Uzbekistan - Usbekistan

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Short dates
Capital	Tashkent
Form of government	republic
currency	Uzbekistan Sum (UZS)
surface	447,400 km²
population	33.3 million (12/2018)
languages	Uzbek 74.3%, Russian 14.2%, Tajik 4.4%, other 7.1%
Religions	Muslim 88% (mostly Sunnis), Orthodox 9%, others 3%
power grid	220 V / 50 Hz
Phone code	998
Internet TLD	.uz
Time zone	CET 4h

Uzbekistan located in Central Asia. The country lies on the historic Silk Road and has a myriad of cultural and architectural treasures. Desert cities like from the Arabian Nights, great mosques and madrasas (Koran schools) from the Middle Ages, old handicrafts and lively cities beckon. The cities are characterized by a mixture of medieval buildings, Soviet concrete plants and modern Uzbek / Islamic structures. Uzbekistan offers wide deserts and steppes in the west, high mountains and fertile landscapes in the east. The country borders Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan.

Regions

Uzbekistan is administratively divided into twelve regions and the autonomous republic Karakalpakstan. From a touristic point of view, these regions are of little importance, you can orientate yourself on the following regions:

• Northern Uzbekistan is characterized by deserts and wide steppes. In the region is the autonomous republic of Karalpakstan, the dried up Aral Sea and the oasis city Khiva.
• Bukhara and Samarkand is the historical heartland directly on the Silk Road with the two cities Bukhara and Samarkand
• Central Uzbekistan is today the political and economic center around Tashkent
• Southern Uzbekistan is a bit off the beaten track. The main city of the mountainous region is Termiz
• Fergana Valley is the most densely populated region of Uzbekistan and the country's granary and fruit store.

Cities

• 41.369.2666666666671 Tashkent - is the capital of Uzbekistan and with 2.5 million inhabitants also the largest city in the country. Unfortunately, a great deal of the historical substance was destroyed in an earthquake in 1966. There are splendid communist buildings from the Soviet era, and since independence there have been increasing attempts to give the buildings an Uzbek architectural style.
• 42.46472222222259.6022222222222 Nukus - is a model city of Soviet urban planning with wide streets, large squares and residential complexes. The city is also the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Karakalpakstan. The city is known beyond the borders of Uzbekistan for the art museum, which contains an exclusive collection of Russian avant-garde artists who lived in exile in Uzbekistan.
• 41.37833333333360.3638888888893 Khiva - is an old oasis town like from "A Thousand and One Nights" and has a car-free, largely intact old town with countless mosques and madrasas.
• 39.65416666666766.9597222222224 Samarkand - offers world-class architectural gems from the time of the Timurids, above all the Registan, a square with three large madrasas spread over the city.
• 39.77472222222264.4286111111115 Bukhara - Like Khiva, it is a historical oasis city with over 140 monuments. The city is considered one of the oldest in Central Asia.
• 37.22416666666767.2783333333336 Termiz - is the southernmost city of Uzbekistan on the border with Afghanistan. The city is particularly notable for its Buddhist heritage.

Other goals

• Moynaq was once a large fishing town on the Aral Sea and is now about 80 kilometers from the shore in the middle of a desert. Today the city exudes a rather morbid charm with its closed canning factories and the shipwrecks in the sand.
• Shahrisabz is about 80 kilometers south of Samarkand. Here was Timur Lenks Born and the main attraction today are the last remains of his once magnificent summer palace.
• The Fergana Valley lies in the east of the country and is the most densely populated region of Uzbekistan. The valley forms almost an enclave between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan and is a haven for Uzbek handicrafts (silk production and ceramics) and agricultural production (fruit, wine). Enclosed by high mountain ranges, the valley offers a milder climate than the rest of Uzbekistan and was a health resort during the Tsarist era.
• The desert fortresses in the Kisilkum Desert, which are up to 2,000 years old, e.g. Ayaz Kala and Toprak Kala
• Nurota between Navoiy and the Ayadarkolsee has, among other things, a fortress that Alexander the Great is said to have built and a holy spring.

background

The country of Uzbekistan is geographically divided into two parts: while the west largely consists of an inhospitable steppe landscape, all major cities including the capital Tashkent are located in the foothills of the Pamir Mountains in the east. The extremely complicated delineation as a legacy of the Soviet era causes major problems there to this day, because many of the traffic routes built during the Soviet era sometimes cross state borders several times and are therefore hardly usable.

