disintegrated into the [[Western Turkic Khaganate|Western]] and [[Eastern Turkic Khaganate|Eastern Khaganate]]s. The Western Turkic ruler [[Tong Yabghu Qaghan]] (618-630) set up his headquarters in the Ming-bulak area to the north of Chach. Here he received embassies from the emperors of the [[Tang dynasty|Tang Empire]] and [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantium]].<ref>Golden, P.B. ''An Introduction to the History of the Turkic Peoples''. Series: Turcologica. Wiesbaden: Otto-Harrassowitz. 1992</ref> In 626, the Indian Buddhist preacher [[Prabhakāramitra]] arrived with ten companions to the Khagan. In 628, Xuanzang arrived in Ming-bulak.

The Turkic rulers of Chach minted their coins with the inscription on the obverse side of the "lord of the Khakan money" (mid-8th century); with an inscription in the ruler Turk (7th century), in Nudjket in the middle of the 8th century, coins were issued with the obverse inscription "Nanchu (Banchu) Ertegin sovereign".<ref>Baratova L. S. Drevnetyurkskiye monety Sredney Azii VI—IKH vv. (tipologiya, ikonografiya, istoricheskaya interpretatsiya). Avtoreferat diss. kand. ist. nauk. — T., 1995, s.12</ref>

===Islamic Caliphate===
{{Further|Umayyad Caliphate|Abbasid Caliphate}}
Chach (Arabic: Shash) was [[Muslim conquest of Transoxiana|conquered]] by the [[Umayyad Caliphate]] at the beginning of the 8th century.<ref>O. G. Bol'shakov. Istoriya Khalifata, t. 4: apogey i padeniye. — Moskva: «Vostochnaya literatura» RAN, 2010</ref>

According to the descriptions of the authors of the 10th century, Shash was structurally divided into a [[citadel]], an inner city (madina) and two suburbs - an inner (rabad-dahil) and an outer (rabad-harij). The citadel, surrounded by a special wall with two gates, contained the ruler's palace and the prison.<ref>[[Margarita Ivanovna Filanovich|Filanovich, M.I.]] Tashkent (zarozhdeniye i razvitiye goroda i gorodskoy kul'tury). Tashkent, 1983, p.188</ref>
[[File:M10 Abassides AH190 (8011579793).jpg|thumb|200px|Silver [[Dirham]] of [[Abbasid]] caliph [[Harun al-Rashid]] minted in Tashkent (Mad'an al-Shash) in 190 [[Islamic calendar|AH]] (805/806 [[Common Era|CE]])]]

===Post Caliphate rule===
{{Further|Anarchy at Samarra|Samanid Empire}}
Under the [[Samanid Empire]], whose founder [[Ismail Samani]] was a descendant of [[Persian people|Persian]] [[Zoroastrianism|Zoroastrian]] convert to [[Islam]], the city came to be known as ''Binkath''. However, the Arabs retained the old name of ''Chach'' for the surrounding region, pronouncing it ''ash-Shāsh'' ({{lang|ar|الشاش}}) instead. 
Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Ali ash-Shashi, known as al-Kaffal ash-Shashi (904-975), was born in Tashkent. He was an Islamic theologian, scholar, jurist of the [[Shafi'i]] ''madhhab'', hadith scholar and linguist.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}

After the 11th century, the name evolved from Chachkand/Chashkand to Tashkand. The modern spelling of "Tashkent" reflects [[Russian language|Russian]] orthography and 20th-century Soviet influence.

At the end of the 10th century, Tashkent became part of the possessions of the Turkic state of the [[Kara-Khanid Khanate|Karakhanids]]. In 998/99 the Tashkent oasis went to the Karakhanid Ahmad ibn Ali, who ruled the north-eastern regions of [[Transoxiana|Mavarannahr]]. In 1177/78, a separate khanate was formed in the Tashkent oasis. Its center was Banakat, where dirhams of Mu'izz ad-dunya wa-d-din Qilich-khan were minted, in 1195–1197; and of Jalal ad-dunya wa-d-din Tafgach-khakan, in 1197–1206.<ref>Kochnev B. D., Numizmaticheskaya istoriya Karakhanidskogo kaganata (991—1209 gg.). Moskva «Sofiya», 2006, p.157,234</ref>

===Mongol conquest===
{{main|Mongol Empire|Chagatai Khanate}}
The city was destroyed by [[Genghis Khan]] in 1219 and lost much of its population as a result of the [[Mongols]]' destruction of the [[Khwarazmian dynasty|Khwarezmid Empire]] in 1220.

===Timurid period===
{{Further|Timurid Empire}}
Under the [[Timurid dynasty|Timurid]] and subsequent [[Shaybanid]] dynasties, the city's population and culture gradually revived as a prominent strategic center of scholarship, commerce and trade along the [[Silk Road]].
During the reign of [[Timur|Amir Timur]] (1336-1405), Tashkent was restored and in the 14th-15th centuries Tashkent was part of Timur's empire. For Timur, Tashkent was considered a strategic city. In 1391 Timur set out in the spring from Tashkent to Desht-i-Kipchak to fight the Khan of the [[Golden Horde]] [[Tokhtamysh|Tokhtamysh Khan]]. Timur returned from this victorious campaign through Tashkent.<ref>Fasikh Akhmad ibn Dzhalal ad-Din Mukhammad al-Khavafi. Fasikhov svod. Tashkent: Fan. 1980, p.114</ref>
[[File:Mausoleum Zangiata 15-12.JPG|thumb|left|Zangi ata shrine]]
The most famous saint Sufi of Tashkent was Sheikh Khovendi at-Takhur (13th to the first half of the 14th century). According to legend, Amir Timur, who was treating his wounded leg in Tashkent with the healing water of the Zem-Zem spring, ordered to build a mausoleum for the saint. By order of Timur, the Zangiata mausoleum was built.

===Uzbek Shaybanid's dynasty period===
In the 16th century, Tashkent was ruled by the [[Shaybanids|Shaybanid dynasty]].<ref>Dobromyslov A. I., Tashkent v proshlom i nastoyashchem. Tashkent, 1912, p.9</ref><ref>Istoriya Tashkenta. Tashkent: Fan, 1988, p.70</ref>
[[File:Barakhan Madrasah Tashkent.jpg|thumb|Barak khan madrasa, Shaybanids, 16th century]]
Shaybanid Suyunchkhoja Khan was an enlightened Uzbek ruler; following the traditions of his ancestors Mirzo [[Ulugbek]] and [[Abul Khair Khan]], he gathered famous scientists, writers and poets at his court, among them: Vasifi, Abdullah Nasrullahi, Masud bin Osmani Kuhistani. Since 1518 Vasifi was the educator of the son of Suyunchhoja Khan Keldi Muhammad, with whom, after the death of his father in 1525, he moved to Tashkent. After the death of his former pupil, he became the educator of his son, Abu-l-Muzaffar Hasan-Sultan.<ref>Yudin V. P. Materialy po istorii kazakhskikh khanstv XV-XVIII vekov. (Izvlecheniya iz persidskikh i tyurkskikh sochineniy). — Alma-Ata : Nauka, 1969, p.174.</ref>

Later the city was subordinated to Shaybanid [[Abdullah Khan II]] (the ruler actually from 1557, officially in 1583–1598), who issued his coins here.<ref>Ye. A. Davidovich, Korpus zolotykh i serebryanykh monet Sheybanidov. XVI vek. M., 1992</ref> From 1598 to 1604 Tashkent was ruled by the Shaybanid Keldi Muhammad, who issued silver and copper coins on his behalf.<ref>Burnasheva R. Z., Nekotoryye svedeniya o chekanke mednykh monet v Tashkente v XVI—XIX vv. Izvestiya Natsional'noy akademii nauk Kazakhstana, No. 1, 2007, p.153</ref>

===Kazakh ruled period===
In 1598, Kazakh Tauekel Khan was at war with the [[Khanate of Bukhara]]. The Bukhara troops sent against him were defeated by Kazakhs in the battle between Tashkent and Samarkand. During the reign of Yesim-Khan,<ref>{{Cite journal |title=The Kazakh Khanate in the period of Yesim Khan in folklore resources (1598-1645) |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331682741 |date=January 2018 |journal=Milli Folklor |volume=2018 |issue=119 |pages=60–72 |via=ResearchGate}}</ref> a peace treaty was concluded between Bukhara and Kazakhs, according to which Kazakhs abandoned Samarkand, but left behind Tashkent, Turkestan and a number of Syr Darya cities.

