About Uzbekistan

UNWTO invites Uzbekistan to join a new travel campaign
20 April 2020
UNWTO invites Uzbekistan to join a new travel campaign

UNWTO invites Uzbekistan to take part in the gastronomic campaign, by representing a traditional dish, thus making a special contribution to promoting the #TravelTomorrow campaign. The campaign will involve a large number of countries and travel destinations from all over the world. 

This has been stated in the letter by Zurab Pololikashvili, the Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) addressed to Aziz Abdukhakimov, the Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan, and the Chairman of the State Committee for Tourism Development of Uzbekistan. 

“Gastronomy is much more than just cooking, the same way as tourism is much more than just travelling. I invite you to join the gastronomic campaign by presenting a traditional dish of your country” quoted from the letter. As mentioned by Zurab Pololikashvili, participating in the campaign gives an opportunity to remind the world about the key values that determine the resilience of tourism. This includes discovering various cultures, as well as showing respect to them by protecting the environment, assisting in providing decent jobs and bringing contribution to sustainable development.

According to the UNWTO Secretary General, gastronomic tourism takes a high rank, being a reflection of culture, heritage, traditions, bringing people together. “While millions of people are staying home, we can help them get closer to their dream travel destinations by the tasting local dishes. This is a new project planned by the UNWTO and will launch as part of the #TravelTomorrow campaign”, as mentioned in the letter.

Since tourism is one of the most affected sectors due to the COVID-19 crisis, it is highly important to find resolutions to the occuring problems by uniting together in solidarity, paying particular attention to the human resources of the travel industry. #TravelTomorrow is supposed to launch already at the end of April and aims to reach the above mentioned goals.

This is the second letter addressed to Aziz Abdukhakimov by the UNWTO Secretary General during the pandemic. The first letter contained recommendations on mitigation measures against COVID-19 pandemic effects. This truly shows close and trustworthy relations between the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the State Committee of Uzbekistan for Tourism Development.

The sides are regularly exchanging opinions on mitigation measures of the pandemic consequences on and discussing the matters of development of the further cooperation after the pandemic period. Joining the current campaign is indeed going to be an effective approach to the new tourism concept in the pandemic conditions, as well as in designing new tourism products and services in our country, particularly developing specific types of tourism in the future. 

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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
13540.3 UZS
100 USD
1297193.37 UZS
100 EUR
1343134.25 UZS
100 GBP
1607222.94 UZS
Weather in cities
Tashkent
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Samarkand
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