Uzbekistan is located on the historic Silk Road from Europe to China and has a rich cultural heritage. Changing foreign rule, first the Arabs, then the Mongols dominate the history of the country. Due to their location far inland, the Uzbek states were hardly able to reconnect with the old prosperity, so that the country had to surrender to the Russians in the 19th century and became a Russian protectorate. With the proclamation of the USSR, Uzbekistan was also formally incorporated.

The USSR decided to settle the extremely water-intensive cotton industry in Uzbekistan and diverted several tributaries of the Aral Sea to irrigate the cotton plantations. The subsequent drying up of the Aral Sea is one of the greatest environmental disasters in modern human history.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Uzbekistan declared itself independent. One of the most corrupt dictatorships on earth emerged, in which opposition members are suppressed with extreme violence; freedom of expression is in fact not possible. The Soviet planned economy was never seriously reformed, all relevant branches of the economy are still in state hands, high punitive tariffs keep annoying competition away from abroad. The entire wealth of the country flows into the private treasury of the president, none of it reaches the people.

getting there

Uzbek tourist visa (2014).

Entry requirements

Since January 15, 2019, all citizens of the EU or EFTA (Liechtenstein citizens from February 1, 2019) can enter the country without a visa for up to 30 days.

Otherwise, travelers who want to stay longer than a month (or business travelers) still need a visa. Such a visa must still be applied for at the embassies or consulates in Berlin (responsible for Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Lower Saxony, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Thuringia and Switzerland), Frankfurt (responsible for Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland) or ViennaThe fees are staggered according to the planned length of stay: up to 3 months € 100 € 10 per additional entry; Business travelers, multiple up to 6 months € 170.
It should be noted that the visas for entry and exit are issued between certain days. You can enter or leave the country after the first day and before the last day of validity, but otherwise you are limited to these days. It is therefore advisable to apply for an extra two to three days as security in the event that a flight is canceled or a bus does not run.
Since July 1, 2018 a eVisa system in operation for nationals of those countries that are subject to the simplified application procedure. At the beginning of 2019, Albania is the only European country remaining on this list.

In the neighboring countries of Central Asia, it is possible for travelers who come overland to apply, but difficult without at least knowledge of Russian. Almost everywhere, an appointment is mandatory the day before at the latest before the interview. It should be noted that multiple visas can be obtained in Germany without any problems, which does not always seem to be the case in third countries.

Registration

On-site registration within three days of arrival remains unaffected by the abolition of the visa requirement. In Uzbekistan, every hotel is registered with the militia. A receipt is issued for each of these, the receipts must be presented when leaving the country. If these certificates are missing or there are gaps in the registration, the minimum fine according to the German Foreign Office is € 700. In practice, however, these are not necessarily checked upon departure.
If you live privately, which was not welcome until March 1, 2019, you have to take care of the registration within 3 days. This has also been possible since 2018 on-line (usb., russian, engl.) to be done.

inch

Upon entry, a Customs declaration must be filled out in duplicate using the foreign currency carried. You get a copy back stamped. When leaving the country, another declaration must be submitted and the two copies are compared. The cash carried on departure may not exceed that of entry. The customs declaration should be filled out extremely precisely, even deviations of a few euros can lead to high fines. Not all land border crossings have customs forms in Latin script ready, therefore Form for printing. The controls can be very finicky, books are also checked for subversive or Islamist content. At smaller border posts it often happens that all photos are examined on digital cameras or notebooks. In order to pass land border points in the Ferghana Valley (including the exclaves) you should plan 2-3 hours for entry and exit. It is still unclear to what extent the procedure will affect the customs officers as part of the entry simplifications that have been introduced since the arch-conservative secret service chief Rustam Inoyatov was dismissed.

By plane

The only direct flights from Germany are offered by Uzbekistan Airways, which fly three times a week in summer and twice a week in winter from Frankfurt am Main to the capital's airport in Tashkent. The flight time is approx. 6 hours. Other options are to travel with Turkish Airlines via Istanbul or Aeroflot via Moscow. A longer transit time must be taken into account for this.

Some group travel providers also fly directly to Uzbekistan with charter planes. Often the domestic flight is then omitted, as the groups are dropped off or picked up at the start and end point of the trip by fork flight.