Yesim-Khan ruled the [[Kazakh Khanate]] from 1598 to 1628, his main merit was that he managed to unite the Kazakh khanate. The city was part of Kazakh Khanate between 1598 and 1723.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History of Civilizations of Central Asia,Volume V, UNESCO Publishing, page 97 |url=https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000130205/PDF/130205eng.pdf.multi |access-date=2025-05-18 |website=unesdoc.unesco.org}}</ref>

===Tashkent state===
In 1784, [[Yunus Khoja]], the ruler of the dakha (district) Shayhantahur, united the entire city under his rule and created an independent [[Tashkent (state)|Tashkent state]] (1784-1807), which by the beginning of the 19th century seized vast lands.<ref>Istoriya Tashkenta (s drevneyshikh vremon do pobedy Fevral'skoy burzhuazno-demokraticheskoy revolyutsii) / Ziyayev KH. Z., Buryakov YU. V.  Tashkent: «Fan», 1988</ref>

===Kokand Khanate===
In 1809, Tashkent was annexed to the [[Khanate of Kokand]]. At the time, Tashkent had a population of around 100,000 and was considered the richest city in [[Central Asia]].

Under the Kokand domination, Tashkent was surrounded by a moat and an adobe battlement (about 20 kilometers long) with 12 gates.<ref>Istoriya Tashkenta (s drevneyshikh vremyon do pobedy Fevralskoy burzhuazno-demokraticheskoy revolyutsii) / Ziyayev Kh. Z., Buryakov Y.F. Tashkent: «Fan», 1988</ref> It prospered greatly through trade with Russia but chafed under Kokand's high taxes. The Tashkent clergy also favored the clergy of [[Bukhara]] over that of Kokand. However, before the [[Emir]] of Bukhara could capitalize on this discontent, the Russian army arrived.

===Colonial period===
{{more citations needed section|date=June 2019}}
[[File:Храм Александра Невского (Ташкент).png|thumb|Alexander Nevsky Cathedral was built by the [[Russian Orthodox Church]] in Tashkent.]] 
In May 1865, [[Mikhail Grigorevich Chernyayev]] (Cherniaev), acting against the direct orders of the [[Tsar]] and outnumbered at least 15–1, staged a daring night attack against a city with a wall {{cvt|25|km|mi}} long with 11 gates and 30,000 defenders. While a small contingent staged a diversionary attack, the main force penetrated the walls, led by a [[Russian Orthodox]] priest. Although the defense was stiff, the Russians captured the city after two days of heavy fighting and the loss of only 25 dead as opposed to several thousand of the defenders (including [[Alimqul]], the ruler of the Kokand Khanate). Chernyayev, dubbed the "Lion of Tashkent" by city elders, staged a hearts-and-minds campaign to win the population over. He abolished taxes for a year, rode unarmed through the streets and bazaars meeting common people, and appointed himself "Military Governor of Tashkent", recommending to [[Tsar Alexander II]] that the city become an independent [[khanate]] under Russian protection.
[[File:Taskent city coat 1909.gif|thumb|left|upright|Coats of arms of Tashkent, 1909]]
The Tsar liberally rewarded Chernyayev and his men with medals and bonuses, but regarded the impulsive general as a loose cannon, and soon replaced him with General [[Konstantin Petrovich von Kaufman]]. Far from being granted independence, Tashkent became the capital of the new territory of [[Russian Turkistan]], with Kaufman as first Governor-General. A [[cantonment]] and Russian settlement were built across the Ankhor Canal from the old city, and Russian settlers and merchants poured in. Tashkent was a center of espionage in the [[Great Game]] rivalry between Russia and the United Kingdom over Central Asia. The [[Turkestan Military District]] was established as part of the military reforms of 1874. The [[Trans-Caspian Railway]] arrived in 1889, and the railway workers who built it settled in Tashkent as well, bringing with them the seeds of [[Bolshevik Revolution]].

===Effect of the Russian Revolution===
[[File:Ташкент пассаж Ариф-Ходжи.jpg|thumb|Tashkent c. 1910]]
With the fall of the [[Russian Empire]], the [[Russian Provisional Government]] removed all civil restrictions based on religion and nationality, contributing to local enthusiasm for the [[February Revolution]]. The [[Tashkent Soviet]] of Soldiers' and Workers' Deputies was soon set up, but primarily represented Russian residents, who made up about a fifth of the Tashkent population. Muslim leaders quickly set up the Tashkent Muslim Council (''Tashkand Shura-yi-Islamiya'') based in the old city. On 10 March 1917, there was a parade with Russian workers marching with red flags, Russian soldiers singing ''[[La Marseillaise]]'' and thousands of local Central Asians. Following various speeches, Governor-General [[Aleksey Kuropatkin]] closed the events with words "Long Live a great free Russia".<ref>Jeff Sahadeo, ''Russian Colonial Society in Tashkent,'' Indiana University Press, 2007, p188</ref>

The First Turkestan Muslim Conference was held in Tashkent 16–20 April 1917. Like the Muslim Council, it was dominated by the [[Jadid]], Muslim reformers. A more conservative faction emerged in Tashkent centered around the [[Ulema]]. This faction proved more successful during the local elections of July 1917. They formed an alliance with Russian conservatives, while the Soviet became more radical. The Soviet attempt to seize power in September 1917 proved unsuccessful.<ref>Rex A. Wade, ''The Russian Revolution, 1917,'' Cambridge University Press, 2005</ref>

In April 1918, Tashkent became the capital of the Turkestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic ([[Turkestan ASSR]]). The new regime was threatened by White forces, ''[[basmachi]];'' revolts from within, and purges ordered from Moscow.

===Soviet period===
[[File:Tashkent the building of town council 02.jpg|thumb|Tashkent, 1917]]
[[File:Tashkent. Courage monument. USSR stamp. 1979.jpg|thumb|The Courage Monument (Jasorat) in Tashkent on a 1979 Soviet stamp. In the background: the Friendship of the Peoples Museum building (since 1996—[[Museum of Olympic Glory]])]]
The city began to industrialize in the 1920s and 1930s.

Violating the [[Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact]], Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941. The government worked to relocate factories from western Russia and Ukraine to Tashkent to preserve the Soviet industrial capacity. This led to great increase in industry during World War II.

It also evacuated most of the German communist emigres to Tashkent.<ref name="shirer">{{Cite journal |last=Shirer |first=Robert |date=2000-09-07 |title=Johannes R. Becher 1891–1958 |url=https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/modlanggerman/3/ |journal=German Language and Literature Papers |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160907164118/http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/modlanggerman/3/ |archive-date=7 September 2016}}</ref> The Russian population increased dramatically; evacuees from the war zones increased the total population of Tashkent to well over a million. Russians and [[Ukrainians]] eventually comprised more than half of the total residents of Tashkent.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Allworth |first=Edward |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X2XpddVB0l0C&pg=PA102 |title=Central Asia, 130 Years of Russian Dominance: A Historical Overview |date=1994 |publisher=Duke University Press |isbn=978-0-8223-1521-6 |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221130081451/https://books.google.com/books?id=X2XpddVB0l0C&pg=PA102&dq&hl=en |archive-date=30 November 2022}}</ref> Many of the former refugees stayed in Tashkent to live after the war, rather than return to former homes.

During the postwar period, the [[Soviet Union]] established numerous scientific and engineering facilities in Tashkent.

On 10 January 1966, then [[Prime Minister of India|Indian Prime Minister]] [[Lal Bahadur Shastri]] and [[President of Pakistan|Pakistan President]] [[Ayub Khan (general)|Ayub Khan]] signed a [[Tashkent Declaration|pact in Tashkent]] with [[Premier of the Soviet Union|Soviet Premier]] [[Alexei Kosygin]] as the mediator to resolve the terms of peace after the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]]. On the next day, Shastri died suddenly, reportedly due to a heart attack. It is widely speculated that Shastri was killed by poisoning the water he drank.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!-- not stated --> |date=September 26, 2015 |title="Lal Bahadur Shashtri's death was not natural, claims his family" |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/lal-bahadur-shastris-death-was-not-natural-claims-his-family/articleshow/49116369.cms |work= |location=New Delhi, India |publisher=Times of India |access-date=July 15, 2025}}</ref>

Much of Tashkent's old city was destroyed by a powerful [[1966 Tashkent earthquake|earthquake on 26 April 1966]]. More than 300,000 residents were left homeless, and some 78,000 [[Earthquake engineering|poorly engineered]] homes were destroyed,<ref name="tga">{{cite book |last=Sadikov |first=A C |author2=Akramob Z. M. |author3=Bazarbaev, A. |author4=Mirzlaev T.M. |author5=Adilov S. R. |author6=Baimukhamedov X. N. |display-authors=etal |title=Geographical Atlas of Tashkent (Ташкент Географический Атлас) |year=1984 |edition=2 |location=Moscow |language=ru |pages=60, 64}}</ref> mainly in the densely populated areas of the old city where traditional [[adobe]] housing predominated.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://iisee.kenken.go.jp/net/hara/uzbekistan/DamageForBuildings.htm |title=Damage for buildings of different type |access-date=7 November 2008 |author=Nurtaev Bakhtiar |year=1998 |publisher=Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan}}</ref> The Soviet republics, and some other countries, such as Finland, sent "battalions of fraternal peoples" and urban planners to help rebuild devastated Tashkent.

