At 5.22 in the morning on 26 April 1966, an earthquake struck the old city of Tashkent and flattened much of it. Within days, architects and engineers from across the Soviet Union arrived to rebuild, and the capital of Uzbekistan became a showcase for Soviet modernism, with wide avenues, big squares, concrete and glass blocks, and a new kind of public art. The older mud-brick lanes were largely lost, but the new architecture has a boldness of its own, now loved by a younger generation of photographers and architects.
Among the best-known buildings are the Chorsu Bazaar, with its giant green dome, and the Hotel Uzbekistan, a huge slab with a grid of windows and a mosaic frieze. The Palace of Peoples' Friendship has a sharp, theatrical outline, and the circus, shaped like a flying saucer, is a favourite of local children. The metro, opened in 1977, is a museum in itself, with each station decorated with different mosaics, chandeliers and carved marble. The Kosmonavtlar station, with its portraits of cosmonauts against a blue background, is the best known, and, once a place where photography was forbidden, it can now be photographed freely.
Tashkent is a city of about two million, flat, leafy and sprawling, with a wide road network that makes it simple to ride, but with drivers who can be erratic, and an official eye on speed limits. Wide boulevards, shaded by plane trees, run in straight lines, and the traffic can be heavy at rush hour. Lanes are sometimes ignored, and trams and buses often stop without warning, so ride defensively. Fuel can occasionally be limited, since many vehicles run on compressed natural gas, so check that your bike's fuel is available at the stations you pass. The best seasons are April to June and September to October, since summers are very hot and winters can be cold and grey.
Outside the city, the Chimgan mountains, about ninety kilometres away, offer cool air and views of the western Tian Shan, and the road there climbs through orchards and foothills. Back in town, try plov, the national dish of rice, lamb and carrots, served at midday in huge cauldrons, and take a flat bread warm from a clay oven.