By train

There are direct rail connections from the north from Almaty and from the west from Aktau or Ayrau about legs There are also direct trains from St. Petersburg and Moscow, but the travel time here is several days. Train schedule and Price information (Russian) A trip from Tashkent to Moscow in 2014 cost 708,000 to 1,150,000 So'm (235 to 385 € according to the official exchange rate).

Domestic trains carry classes I: CВ, II: Купе (Coupe), III: Плацкарт ("Platzkart"), IV: Общий ("general"), whereby the first class costs about five times the wooden bench class. International connections only lead the first three classes. For the high-speed trains Afrosiyob (№ 762/760) as well as № 2, 8, 10, 70 connecting the big cities, different classes and prices apply.

In the street

There are three more theoretical arrival routes by car:

1) from Central Europe to Saratov and then into Kazakhstan at Oral and on via Aktöbe and Kyzylorda to Schimkent and Tashkent.

2) as above, but from Oral to Atyrau - Beyneu. From there over (on the Uzbek side) bad road to Nukus or Moynaq.

3) Alternative for the adventurous: if you have an Iranian and a Turkmen visa, you can also use Istanbul, Tehran, Mashhad and Ashgabat arrive. For Iran is a Carnet of passage necessary.

You can also from Kyrgyzstan Osh to Andijanto enter. You can apply for a visa in Bishkek can be issued, whereby no visa is required for Kyrgyzstan. From Afghanistan you can cross the Hairatan Bridge (at Mazar-e-Sharif) to Termiz enter, this is usually done by bus / taxi from / to the border, the border is crossed on foot.

mobility

Registan Square in Samarkand

By plane

Since Uzbekistan stretches over 1,200 kilometers in width and the road network often prevents rapid progress, a Domestic flight, to save a lot of time. You usually fly between Tashkent and Nukus or Urgench. The flights can be booked more cheaply directly on site. However, you should definitely have the flight reconfirmed, as the flight times can be changed at short notice.

Rental car

Rental cars in Uzbekistan are only available with a driver. Renting a car and driving it yourself is not possible.

taxi

If you don't want to get involved in the adventure of a rental car, you can get it for little money taxi drive across the country. The prices for the trip should be negotiated in advance. The shared taxis are very cheap (Marshrutkas) which depart from central squares in the cities. To the east of Bukhara, the roads are sometimes very bad, which increases both travel times and prices.

By train

There is at least one daily train connection between all major cities. The train is relatively slow, but comfortable and cheap. Two express trains run daily between Samarkand and Tashkent and cover the distance in 3½ hours. A trip costs around 24,000 summer mornings (September 2011). A security check must always be passed before entering the actual train station. Ticket offices are usually outside the protected area. In cities where the train station is far away, e.g. B. Samarkand, there are inner-city booking offices of the railway company (free of charge).

language

The official language is Uzbek, a Turkic language. A lot of Russian is also spoken. If you travel on your own, you should at least have a basic knowledge of Russian, as you won't get very far outside of Tashkent with English or German. In the Samarkand and Bukhara area, the population also speaks Tajik (Persian).

Even though the Cyrillic alphabet has been officially replaced by Latin for many years, the population still predominantly uses Cyrillic. It is definitely a good idea to learn the letters.

to buy

You can buy silk scarves and fabrics as well as oriental carpets (Bukhara), as well as traditional pottery and hand-forged or hammered metal goods.

currency

Official exchange rate at the beginning of June 2018: 1 € = 9300 S.
The street rate in July 2020 was 10,000 per dollar and 11,000 per euro.

The currency is the Uzbek So'm. The largest note had the denomination of 1000 S until 2014 (end of 2014 = € 0.25). The new president carried out a reform at the beginning of 2017, so that there is now the largest note with 50,000 S. Practically all payments are made in bundles of 5,000 and 1,000 S. notes, 500 and 200 are given as change, coins do not run around. The rate in official exchange offices adapted to the black market rate, at times it was even worse. In the few official exchange offices all common currencies can be exchanged, on the street it is more difficult with currencies other than dollars and euros.

In general, it is advisable to bring enough cash, preferably US dollars, and to exchange it officially in the country. You can also find dealers in tourist places, but mostly with much worse rates. Black market trading is illegal in principle, but is generally tolerated. It can be assumed that two or three notes are missing from the bundles of 100 notes. Repeated counting is therefore advisable. Locals actively use the free exchange and the presence of police officers is not an obstacle. Often you can also change in hotels.