Tashkent was rebuilt as a model Soviet city with wide streets planted with shade trees, parks, immense plazas for parades, fountains, monuments, and acres of apartment blocks. The [[Tashkent Metro]] was also built during this time. About 100,000 new homes were built by 1970,<ref name="tga" /> but the builders occupied many, rather than the homeless residents of Tashkent.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}} Further development in the following years increased the size of the city with major new developments in the Chilonzor area, north-east and south-east of the city.<ref name="tga" />

At the time of the collapse of the [[Soviet Union]] in 1991, Tashkent was the fourth-largest city in the USSR and a center of learning in the fields of science and engineering. Due to the [[1966 Tashkent earthquake|1966 earthquake]] and the Soviet redevelopment, little architectural heritage has survived of Tashkent's ancient history. Few structures mark its significance as a trading point on the historic [[Silk Road]]. Such countries of the Soviet Union as [[Azerbaijan]] and [[Armenia]], [[Kazakhstan]] and [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], [[Belarus]] and [[Kyrgyzstan]], [[Turkmenistan]] and [[Tajikistan]], [[Latvia]], [[Moldova]], [[Estonia]] helped restore the city after the earthquake and erected many modern buildings.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Сидорчик |first=Андрей |date=2021-04-26 |title=Сила миллионов сердец. Как советские люди возродили разрушенный Ташкент |trans-title=The Power of Millions of Hearts: How Soviet People Rebuilt the Destroyed Tashkent |url=https://aif.ru/society/history/sila_millionov_serdec_kak_sovetskie_lyudi_vozrodili_razrushennyy_tashkent |access-date=2024-03-12 |website=AiF |language=ru}}</ref>

===Capital of Uzbekistan===
Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan, noted for its tree-lined streets, fountains and parks. In 2009, the local government initiated a controversial tree-cutting campaign.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://enews.fergananews.com/article.php?id=2590 |title=Good bye the Tashkent Public Garden! |publisher=Ferghana.Ru |date=23 November 2009 |access-date=30 September 2012 |archive-date=11 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120611092449/http://enews.fergananews.com/article.php?id=2590 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:Alisher Navoi Opera and Ballet Theatre, Tashkent.jpg|left|thumb|Alisher Navoi Opera and Ballet Theatre]]
Since 1991, the city has changed economically, culturally, and architecturally. New development has superseded or replaced icons of the Soviet era. The largest statue ever erected for Lenin was replaced with a globe, featuring a geographic map of Uzbekistan. Buildings from the Soviet era have been replaced with new modern buildings. The "Downtown Tashkent" district includes the 22-story [[National Bank of Uzbekistan|NBU Bank]] building, international hotels, the International Business Center, and the Plaza Building.

[[File:Tashkent Japanese Gardens, Tashkent, Uzbekistan.jpg|thumb|Japanese Gardens in Tashkent]]
The Tashkent Business district is a special district, established for the development of small, medium and large businesses in Uzbekistan. In 2018, construction began on a new Downtown which would include a business district with skyscrapers of local and foreign companies, world hotels such as [[Hilton Hotels & Resorts|Hilton Tashkent Hotel]], apartments, malls, shops and other entertainment. The construction of the International Business Center is planned to be completed by the end of 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.tcibc.uz/about.html?tab=aim |title=Tashkent city |access-date=4 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191221165249/http://www.tcibc.uz/about.html?tab=aim |archive-date=21 December 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Fitch assigns "BB−" rating to Tashkent city, "Stable" forecast.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fitch присвоило городу Ташкенту рейтинг "BB-", прогноз "Стабильный" |trans-title=Fitch assigned the city of Tashkent a "BB-" rating with a "Stable" outlook. |url=https://www.fitchratings.com/research/ru/international-public-finance/fitch-prisvoilo-gorodu-tashkentu-rejting-bb-prognoz-stabil-nyj-17-06-2019 |access-date=2023-09-15 |website=www.fitchratings.com |language=uk}}</ref>

In 2007, Tashkent was named a "cultural capital of the Islamic world" by ''[[Moscow News]]'', as the city has numerous historic mosques and significant Islamic sites, including the Islamic University.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mnweekly.ru/world/20070524/55252222.html |title=Moscow News – World – Tashkent Touts Islamic University |publisher=Mnweekly.ru |date=21 June 2007 |access-date=6 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080415014911/http://mnweekly.ru/world/20070524/55252222.html |archive-date=15 April 2008}}</ref> Tashkent holds the [[Samarkand Kufic Quran]], one of the earliest written copies of the [[Quran]], which has been located in the city since 1924.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4581684.stm |title=Tashkent's hidden Islamic relic |publisher=BBC |date=5 January 2006 |access-date=16 April 2011}}</ref>

Tashkent is the most visited city in the country,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://brussels-express.eu/uzbekistan-doubles-the-number-of-tourists-in-2018/ |title=Uzbekistan doubles the number of tourists in 2018 |publisher=Brussels Express |date=23 November 2018 |access-date=30 October 2019}}</ref> and has greatly benefited from increasing [[tourism]] as a result of reforms under president [[Shavkat Mirziyoyev]] and opening up by abolishing visas for visitors from the [[European Union]] and other developing countries or making visas easier for foreigners.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.euractiv.com/section/central-asia/news/uzbekistan-announces-ambition-to-become-a-major-tourist-destination/ |title=Uzbekistan announces ambition to become major tourist destination |publisher=Euractiv |date=19 November 2018 |access-date=30 October 2019}}</ref>

===Tashkent over the years===
<gallery caption="Development of Tashkent">
File:Tashkent History 1860.jpg|c. 1865
File:Tashkent History 1913.jpg|1913
File:Tashkent History 1940.jpg|1940
File:Tashkent History 1965.jpg|1965
File:Tashkent History 1967.jpg|1966: [[1966 Tashkent earthquake|earthquake]] and subsequent redevelopment
File:Tashkent History 1981.jpg|1981
File:Tashkent History 2000.jpg|2000
</gallery>

===The invention of television===
In the summer of 1928, the first fully electronic TV set was presented to the public in Tashkent. [[Boris Grabovsky]]'s method, patented in [[Saratov]] in 1925, proposed a new model of TV imaging based on the vertical and horizontal electron beam sweeping under high voltage. Nowadays this principle of the TV imaging is used practically in all modern cathode-ray tubes. Historian and ethnographer Boris Golender (Борис Голендер in Russian), in a video lecture, described this event.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Видеолекторий «Ферганы»: Изобретение телевидения и Борис Грабовский |trans-title=Video lecture series "Fergana": The invention of television and Boris Grabovsky |url=https://www.fergananews.com/articles/8089 |access-date=2025-05-18 |website=Фергана.Ру}}</ref> This date of demonstration of the fully electronic TV set is the earliest known so far. Despite this fact, most modern historians disputably consider [[Vladimir Zworykin]] and [[Philo Farnsworth]]<ref>K. Krull, The boy who invented TV: The story of Philo Farnsworth, 2014</ref> as inventors of the first fully electronic TV set. In 1964, the contribution made to the development of early television by Grabovsky was officially acknowledged by the Uzbek government and he was awarded the prestigious degree "Honorable Inventor of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic".

[[File:Tashkent, Uzbekistan, city and vicinities, satellite image LandSat-5,2010-06-30.jpg|thumb|150px|Tashkent and vicinity, satellite image [[Landsat 5]], 2010-06-30]]

==Geography==
Tashkent is situated in a well-watered plain on the road between [[Samarkand]], Uzbekistan's second city, and [[Shymkent]] across the [[Kazakhstan–Uzbekistan border|border]]. Tashkent is just 13&nbsp;km from two border crossings into [[Kazakhstan]].

Closest geographic cities with populations of over 1 million are: [[Shymkent]] (Kazakhstan), [[Dushanbe]] (Tajikistan), [[Bishkek]] (Kyrgyzstan), [[Kashgar]] (China), [[Almaty]] (Kazakhstan), [[Kabul]] (Afghanistan) and [[Peshawar]] (Pakistan).

Tashkent sits at the confluence of the [[Chirchiq River]] and several of its tributaries and is built on deep alluvial deposits up to {{cvt|15|m}}. The city is located in an active tectonic area suffering large numbers of tremors and some earthquakes.

The local time in Tashkent is [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC/GMT]] +5 hours.

