Richard AmmonTashkent (meaning ‘Stone City’) is the capital of Uzbekistan with a population of about 2,309,300. Due to its position in Central Asia, Tashkent received Persian, Chinese and Turkic influences in its early history, before Islamisation in the 8th century AD. After destruction by Genghis Khan in 1219, the city was rebuilt and profited from the Silk Road. In 1865 it was conquered by the Russian Empire, and in Soviet times witnessed major growth and demographic changes by forced deportations from throughout the union. Today, as the capital of an independent Uzbekistan, Tashkent retains a multi-ethnic population with ethnic Uzbeks as the majority. (from Wikipedia)
Tashkent city has a wide array of sites, ancient and modern. The city bustles with free enterprise from tiny hole-in-the-wall watch repair shops no bigger than 6’x6′ to enormous international 5-star hotels. It’s all watched over carefully by ‘big brother’ government and its president Islam Karimov who has been in power since 1991.
(See other photo galleries: http://www.globalgayz.com/asia/uzbekistan/)
