About Uzbekistan

BBC Unveils the Secrets of Uzbek Cuisine in New Show
02 March 2025
BBC Unveils the Secrets of Uzbek Cuisine in New Show

BBC News has announced an exciting new program titled Discovering the World's Table, focusing on Uzbekistan, set to air on March 1. This show presents a fantastic opportunity for culinary enthusiasts to explore the gastronomic treasures of Uzbekistan and may even inspire them to embark on a journey to experience the country’s unique culture and traditions firsthand.

In this captivating series, culinary writer Nick Kwekis embarks on a gastronomic adventure through Uzbekistan, a nation steeped in the rich heritage of the Great Silk Road, which is currently undergoing significant transformation and development. The program not only highlights the distinctive culinary traditions of the region but also illustrates how the country’s history and culture profoundly influence its local cuisine.

A special emphasis is placed on contemporary chefs who are passionately showcasing Uzbek cuisine on the global stage. Viewers will have the chance to witness the remarkable skills of Samarkand bakers and delve into the fascinating world of various melon varieties that have gained immense popularity worldwide.

This exploration promises to be not just a feast for the senses but also an enlightening journey into the heart of Uzbekistan’s culinary landscape, revealing the stories and traditions that make its cuisine truly unique.

More news about Uzbekistan
Discovering Uzbekistan: Spring Travel Destinations You Can't Miss

As spring unfolds in Uzbekistan, there’s a noticeable surge in interest towards domestic tourism. Kursiv Uzbekistan has curated a list of lesser-known yet equally captivating travel destinations that are worth a visit this season.

28 February 2025
Reviving Tradition: The Vibrant Festival of Chakan in Tajikistan

Celebrating Heritage: The 'Hundred Flowers of Chakan' Festival in Khatlon

26 February 2025
Samarkand, Bukhara, and Tashkent: Leaders in Domestic Tourism in Uzbekistan

Uzbek tourists name Samarkand, Bukhara, and Tashkent as their favourite tourist destinations

25 February 2025
Did you know?

Uzbekistan is one of only two countries in the world to be ‘double landlocked’ (landlocked and totally surrounded by other landlocked countries). Liechtenstein is double landlocked by 2 countries whilst Uzbekistan is surrounded by 5!

Did you know that Uzbekistan lies in the very heart of Eurasia, the coordinates for Uzbekistan are 41.0000° N, 69.0000°

Uzbekistan is home to the Muruntan gold mine, one of the largest open pit gold mines in the world! The country has 4th largest reserves of gold in the world after South Africa, USA and Russia

Uzbekistan is the world capital of melons. They have in excess of 150 different varieties, which form a staple part of the local diet, served fresh in the summer and eaten dried through the winter.

It is Uzbek tradition that the most respected guest be seated farthest from the house’s entrance.

Tashkent’s metro features chandeliers, marble pillars and ceilings, granite, and engraved metal. It has been called one of the most beautiful train stations in the world.

The Uzbek master chef is able to cook in just one caldron enough plov to serve a thousand men.

When you are a host to someone, it is your duty to fill their cups with for the whole time they are with you.  What you must not do, however, is to fill their cup more than half-full.  If you do that as a mistake, say it is a mistake immediately.  Doing it means you want them to leave.  Wow!  Amazing, right?

To Uzbeks, respect means a whole lot.  For this reason they love it if, even as foreigners, you endeavour to add the respectful suffix opa after a woman's name; and aka after a man's.  Example: Linda-opa and David-aka.  You could also use hon and jon respectively.

Having been an historic crossroads for centuries as part of various ancient empires, Uzbekistan’s food is very eclectic. It has its roots in Iranian, Arab, Indian, Russian and Chinese cuisine.

Though identified with the Persia, the Zoroastrism probably originated in Bactria or Sogdiana. Many distinguished scholars share an opinion that Zoroastrianism had originated in the ancient Khorezm. Indeed, today in the world there were found 63 Zoroastrian monuments, including those in Iran, India, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Thirty-eight of them are in Uzbekistan, whereas 17 of these monuments are located in Khorezm.

One of Islam's most sacred relics - the world's oldest Koran that was compiled in Medina by Othman, the third caliph or Muslim leader, is kept in Tashkent. It was completed in the year 651, only 19 years after Muhammad's death. 

Tashkent is the only megapolis in the world where public transport is totally comprised of Mercedes buses. And due to low urban air polution it is one of the few cities where one can still see the stars in the sky.

You would be surprised to know that modern TV was born in Tashkent. No joke! The picture of moving objects was transmitted by radio first time in the world in Tashkent on 26 of July 1928 by inventors B.P. Grabovsky and I.F. Belansky.

Uzbekistan is the only country in the world all of whose neighbours have their names ending in STAN. This is also the only country in Central Asia that borders all of the countries of this region

Uzbeks are the third populous Turkik ethnicity in the world after Turks and Azeris (leaving both in Azerbaijan and Iran)

Did you know that there was silk money in Khiva? Super interesting right? Of course, but the best part of having silk money was that it could be sewn into your clothing.

Famous Islamic physician Ibn Sina (Avicenna in the Latin world) who was born near Bukhara was the one of the first people to advocate using women’s hair as suture material – about 1400 years ago.

Uzbekistan has a long and bloody history. The most notorious leader of Uzbekistan was Timur (or Tamerlane) who claimed descent from Genghis Khan. His military campaigns have been credited for wiping out some 5% of the world’s population at the time.

If you have thought that some of the Islamic architecture in Uzbekistan resembles that from Northern India, then that is because Timur’s great great great Grandson, Babur Beg, was the founder of the Moghul Empire that ruled much of India for almost four centuries! Babur’s great great Grandson was Shah Jahan, who built the Taj Mahal.

Uzbekistan was once a rum producig country. There is still a real arboretum in Denau (city near Termez on the border with Afghanistan), grown from a selection station that studied the prospects of plant growing in the unusual for the Soviet Union subtropical climate of Surkhandarya region: only here in the whole of the USSR sugar cane was grown and even rum was produced!

Uzbekistan has been ranked one of the safest countries in the world, according to a new global poll. The annual Gallup Global Law and Order asked if people felt safe walking at night and whether they had been victims of crime. The survey placed Uzbekistan 5th out of 135 countries, while the UK was 21st and the US 35th. Top five safest countries:

  • Singapore
  • Norway
  • Iceland
  • Finland
  • Uzbekistan
Exchange rates
100 RUR
15354.36 UZS
100 USD
1292936.54 UZS
100 EUR
1412645.23 UZS
100 GBP
1674094.59 UZS
Weather in cities
Tashkent
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Samarkand
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