==Climate==
{{climate chart
| Tashkent
| −3.1 |  5.8 | 54.5
| −1.5 |  7.9 | 46.8
|  4.2 | 14.3 | 72.3
|  9.9 | 21.8 | 63.6
| 13.7 | 27.4 | 32
| 17.7 | 33.2 |  7.1
| 19.4 | 35.7 |  3.5
| 17.2 | 34.0 |  2
| 12.4 | 28.7 |  4.5
|  7.3 | 21.0 | 34.1
|  3.3 | 14.2 | 45
| − .3 |  8.5 | 53.4
|float=right
|clear=none
|source = WMO<ref name = WMO >
{{cite web |url=http://worldweather.wmo.int/032/c00115.htm |title=World Weather Information Service – Tashkent |access-date=16 August 2012 |publisher=[[World Meteorological Organisation]]}}</ref> }}

Tashkent features a [[Mediterranean climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: ''Csa'') with some [[humid continental climate]] influences ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: ''Dsa'').<ref name="Koeppen">[//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Asia_K%C3%B6ppen_Map.png Updated Asian map of the Köppen climate classification system]</ref> As a result, Tashkent experiences cold and often snowy winters not typically associated with most Mediterranean climates and long, hot and dry summers. Most [[Precipitation (meteorology)|precipitation]] occurs during the winter, which frequently falls as snow. The city experiences two peaks of precipitation in the early winter and spring. The slightly unusual precipitation pattern is partially due to its {{cvt|500|m|ft}} altitude. Summers are long in Tashkent, usually lasting from May to September. Tashkent can be extremely hot during the months of July and August. The city also sees very little precipitation during the summer, particularly from June through September.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tashkent-travel.com/weather |title=Tashkent weather forecast |access-date=11 June 2009 |author=Tashkent Travel |location=Tashkent, Uzbekistan |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090529214452/http://www.tashkent-travel.com/weather |archive-date=29 May 2009 |df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.happytellus.com/tashkent/uzbekistan |title=Tashkent, Uzbekistan travel information |access-date=11 June 2009 |author=Happy-Tellus.com |publisher=Infocenter International Ltd. |location=Helsinki, Finland |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090627124528/http://www.happytellus.com/tashkent/uzbekistan |archive-date=27 June 2009 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all}}</ref>
{{Clear}}
{{Weather box
|location = Tashkent (1991–2020, extremes 1867–present)
|metric first = y
|single line = y
| Jan record high C = 22.6
| Feb record high C = 27.0
| Mar record high C = 32.5
| Apr record high C = 36.6
| May record high C = 39.9
| Jun record high C = 43.0
| Jul record high C = 44.6
| Aug record high C = 43.1
| Sep record high C = 40.0
| Oct record high C = 37.5
| Nov record high C = 31.6
| Dec record high C = 27.3
|year record high C = 44.6
| Jan high C = 7.2
| Feb high C = 9.5
| Mar high C = 16.0
| Apr high C = 22.3
| May high C = 28.0
| Jun high C = 33.6
| Jul high C = 35.9
| Aug high C = 34.9
| Sep high C = 29.5
| Oct high C = 22.2
| Nov high C = 14.1
| Dec high C = 8.6
| year high C = 
| Jan mean C = 2.3
| Feb mean C = 4.2
| Mar mean C = 10.2
| Apr mean C = 15.9
| May mean C = 21.1
| Jun mean C = 26.2
| Jul mean C = 28.3
| Aug mean C = 26.6
| Sep mean C = 21.0
| Oct mean C = 14.4
| Nov mean C = 8.1
| Dec mean C = 3.5
|year mean C = 
| Jan low C = −1.3
| Feb low C = 0.1
| Mar low C = 5.3
| Apr low C = 10.1
| May low C = 14.3
| Jun low C = 18.4
| Jul low C = 20.1
| Aug low C = 18.4
| Sep low C = 13.4
| Oct low C = 8.3
| Nov low C = 3.6
| Dec low C = -0.1
| year low C =
| Jan record low C = −28.0
| Feb record low C = −25.6
| Mar record low C = −16.9
| Apr record low C = −6.3
| May record low C = −1.7
| Jun record low C = 3.8
| Jul record low C = 8.2
| Aug record low C = 5.7
| Sep record low C = 0.1
| Oct record low C = −11.2
| Nov record low C = −22.1
| Dec record low C = −29.5
| year record low C = −29.5
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 54.9
| Feb precipitation mm = 72.1
| Mar precipitation mm = 66.4
| Apr precipitation mm = 63.3
| May precipitation mm = 41.1
| Jun precipitation mm = 16.8
| Jul precipitation mm = 3.4
| Aug precipitation mm = 2.1
| Sep precipitation mm = 4.6
| Oct precipitation mm = 23.7
| Nov precipitation mm = 51.2
| Dec precipitation mm = 58.4
| year precipitation mm = 458.0
|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
| Jan precipitation days = 14
| Feb precipitation days = 14
| Mar precipitation days = 14
| Apr precipitation days = 13
| May precipitation days = 11
| Jun precipitation days = 8
| Jul precipitation days = 4
| Aug precipitation days = 3
| Sep precipitation days = 4
| Oct precipitation days = 8
| Nov precipitation days = 11
| Dec precipitation days = 13
| year precipitation days = 117
| Jan humidity = 73
| Feb humidity = 68
| Mar humidity = 61
| Apr humidity = 60
| May humidity = 53
| Jun humidity = 40
| Jul humidity = 39
| Aug humidity = 42
| Sep humidity = 45
| Oct humidity = 57
| Nov humidity = 66
| Dec humidity = 73
| year humidity = 56
| Jan rain days = 14
| Feb rain days = 13
| Mar rain days = 14
| Apr rain days = 12
| May rain days = 11
| Jun rain days = 7
| Jul rain days = 4
| Aug rain days = 3
| Sep rain days = 3
| Oct rain days = 7
| Nov rain days = 10
| Dec rain days = 12
| year rain days = 110
|Jan snow depth cm = 3
|Feb snow depth cm = 2
|Mar snow depth cm = 0
|Apr snow depth cm = 0
|May snow depth cm = 0
|Jun snow depth cm = 0
|Jul snow depth cm = 0
|Aug snow depth cm = 0
|Sep snow depth cm = 0
|Oct snow depth cm = 0
|Nov snow depth cm = 0
|Dec snow depth cm = 2
| Jan snow days = 9
| Feb snow days = 7
| Mar snow days = 2
| Apr snow days = 0
| May snow days = 0
| Jun snow days = 0
| Jul snow days = 0
| Aug snow days = 0
| Sep snow days = 0
| Oct snow days = 1
| Nov snow days = 2
| Dec snow days = 6
| year snow days = 27
| Jan sun = 104.7
| Feb sun = 119.4
| Mar sun = 169.2
| Apr sun = 222.7
| May sun = 303.0
| Jun sun = 352.8
| Jul sun = 386.5
| Aug sun = 353.4
| Sep sun = 283.8
| Oct sun = 220.4
| Nov sun = 135.0
| Dec sun = 104.7
| year sun = 
|source 1 =Pogoda.ru.net<ref name=pogoda>
{{cite web|url=http://www.pogodaiklimat.ru/climate.php?id=38457|script-title=ru:Климат Ташкента|publisher=Pogoda.ru.net|language=ru|access-date=4 January 2015}}</ref>
|source 2 = [[NOAA]]<ref name=NOAA>
{{cite web |url=https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/2.2/data/0-data/Region-2-WMO-Normals-9120/Uzbekistan/CSV/Tashkent_38457.csv |title=Tashkent Climate Normals 1991–2020 |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |access-date=1 November 2023}}</ref> 
}}

== Ecology ==
The level of [[air pollution]] in Tashkent, especially in winter, significantly exceeds international norms. According to the [[World Bank]], the average annual pollution level is more than 6 times higher than the [[World Health Organization|WHO]] recommended level (5 μg/m<sup>3</sup>). The main sources of air pollution are the [[Heating system|heating sector]] (28%), transport (16%) and industry (13%).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Загрязнение воздуха в Ташкенте ежегодно приводит к более 3000 преждевременных смертей — доклад ВБ |trans-title=Air pollution in Tashkent causes more than 3,000 premature deaths annually — World Bank report |url=https://www.gazeta.uz/ru/2024/10/09/air-pollution-tashkent/ |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=www.gazeta.uz}}</ref> There are 631 heating complexes around the city, according to the [[Ecological Party of Uzbekistan]] 60% of them use coal, sometimes [[Tire|rubber tyres]] and other fuels.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |title=«60% теплиц вокруг Ташкента жгут уголь и резиновые покрышки» — Экологическая партия |trans-title="60% of the greenhouses around Tashkent burn coal and rubber tires" — Environmental Party |url=https://kun.uz/ru/news/2024/11/08/60-teplits-vokrug-tashkenta-jgut-ugol-i-rezinovyye-pokryshki-ekologicheskaya-partiya|access-date=2025-05-09 |website=Kun.uz |language=ru}}</ref>

==Demographics==
[[File:Bread Vendor (220641945).jpeg|thumb|Bread vendor in a market street of Tashkent]]
In 1983, the population of Tashkent amounted to 1,902,000 people living in a municipal area of {{cvt|256|km2|0}}. By 1991, the year the [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union|Soviet Union dissolved]], the city's population had grown to approximately 2,136,600. Tashkent was the fourth most populated city in the former [[Soviet Union|USSR]], after [[Moscow]], Leningrad ([[St. Petersburg]]), and [[Kyiv]]. Nowadays, Tashkent remains the fourth most populous city in the CIS.

