Birthday run in monumental Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Tashkent, Uzbekistan. 20th September 2024.

In 2024 I celebrated my birthday the best way I could: by running in Tashkent. Discovering a new city very early in the morning, enjoying its wide avenues, parks and monumental buildings with a lot of marble and a Soviet taste. 

TLDR; “too long, didn’t read”

• I just want to run! Take me to RUN.
• I have 1 minute. Take me to USEFUL INFORMATION.
• Running is my excuse for travelling. Take me to TRIP.
• Running is my excuse for eating. Take me to CARBOLOADING.
• I want to know what to read in the plane. Take me to ONE BOOK.

🌍 The trip 📷: What to see in Tashkent in one or two days

Tashkent

Many of Taskhent’s landmarks are described in the “Run” section.

However there is much more to see in the capital city of Uzbekistan. I particulary liked the Teleshayakh Mosque.

As an active place of worship, Teleshayakh Mosque offers a space for Muslims to perform daily prayers and deepen their spiritual connection with God. We saw it first hand: there were hundreds of people outside the Mosque praying!

The mosque houses one of the most important Islamic relics, the Uthman Quran, believed to be one of the earliest copies of the Quran, dating back to the 7th century. We couldn’t take pictures of it, but in my memory I will treasure the image of the book, which was much bigger than what I had expected.

Teleshayakh Mosque, part of Tashkent’s oldest religious complex, embodies the deep-rooted Islamic history of Uzbekistan. The mosque dates back to the 16th century and reflects the country’s longstanding role as a center of Islamic culture and thought.

Chorsu Bazaar

Located in the heart of the old town, Chorsu Bazaar is a bustling, vibrant market that has been a central hub for trade and food in Tashkent for centuries.

Chorsu Bazaar is renowned for its wide selection of fresh, locally grown produce. You’ll find everything from melons, pomegranates, and grapes to tomatoes, onions, and herbs that are staples of Uzbek cuisine.

And another “must” when visiting Tashkent is to take the Metro! It is very monumental, very Soviet-style!

🏃‍♀️ The run 🏃‍♂️

We went running before 8am, but the city was already awake. 

The avenues, some with 8 lanes, were bustling already.

We were staying in the city center and we designed a route of 5 kms to see important landmarks like Amir Timur Square and the zone of the Senate. 

Shahrisabz ko’chasi (Avenue)

We started running in Shahrisabz ko’chasi (Avenue), which turned into Navoiy shoh ko’chasi towards the park where the Administration of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and other official buildings were located.

The avenue is very good for running: wide, flat and with pavement decorated with geographic motifs. 

There were official guards dressed in black with red caps every few meters, and local women with hats to protect them from the sun were cleaning the streets of the falling leaves from the trees. Because there were large trees everywhere, which made running next to such a busy avenue with cars a little better.

The buses were modern, much more modern than those in Bishkek.

Turkistan Concert Hall

We passed by the Turkistan Concert hall with a very monumental soviet architecture: very usual in the whole of Tashkent. 

We were surprised by how many monumental buildings were around, many made of marble: white and red. Super well kept, clean, remodeled. Taskhent looked to us like a rich city. 

We wanted to run in the park which surrounds the Administration of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, but it is not possible: it is forbidden.

However, we ran around it, in Ankhor Park.

And we loved it! It is a beautiful park with lush vegetation (and the guards everywhere). You can see the official buildings in some points, though. Very official and with nothing to distinguish them from other buildings like concert or conference calls, to be honest.

We took some videos and we even saw other runners!

I loved the west part, with fountains decorated with islamic motifs.

In there we saw what we thought were government officials stepping out of black cars, or women dressed like ‘yuppies’ of the 80s: with their hair and their flowery dresses making them look like old Melanie Griffith in “working girl” 🙂

We then headed to Amir Temur Square. 

We crossed parks, empty at that time of the day, and we reached the big statue of Amir Temur, Uzbek hero, where many high school students were taking pictures of the whole class, all looking very formal in their white shirts and black pants. 

Amir Timur Square is the heart of Tashkent and honors one of the most famous figures in Central Asian history, Amir Timur (Tamerlane). Timur was a 14th-century conqueror whose empire stretched across much of Asia. The square has a grand statue of Timur on horseback at its center, surrounded by well-maintained gardens, fountains, and Soviet-era buildings such as the Hotel Uzbekistan. 

We also took some videos in front of the Uzbekistan Hotel, which is massive! In fact it is quite ugly, but in such a colossal way that it makes it interesting.

Yesterday, when we arrived, we saw it was completely illuminated with a billboard… so I was wondering if this is not annoying the guests staying in the rooms facing the neon lights 🙂

Finally, we went back to the hotel, passing by the beatiful State Museum of the Temurids.

All in all, a 6 kilometers super enjoyable run in the morning.

We found Tashkent a very good city for running, as their streets are wide, flat and empty, and there are plenty of parks, as well as the occasional sight to photograph. 

🍜 Carboloading 🍝: What to eat in Uzbekistan if you are a runner

Uzbekistan’s cuisine is known for its hearty and flavorful dishes, many of which are rich in carbohydrates due to the heavy use of grains, rice, and bread.

When it comes to drinking, obviously I opted for green tea.

Tea is widely available – of course, come on, this is the ancient Silk Road -, and there are many opportunities to buy spiced and aromatic tea in the Baazar. 

In restaurants you are normally served a very big kettle of tea if you order it, which is super nice!

And, by the way, we were surprised to see how “lemonade” looked like here. It looked… radioactive!

Roger enjoyed a traditional soup with meatballs, which was nutritious and also tasty, ideal for when the weather is cold:

We also liked meat in skewers, spiced:

We also enjoyed the most renowed dishes, very high in carbohydrates so perfect for carboloading:

1. Plov (Pilaf)

• Ingredients: Rice, lamb or beef, carrots, onions, and sometimes chickpeas or raisins.
• Description: Plov is the national dish of Uzbekistan and is a rice-based dish cooked with meat, carrots, and onions. The rice is the primary source of carbohydrates, making this dish a staple for energy.

2. Manti

• Ingredients: Flour, minced meat (usually lamb or beef), onions, and spices.
• Description: Manti are large steamed dumplings filled with a mixture of meat and onions. The dough, made from flour, provides a significant carbohydrate content.

These dishes are integral to Uzbek cuisine and reflect the country’s reliance on grains and starches as primary energy sources. They are not only filling but also deeply embedded in the cultural and culinary traditions of Uzbekistan.

🏆 5-6 route in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

👟 Urban: bring shoes for asphalt.

✅ Very good route with wide streets and beatiful parks.

✅ You get to see many landmarks of Tashkent in a route of not more than 6-7 kilometers.

“The Devil’s Dance” by Hamid Ismailov

“The Devil’s Dance” is significant as it not only tells a compelling story but also revives the work and life of Abdulla Qodiriy, an important figure in Uzbek literature, making it a must-read for those interested in Uzbekistan’s cultural and historical landscape.