As of 2020, the city's population was 2,716,176.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/es/89801/%D0%A2%D0%90%D0%A8%D0%9A%D0%95%D0%9D%D0%A2 |title=ТАШКЕНТ (город) |publisher=Dic.academic.ru |access-date=24 November 2013}}</ref>

{{citation needed span|{{As of|2008}}, the demographic structure of Tashkent was as follows:|date=October 2022}}
*78.0% – [[Uzbeks]] 
*5% – [[Russians]]
*4.5% – [[Tatars]]
*2.2% – [[Koreans in Uzbekistan|Koryo-saram (Koreans)]] 
*2.1% – [[Tajiks]]
*1.2% – [[Uighurs]]
*7.0% – other ethnic backgrounds{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

{{Historical populations
| align = none
| cols = 2
| percentages = pagr
| source = Uzbekistan State Statistics Committee<ref name="StatsPop">{{Cite web |url=https://api.stat.uz/api/v1.0/data/hududlar-boyicha-shahar-va-qishloq-aholisi-soni?lang=uz&format=pdf |title=Hududlar boʻyicha shahar va qishloq aholisi soni (2010&ndash;2021-yillar) |date=2021-07-16 |language=uz |publisher=Uzbekistan State Statistics Committee |access-date=2021-07-16}}</ref><ref name="StatsUzOld">{{Cite web |url=http://stat.uz/upload/iblock/f6f/Doimiy%20aholi%20soni.xls |title=Постоянное среднее число населения |date=2013-09-27 |language=ru |publisher=Uzbekistan State Statistics Committee |access-date=2014-04-10 |archive-date=2013-10-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021105721/http://stat.uz/upload/iblock/f6f/Doimiy%20aholi%20soni.xls}}</ref> and Demoscope.ru<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/rus_gub_97.php?reg=86 |title=Демоскоп Weekly - Приложение. Справочник статистических показателей. |website=www.demoscope.ru}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/ussr59_reg2.php |title=Демоскоп Weekly - Приложение. Справочник статистических показателей. |website=www.demoscope.ru}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/ussr70_reg2.php |title=Демоскоп Weekly - Приложение. Справочник статистических показателей. |website=www.demoscope.ru}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/ussr79_reg2.php |title=Демоскоп Weekly - Приложение. Справочник статистических показателей. |website=www.demoscope.ru}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/sng89_reg2.php |title=Демоскоп Weekly - Приложение. Справочник статистических показателей. |website=www.demoscope.ru}}</ref>
| graph-pos = bottom
|1897 |155673
|1959 |911930
|1970 |1384509
|1979 |1780002
|1983 |1902000
|1989 |2072459
|1991 |2130200
|1995 |2097400
|2000 |2142300
|2001 |2137900
|2002 |2136600
|2003 |2139200
|2004 |2135400
|2005 |2135700
|2006 |2140600
|2007 |2157100
|2008 |2180000
|2009 |2206300
|2010 |2234300
|2011 |2296500
|2012 |2309300
|2013 |2340900
|2014 |2352900
|2015 |2371300
|2016 |2393200
|2017 |2424100
|2018 |2464900
|2019 |2509900
|2020 |2571700
|2021 |2694400
}}

[[Uzbek language|Uzbek]] is the main spoken language in Tashkent, though [[Russian language|Russian]] is also spoken as a lingua franca. As in much of Uzbekistan, signage in Tashkent often contains a mix of Latin and Cyrillic scripts.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://eurasianet.org/uzbekistan-a-second-coming-for-the-russian-language |title=Uzbekistan: A second coming for the Russian language? |publisher=eurasianet |access-date=30 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://chalkboard.tol.org/uzbekistan-dead-letter/ |title=Uzbekistan: Dead Letter |publisher=Chalkboard |date=23 July 2007 |access-date=30 October 2019 |archive-date=31 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031165138/http://chalkboard.tol.org/uzbekistan-dead-letter/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Tashkent is the center of the [[Greeks in Uzbekistan|Greek community in Uzbekistan]], which formed due to mass population transfers in the Soviet Union. Thousands of [[Pontic Greeks]] were [[Deportation of the Soviet Greeks|forcibly displaced]] in the early 1940s, and after the defeat of the [[Democratic Army of Greece]] and the [[Communist Party of Greece]] in 1949, another wave of Greeks entered Central Asia. The Soviet Union sent around 11,000 [[refugees of the Greek Civil War]] to Tashkent, where a Greek community survives to this day. In the early 1980s, with the [[Social reforms of Andreas Papandreou|decriminalisation of the Greek Communist Party]], many returned to Greece.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Proud Greeks of Tashkent, Uzbekistan |url=https://greekreporter.com/2025/08/01/greeks-tashkent-uzbekistan/ |website=Greek Reporter |access-date=29 October 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Kallos |first1=Dimitri |title=The Greeks of Tashkent are a defining example of Hellenism, says Costas Politis |url=https://neoskosmos.com/en/2024/05/16/news/community/the-greeks-of-tashkent-are-a-defining-example-of-hellenism-says-costas-politis/ |website=NEOS KOSMOS |access-date=29 October 2025 |language=en |date=16 May 2024}}</ref>

==Districts==
{{Image label begin|image=Tashkent city districts (2018) coloured.png|width=500|float=none}}
{{Image label |x=0.635|y=0.675|scale=500|text='''[[Bektemir]]'''}}
{{Image label |x=0.332|y=0.597|scale=500|text='''[[Chilonzor]]'''}}
{{Image label |x=0.640|y=0.530|scale=500|text='''[[Yashnobod]]'''}}
{{Image label |x=0.570|y=0.526|scale=500|text='''[[Mirobod|Miro-<br>bod]]'''}}
{{Image label |x=0.655|y=0.385|scale=500|text='''[[Mirzo Ulugbek|Mirzo<br>Ulugbek]]'''}}
{{Image label |x=0.435|y=0.745|scale=500|text='''[[Sergeli]]'''}}
{{Image label |x=0.407|y=0.425|scale=500|text='''[[Shaykhontohur|Shaykhon-<br>tohur]]'''}}
{{Image label |x=0.420|y=0.325|scale=500|text='''[[Olmazor]]'''}}
{{Image label |x=0.300|y=0.508|scale=500|text='''[[Uchtepa]]'''}}
{{Image label |x=0.485|y=0.535|scale=500|text='''[[Yakkasaray|Yakka-<br>saray]]'''}}
{{Image label |x=0.545|y=0.302|scale=500|text='''[[Yunusobod]]'''}}
{{Image label |x=0.06|y=0.102|scale=500|text=''[[Kazakhstan|K a z a k h s t a n]]''}}
{{Image label |x=0.45|y=0.90|scale=500|text=''[[Tashkent Region|T a s h k e n t<br>R e g i o n]]''}}
{{Image label end}}
[[File:Tashkent street view.jpg|thumb|Amir Timur Street in 2006]]
[[File:Residential Towers (3926792798).jpg|thumb|Residential towers]]
[[File:Tashkent Downtown.jpg|thumb|A downtown street in 2012]]
Since 2020, when [[Yangihayot]] District was created,<ref name=yh>{{cite web |url=https://www.gazeta.uz/ru/2020/09/09/yangi-hayot/ |title=Deputies approved the creation of Yangihayot district of Tashkent |publisher=Gazeta.uz |language=ru |date=9 September 2020}}</ref> Tashkent has been divided into the following 12 districts ({{langx|uz|tumanlar}}):<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Nr
! District
! Population <br /> (2021)<ref name="toshstat">{{cite web |title=Urban and rural population by district |url=https://toshstat.uz/files/308/2021---DEMOGRAFIYA/2130/Hududlar-boyicha-shahar-va-qishloq-aholisi-soni.pdf |publisher=Tashkent City department of statistics |language=uz}}</ref>
! Area <br /> (km<sup>2</sup>)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tashkent.uz/en/menu/rajony- |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220212185810/https://www.tashkent.uz/en/menu/rajony- |url-status=dead |archive-date=12 February 2022 |title=Districts |publisher=City of Tashkent |access-date=12 February 2022 }}</ref><ref name=yh/>
! Density <br /> (area/km<sup>2</sup>)
! Map
|-
|1
|[[Bektemir]]
| 31,400
| 17.83
| {{formatnum:{{#expr: 31400/17.83 round 0}}}}
| [[File:Tashkent city (Uzbekistan) Bektemir district (2018).png|70px]]
|-
|2
|[[Chilanzar]]
| 260,700
| 29.94
| {{formatnum:{{#expr: 260700/29.94 round 0}}}}
| [[File:Tashkent city (Uzbekistan) Chilanzar district (2018).png|70px]]
|-
|3
|[[Yashnobod]]
| 258,800
| 33.7
| {{formatnum:{{#expr: 258800/33.7 round 0}}}}
| [[File:Tashkent city (Uzbekistan) Yashnobod district (2018).png|70px]]
|-
|4
|[[Mirobod]]
| 142,800
| 17.1
| {{formatnum:{{#expr: 142800/17.1 round 0}}}}
| [[File:Tashkent city (Uzbekistan) Mirobod district (2018).png|70px]]
|-
|5
|[[Mirzo Ulugbek]]
| 285,000
| 35.15
| {{formatnum:{{#expr: 285000/35.15 round 0}}}}
| [[File:Tashkent city (Uzbekistan) Mirzo Ulugbek district (2018).png|70px]]
|-
|6
|[[Sergeli]]
| 105,700
| 37.36
| {{formatnum:{{#expr: 105700/37.36 round 0}}}}
| [[File:Tashkent city (Uzbekistan) Sergeli district (2018).png|70px]]
|-
|7
|[[Shayxontoxur]]
| 348,300
| 29.7
| {{formatnum:{{#expr: 348300/29.7 round 0}}}}
| [[File:Tashkent city (Uzbekistan) Shaykhontohur district (2018).png|70px]]
|-
|8
|[[Olmazor]]
| 377,100
| 34.5
| {{formatnum:{{#expr: 377100/34.5 round 0}}}}
| [[File:Tashkent city (Uzbekistan) Olmazar district (2018).png|70px]]
|-
|9
|[[Uchtepa]]
| 278,200
| 24
| {{formatnum:{{#expr: 278200/24 round 0}}}}
| [[File:Tashkent city (Uzbekistan) Uchtepa district (2018).png|70px]]
|-
|10
|[[Yakkasaray]]
| 121,600
| 14.6
| {{formatnum:{{#expr: 121600/14.6 round 0}}}}
| [[File:Tashkent city (Uzbekistan) Yakkasaray district (2018).png|70px]]
|-
|11
|[[Yunusabad]]
| 352,000
| 40.6
| {{formatnum:{{#expr: 352000/40.6 round 0}}}}
| [[File:Tashkent city (Uzbekistan) Yunusabad district (2018).png|70px]]
|-
|12
|[[Yangihayot]]
| 132,800
| 44.20
| {{formatnum:{{#expr: 132800/44.20 round 0}}}}
| 
|}

Before Tashkent was conquered by the Russian Empire, it was divided into four districts, or ''daha'' in Uzbek:

#Beshyoghoch
#Kukcha
#Shaykhontokhur
#Sebzor

In 1940 it had the following districts (Russian ''район''):

#[[October Revolution|Oktyabr]]
#[[Sergey Kirov|Kirov]]
#[[Joseph Stalin|Stalin]]
#[[Mikhail Frunze|Frunze]]
#[[Vladimir Lenin|Lenin]]
#[[Valerian Kuybyshev|Kuybishev]]

By 1981, these were reorganized into the following:<ref name="tga"/>

#Bektemir
#Akmal-Ikramov (Uchtepa)
#Khamza (Yashnobod)
#Lenin (Mirobod)
#Kuybishev (Mirzo Ulugbek)
#Sergeli
#Oktober (Shaykhontokhur)
#Sobir Rakhimov (Olmazar)
#Chilanzar
#Frunze (Yakkasaray)
#Kirov (Yunusabad)

==Landmarks==
[[File:Kukeldash Madrasah inner yard.jpg|thumb|[[Kukeldash Madrasah (Tashkent)|Kukeldash Madrasa]] inner yard]]
[[File:Palace of Grand Prince Nikolai Konstantinovich 12-00.JPG|thumb|Prince Romanov Palace]]
[[File:Theatre Alisher Navoi.JPG|thumb|Alisher Navoi Opera and Ballet Theatre]]
[[File:Tashkent museum of applied arts.jpg|thumb|Museum of Applied Arts]]
[[File:Пам'ятник Тарасові Шевченку (Ташкент).jpg|thumb|A statue commemorating [[Taras Shevchenko]]]]
[[File:Hotel Uzbekistan.jpg|thumb|The Hotel Uzbekistan, which opened in 1974]]

Due to the destruction of most of the ancient city during the [[Russian Revolution of 1917|1917 revolution]] and, later, the 1966 earthquake, little remains of Tashkent's traditional architectural heritage. Tashkent is, however, rich in museums and Soviet-era monuments. They include:

*[[Kukeldash Madrasah (Tashkent)|Kukeldash Madrasah]]. Dating back to the reign of [[Abdullah Khan II]] (1557–1598) it is being restored by the provincial Religious Board of [[Mawarannahr]] Moslems. There is talk of making it into a museum, but it is currently being used as a madrassah.
*[[Chorsu Bazaar]], located near the Kukeldash Madrassa. This huge open air [[bazaar]] is the center of the old town of Tashkent. Everything imaginable is for sale. It is one of the major tourist attractions of the city.
*[[Hazrati Imam Complex]]. It includes several mosques, shrine, and a library which contains a part of the [[Uthman Qur'an]], a manuscript Qur'an in Kufic script that is considered to be the oldest extant [[Qur'an]] in the world. Dating from 655 and stained with the blood of murdered caliph, [[Uthman]], it was brought by Timur to [[Samarkand]], seized by the Russians as a war trophy, and taken to [[Saint Petersburg]]. It was returned to Uzbekistan in 1924.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4581684.stm |title=Tashkent's hidden Islamic relic |author=MacWilliams, Ian |date=5 January 2006 |work=BBC News |access-date=8 June 2010}}</ref>
*[[Qaffol Shoshi mausoleum]] built in honor of Imam Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Ismail al-Kaffal ash-Shashi.<ref>{{Cite web|url= https://legacy.uz/znakomstvo-s-mavzoleem-al-kaffal-ash-shashi/|title= "KAFFAL ASH-SHOSHI MAQBARASI"|website= legacy.uz |accessdate= 2023-12-11}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Toshkentning asosiy ziyorat obyektlari bo'ylab sayyohlik marshruti |trans-title=Tourist route along the main sightseeing spots of Tashkent |url=https://uzbekistan.travel/uz/o/toshkentning-asosiy-ziyorat-obyektlari-boylab-sayyohlik-marshruti/ |accessdate=2023-12-11 |website=uzbekistan.travel}}</ref> The original tomb did not survive in its initial form. In its current state, the mausoleum was constructed in 1542 by the royal architect of that time, Gulyam Husayn. It is an asymmetrical domed portal mausoleum, known as a khanqah.<ref>{{Cite web|url= https://www.centralasia-travel.com/ru/countries/uzbekistan/places/tashkent/kaffal-shashi |title= МА МАВЗОЛЕЙ АБУБЕКРА КАФФАЛЯ АШ-ШАШИ |website= www.centralasia-travel.com |accessdate= 2023-12-11}}</ref>
*Yunus Khan Mausoleum. It is a group of three 15th-century [[mausoleums]], restored in the 19th century. The biggest is the grave of [[Yunus Khan]], grandfather of [[Mughal Empire]] founder [[Babur]].
*[[Romanov Palace|Palace of Prince Romanov]]. During the 19th century [[Grand Duke]] [[Nikolai Konstantinovich]], a first cousin of [[Alexander III of Russia]] was banished to Tashkent for some shady deals involving the Russian Crown Jewels. His palace still survives in the center of the city. Once a museum, it has been appropriated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
*[[Navoi Theater|Alisher Navoi Opera and Ballet Theatre]], built by the same architect who designed [[Lenin's Tomb]] in Moscow, [[Aleksey Shchusev]], with [[Empire of Japan|Japanese]] [[prisoner of war]] labor in World War II. It hosts Russian ballet and opera.
*Fine Arts Museum of Uzbekistan. It contains a major collection of art from the pre-Russian period, including [[Sogdian language|Sogdian]] murals, [[Buddhist]] statues, and [[Zoroastrian]] art, along with a more modern collection of 19th and 20th century [[applied art]], such as [[suzani textile|suzani]] embroidered hangings. Of more interest is the large collection of paintings "borrowed" from the [[Hermitage Museum|Hermitage]] by Grand Duke Romanov to decorate his palace in exile in Tashkent, and never returned. Behind the museum is a small park, containing the neglected graves of the [[Bolsheviks]] who died in the [[Russian Revolution of 1917]] and to [[K. P. Osipov|Osipov]]'s treachery in 1919,<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QwquCgAAQBAJ&q=osipov+tashkent&pg=PA58 |title=Historical Dictionary of the Russian Civil Wars, 1916–1926 |first=Jonathan D. |last=Smele |page=58 |date=20 November 2015 |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |isbn=978-1442252806 |access-date=16 May 2016}}</ref> along with first Uzbekistani President [[Yuldosh Akhunbabayev]].
*Museum of Applied Arts. Housed in a traditional house originally commissioned for a wealthy tsarist diplomat, the house itself is the main attraction, rather than its collection of 19th and 20th century [[applied arts]].
*[[State Museum of History of Uzbekistan]] the largest museum in the city. It is housed in the ex-Lenin Museum.
*[[Amir Timur Museum]], housed in a building with a brilliant blue dome and ornate interior. It houses exhibits of [[Timur]] and of President [[Islam Karimov]]. To adjacent south of the museum is [[Amir Timur Square]] where there is a statue of Timur on horseback, surrounded by some of the nicest gardens and fountains in the city.
*Navoi Literary Museum, commemorating Uzbekistan's adopted literary hero, [[Alisher Navoi]], with replica manuscripts, [[Islamic calligraphy]] and 15th century [[Portrait miniature|miniature paintings]].
*The [[Tashkent Metro]] is known for extravagant design and architecture in the buildings. Taking photos in the system was banned until 2018.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/destinations/asia/uzbekistan/pictures-tashkent-metro-underground/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181002222900/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/destinations/asia/uzbekistan/pictures-tashkent-metro-underground/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=2 October 2018 |title=Inside Uzbekistan's beautiful, rarely-seen metro |date=2 October 2018 |work=National Geographic}}</ref>

The Russian Orthodox church in Amir Temur Square, built in 1898, was demolished in 2009. The building had not been allowed to be used for religious purposes since the 1920s due to the anti-religious campaign conducted across the former Soviet Union by the Bolshevik (communist) government in Moscow. During the Soviet period, the building was used for different non-religious purposes; after independence, it was a bank.

Tashkent also has a World War II memorial park and a Defender of Motherland monument.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tashkent's central park is history |url=http://www.uznews.net/news_single.php?lng=en&sub=&cid=8&nid=12165 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221203184955/http://www.uznews.net/news_single.php?lng=en&sub=&cid=8&nid=12165 |archive-date=3 December 2022 |access-date=2025-05-18 |website=www.uznews.net |language=en |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Ferghana.ru, МИД России указал послу Узбекистана на обеспокоенность «Наших» |trans-title=Ferghana.ru, The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed concern to the Ambassador of Uzbekistan about "Nashikh" (likely referring to a group or issue named "Our People"). |url=http://www.ferghana.ru/news.php?id=13819&mode=snews |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100125040704/http://www.ferghana.ru/news.php?id=13819 |archive-date=25 January 2010 |access-date=2025-05-18 |website=www.ferghana.ru |language=en}}</ref>

==Education==

Most important scientific institutions of Uzbekistan, such as the [[Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan]], are located in Tashkent. There are several universities and institutions of higher education:
*Amity University in Tashkent
*[[New Uzbekistan University]]
*Tashkent State Pedagogical University
*[[TEAM University Tashkent|TEAM University]]
*The Branch of the Russian State University of Oil and Gas (NRU) named after I.M. Gubkin
*[[Tashkent Automobile and Road Construction Institute]]
*[[Tashkent State Technical University]]
*Tashkent Institute of Architecture and Construction
*[[Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Melioration]]
*International Business School Kelajak Ilmi
*[[Tashkent University of Information Technologies]]
*[[Westminster International University in Tashkent]]
*[[Turin Polytechnic University in Tashkent]]
*[[National University of Uzbekistan]]
*[[University of World Economy and Diplomacy]]
*[[Tashkent State Economic University]]
*[[Tashkent State Institute of Law]]
*[[Tashkent Financial Institute]]
*State Conservatory of Uzbekistan
*Tashkent Pediatric Medical Institute
*Tashkent State Medicine Academy
*[[Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies]]
*Tashkent Islamic University
*British Management University in Tashkent
*[[Management Development Institute of Singapore in Tashkent]]
*Tashkent Institute of Textile and Light Industry
*[[Tashkent Institute of Railway Transport Engineers]]
*National Institute of Arts and Design named after Kamaleddin Bekhzod
*[[Inha University Tashkent]]
*[[Uzbekistan State University of World Languages]]
*Central Asian University
*Webster University in Tashkent
*[[TPCIT|Tashkent Professional College of Information Technologies]]
*Nordic International University

==Media==
*Nine [[Uzbek language]] newspapers, four in English, and nine in Russian.
*Several television and cable television facilities, including [[Tashkent Tower]], the second [[List of tallest structures in Central Asia|tallest structure in Central Asia]].
*Moreover, there are digital broadcasting systems available in Tashkent which is unique in [[Central Asia]].

==Transportation==
[[File:Hamid Olimjon station.jpg|thumb|Inside a Tashkent Metro station]]
*[[Tashkent Metro]]
*[[Tashkent International Airport]] is the largest in the country, connecting the city to Asia, Europe and North America.
*[[Tashkent–Samarkand high-speed rail line]]
*Trolleybus system discontinued in 2010.
*[[Trams in Tashkent|Tram transport]] discontinued on 1 May 2016.

==Entertainment and shopping==
There are several shopping malls in Tashkent. These include Tashkent City Mall, Next and Samarqand Darvoza shopping malls.<ref>''Usbekistan: Entlang der Seidenstraße nach Samarkand, Buchara und Chiwa'' {{ISBN|978-3-89794-390-2}} p. 111</ref>  Most of the malls, including Riviera and Compass mall, were built and are operated by the Tower Management Group.<ref>{{Cite web |title=В Ташкенте открылся новый ТРЦ Compass |trans-title=A new shopping mall, Compass, has opened in Tashkent. |url=https://uznews.uz/posts/22949 |access-date=2022-12-16 |website=uznews.uz |language=ru}}</ref> This is part of the Orient Group of Companies.

The capital's most established theatre is the [[Navoi Theater|Alisher Navoi Theater]], that has regular ballet and opera performances. Ilkhom Theater, founded by Mark Weil in 1976, was the first independent theater in the Soviet Union. The theater still operates in Tashkent and is known for its historical reputation.

==Sport==
[[File:Шацких1.jpg|thumb|[[Maksim Shatskikh]], a striker for the [[Uzbekistan national football team]], is from Tashkent.]] 
[[Association football|Football]] is the most popular sport in Tashkent, with the most prominent football clubs being [[Pakhtakor Tashkent FK]], [[FC Bunyodkor]], and [[PFC Lokomotiv Tashkent]], all three of which compete in the [[Uzbekistan Super League]]. Footballers [[Maksim Shatskikh]], [[Peter Odemwingie]] and [[Vasilis Hatzipanagis]] were born in the city. [[Humo Tashkent]], a professional ice hockey team was established in 2019 with the aim of joining [[Kontinental Hockey League]] (KHL), a top level Eurasian league in future. Humo joined the second-tier [[Supreme Hockey League]] (VHL) for the 2019–20 season. Humo play their games at the [[Humo Ice Dome]]; both the team and arena derive their name from the mythical [[Huma bird]].<ref name="Logo">{{cite web |title=Bird of Happiness – a symbol of the HC HUMO |url=http://uihf.uz/news#tab115 |language=ru |date=22 July 2019 |access-date=9 August 2019 |archive-date=20 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190720112541/http://www.uihf.uz/news#tab115 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Humo Tashkent was a member of the reformed Uzbekistan Ice Hockey League which began play in February 2019.<ref name="Kun.uz">{{cite web |title=Uzbekistan eyes to join International Ice Hockey Federation |url=https://kun.uz/en/news/2019/02/15/uzbekistan-eyes-to-join-international-ice-hockey-federation |language=en |date=15 February 2019 |access-date=28 July 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Zyryanov |first=Konstantin |date=2021-05-12 |title=vn138 |url=https://vn138.ws/ |access-date=2025-05-18 |website=vn138.ws}}</ref> Humo finished in first place at the end of the regular season. Cyclist [[Djamolidine Abdoujaparov]] was born in the city, while tennis player [[Denis Istomin]] was raised there. [[Akgul Amanmuradova]] and [[Iroda Tulyaganova]] are notable female tennis players from Tashkent. Gymnasts [[Alina Kabaeva]] and Israeli Olympian [[Alexander Shatilov]] were also born in the city. Former world champion and Israeli Olympic bronze medalist sprint canoer in the K-1 500 m event [[Michael Kolganov]] was also born in Tashkent.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ko/michael-kolganov-1.html |title=Sports-reference.com |publisher=Sports-reference.com |date=24 October 1974 |access-date=29 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203003447/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ko/michael-kolganov-1.html |archive-date=3 December 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In [[Olympic weightlifting|Weightlifting]], Uzbekistan won the heavyweight class in both the Rio<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Results By Events Old BW |url=https://iwf.sport/results/results-by-events/results-by-events-old-bw/?event_id=362 |access-date=2025-05-18 |language=en-US}}</ref> and Tokyo<ref name=":0" /> [[Olympic Games]]. Tashkent is hosting the 2021 Weightlifting World Championships.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://iwf.sport/event/iwf-world-championships/ |title=IWF World Championships |date=21 November 2021 |website=iwf.sport}}</ref>

==Notable people==
{{Main category|People from Tashkent}}
<!---♦♦♦ Only add a person to this list if they already have their own article on the English Wikipedia ♦♦♦---> 
<!---♦♦♦ Please keep the list in alphabetical order by LAST NAME ♦♦♦--->
[[File:Vladimir Putin at award ceremonies (2018-11-27) 15.jpg|thumb|[[Alisher Usmanov]] with [[Vladimir Putin]].]]
*[[Behzod Abduraimov]], classical pianist
*[[Nodirbek Abdusattorov]], chess grandmaster
*[[Turgun Alimatov]], Uzbek classic music and [[shashmaqam]] player and composer
*[[Natasha Alam]], Uzbekistani–American actress and model
*[[Abdulla Aripov]], politician and [[Prime Minister of Uzbekistan]]
*[[Lola Astanova]], Russian-American pianist
*[[Viktor Bryukhanov]], director of [[Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant]]
*[[Sogdiana Fedorinskaya]], singer and actress
*[[Gʻafur Gʻulom]], poet
*[[Anwar Hanbaba]], Chinese Uzbek educator and politician
*[[Ravshan Irmatov]], football referee
*[[Helena Kagan]], Israeli physician
*[[Arthur Kaliyev]], born in Tashkent raised in [[Staten Island]], [[New York City|New York]], American [[ice hockey]] player for the [[Los Angeles Kings]] of the [[NHL]] 
*[[Rustam Kasimdzhanov]], chess player, former FIDE World Champion
*[[Moshe Kaveh]] (born 1943), Israeli [[physicist]] and former President of [[Bar-Ilan University]]
*[[Vladimir Kozlov]], Ukrainian-American professional wrestler
*[[Varvara Lepchenko]], American professional tennis player
*[[Olena Lytovchenko]], writer
*[[Naima Mahmudova]] Soviet Uzbek doctor and stateswoman (1928-2017)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Махмудова Наима Махмудовна |trans-title=Mahmudova Naima Mahmudovna |url=https://arboblar.uz/ru/people/makhmudova-naima-makhmudovna |access-date=2024-03-17 |website=Arboblar.uz |language=ru}}</ref>
*[[Tohir Malik]], novelist
*[[Boris Mavashev]], Israeli seismologist
*[[Alisher Mirzo]], painter
*[[Eson Kandov]], singer and musician
*[[Abdulla Qodiriy]], writer
*[[Mirjalol Qosimov]], former player and head coach of the [[Uzbekistan national football team]]
*[[Igor Povalyayev]], former professional footballer
*[[Svetlana Radzivil]], high jumper
*[[Artur Rozyyev]], former Russian professional football player
*[[Dilorom Saidaminova]], composer
*[[Tursunoy Saidazimova]], singer
*[[Shakhida Shaimardanova]], composer
*[[Iroda Tulyaganova]], former tennis player
*[[Alisher Usmanov]], born in [[Chust, Uzbekistan|Chust]], spent his childhood in Tashkent
*[[Milana Vayntrub]], American actress and comedian
*[[Rita Volk]], Uzbekistani–American actress
*[[Hakim Karimovich Zaripov]], circus performer
*[[Farrukh Zokirov]], singer
*[[Zulfiya (poet)|Zulfiya]], writer and poet
*[[Sodiq Safoyev]], first deputy chairperson of the Senate of Uzbekistan's Parliament
*[[Ali Hamroyev]], actor, film director, screenwriter, and film producer
*[[Abid Sadykov]], organic chemist, academician, and politician
*[[Behzod Hoshimov]], academic
*[[Umid Iskandarov]], Uzbek actor
*[[Ulugʻbek Qodirov]], actor
*[[Tohir Sodiqov|Tohir Sodiroqov]], singer
*[[Alisher Uzoqov]], actor
* [[Zafar Khashimov]] (born 1968), Uzbekistani businessman
* [[Abdukodir Khusanov]], professional footballer

==Twin towns – sister cities==
{{See also|List_of_twin_towns_and_sister_cities_in_Asia#Uzbekistan|l1=List of twin towns and sister cities in Uzbekistan}}
Tashkent is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |date=2015-11-10 |title=Ну, здравствуй, брат! Города-побратимы Ташкента |trans-title=Hello, brother! Twin cities of Tashkent |url=http://vot.uz/article/2015/11/10/neobratimi%D0%B5-pobratimi |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203081144/http://vot.uz/article/2015/11/10/neobratimi%D0%B5-pobratimi |archive-date=3 February 2016 |access-date=2020-11-15 |website=vot.uz |publisher=The Voice of Tashkent |language=ru}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
*{{flagicon|TUR}} [[Ankara]], Turkey<ref>{{cite web |title=Ankaranın Kardeş Şehirleri |url=https://www.ankara.bel.tr/genel-sekreter/genel-sekreter-yardimcisi-faruk-cinki/dis-liskiler-daire-baskanligi/ankaranin-kardes-sehirleri/ |website=ankara.bel.tr |publisher=Ankara |language=tr |access-date=2020-11-15 |archive-date=25 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025172312/https://www.ankara.bel.tr/genel-sekreter/genel-sekreter-yardimcisi-faruk-cinki/dis-liskiler-daire-baskanligi/ankaranin-kardes-sehirleri/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|TKM}} [[Ashgabat]], Turkmenistan<ref>{{cite web |title=Kostroma is looking for a twin city in Turkmenistan |url=https://orient.tm/en/kostroma-is-looking-for-a-twin-city-in-turkmenistan/ |website=orient.tm |publisher=Orient |date=2020-07-15 |access-date=2020-11-15 |archive-date=12 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112184043/https://orient.tm/en/kostroma-is-looking-for-a-twin-city-in-turkmenistan/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|KAZ}} [[Astana]], Kazakhstan<ref>{{cite web |title=Международный авторитет Астаны повышают города-побратимы |url=https://www.inform.kz/ru/mezhdunarodnyy-avtoritet-astany-povyshayut-goroda-pobratimy_a2927628 |website=inform.kz |publisher=KazInform |language=ru |date=2016-07-06 |access-date=2020-11-30}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Berlin]], Germany
*{{flagicon|KGZ}} [[Bishkek]], Kyrgyzstan
*{{flagicon|EGY}} [[Cairo]], Egypt<ref>{{cite web |title=Brotherhood & Friendship Agreements |url=http://www.cairo.gov.eg/en/Pages/agreements.aspx |website=cairo.gov.eg |publisher=Cairo |access-date=2020-11-15}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|UKR}} [[Dnipro]], Ukraine
*{{flagicon|UKR}} [[Kyiv]], Ukraine
*{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Moscow]], Russia
*{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Nagoya]], Japan
*{{flagicon|LVA}} [[Riga]], Latvia
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Seattle]], United States<ref>{{cite web |last=Long |first=Priscilla |title=Seattle-Tashkent Peace Park in Uzbekistan is dedicated in Tashkent and at Seattle Center on September 12, 1988. |website=HistoryLink.org |date=September 12, 1988 |url=https://historylink.org/File/3595 |access-date=July 22, 2022}}</ref> 
*{{flagicon|KOR}} [[Seoul]], South Korea
*{{flagicon|CHN}} [[Shanghai]], China
*{{flagicon|UKR}} [[Sverdlovsk, Luhansk Oblast|Sverdlovsk]], Ukraine
<!--rest - twinning ended-->
{{div col end}}

==See also==
{{portal|Uzbekistan|Tashkent}}
*[[Gates of Tashkent]]
*[[Tashkent Declaration]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{See also|Timeline of Tashkent#Bibliography|l1=Bibliography of the history of Tashkent}}
*Stronski, Paul, ''Tashkent: Forging a Soviet City, 1930–1966'' (Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh Press, 2010).
*Jeff Sahadeo, ''Russian Colonial Society in Tashkent, 1865–1923'' (Bloomington, IN, Indiana University Press, 2010).

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline}}
*{{Wikivoyage inline}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20081205032020/http://www.east-site.com/pictures-of-tashkent Photos of historical monuments and modern buildings in Tashkent]
*[https://www.flickr.com/photos/bittabola/ Recent photos of Tashkent with comments in English]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20061012013326/http://www.dirn.uz/eng/index.php Disability Information Resource Centre in Tashkent]

{{Districts of Tashkent}}
{{List of Asian capitals by region}}
{{Provinces of Uzbekistan}}
{{Cities in Uzbekistan}}
{{Tashkent Province}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Tashkent| ]]
[[Category:Capitals in Asia]]
[[Category:Cities in Central Asia]]
[[Category:Populated places along the Silk Road]]
[[Category:Populated places in Uzbekistan]]
[[Category:Syr-Darya Oblast]]
[[Category:Populated places established in the 1st millennium BC]]
[[Category:1st-millennium BC establishments]]