Larger hotels sometimes have ATMs that can be used to withdraw US dollars with a Mastercard. With the Visa Card you can only get National Bank of Uzbekistan (NBU) US dollars at the counter.

Hotels can no longer be officially paid for in dollars or euros since 2012.

US dollars or euros can be sent to Uzbekistan relatively easily and quickly using international payment services such as MoneyGram or Western Union. The opposite way out of the country is considerably more difficult and regulated.

kitchen

Uzbek cuisine is closely related to that of neighboring countries. Common dishes are:

• Plov(Pilaf) - A rice dish with carrots, chickpeas and fried meat. Plov is cooked outside in a kazan (a huge pot made of cast aluminum) under fire.
• Lagman - A kind of spaetzle that are very long (longer than spaghetti), usually with vegetables, fried meat in a soup.
• shashlik - grilled minced meat or pieces on a skewer with onions and vinegar.

• 

  Plov

• 

  Cooked lagman noodles and lagman dish

• 

  shashlik

• Somsa - Dumplings baked in a clay oven, filled with minced meat and onions, potatoes or inner rings.
• Kasy - A horse sausage.

• 

  Somsa in the clay oven

In addition, Uzbekistan is known for its excellent fruits and vegetables. For example, the different types of melons are recommended in summer.

Stay

Private overnight stays are officially prohibited for tourists. Hotels and registered accommodations are obliged to hand over registration certificates. The rule applies that the first certificate must come from the third day after arrival in a province at the latest. You have two "travel days" free. This reporting requirement can be difficult to meet, especially for long-distance touring cyclists.

public holidays

security

After the death of long-time dictator Karimov, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has initiated political reforms since 2017, but these are not very extensive. For your own safety, you should continue to heed the advice given (November 14, 2020).

On the one hand, the human rights situation in Uzbekistan is questionable, as demonstrated by some massive human rights violations in recent years. On the other hand, there is a high subjective feeling of security in Uzbekistan, especially for travelers. With the growing prosperity in the new millennium, crime is not a really threatening factor. The extremely high police presence also contributes to this.

The crime rate in Uzbekistan is no higher than in Germany. As almost everywhere, caution is required with large and confusing crowds, e.g. bazaars. You also have to watch out for pickpockets in front of hotels and tourist assembly points. In many cases, foreigners who are identified as such are cheated by taxi drivers and dealers through highly inflated prices.

Long-distance journeys at night are not recommended, long-distance buses are only allowed to run in daylight. The Uzbek militia is corrupt, you can find militia posts almost everywhere, roadblocks are routinely set up at the provincial borders and also on other highways. One should adapt to the mentality here and pay fines, even if these are imposed arbitrarily and for no reason. Brisk demeanor, preferably scolding in a foreign language, often buys the guts from lower ranks when it comes to arbitrary acts. Almost anything can be managed with dollars. For example, the militia posts on the Registan in Samarkand unabashedly offer tourists to take them to the actually closed minaret of the Ulugbek Madrasa for three dollars (as of the end of 2006). In any case, you should always carry your identity documents (passport with visa, important also the confirmation sections of the hotel stay!) With you and, if possible, not give them out of your hand. Often a copy of the pages with the personal data and visa is sufficient.

The Human rights situation in the country is difficult.^[1] Torture and use of force by the state security organs are not only routine for state security crimes (suspicion of Islamism),^[2] Draconian prison sentences. One should avoid making any public statements to locals about the political situation of Karimov's presidential dictatorship, also in order not to get them into trouble.

Due to the so-called Islamist terrorism, Uzbekistan is also assumed to be at risk, which must serve as a justification for an extreme police presence with numerous checkpoints on urban arterial roads. There are occasional tensions between the diverse ethnic groups. In spring 2005, unrest in the Fergana Valley was brutally suppressed (officially 9, in fact at least 400 dead), and several arrested persons were boiled to death.^[2] Relations with neighboring Turkmenistan have been very bad since an attack on President Karimov, and relations with Tajikistan are not good either.

The export of antiques is forbidden, especially with silver jewelry, because everything that was made before 1950 counts as an antique. Attempts to bribe at the customs control at Tashkent Airport are risky, it is best to avoid unsafe purchases. There is a ban on photography at all military facilities, especially border crossings. Means of transport such as the Tashkent metro, railroad and airports are also affected by the photography ban.

Foreign missions

The approximately thirty foreign representations are located in the capital, see the corresponding section.

health

Tap water is not drinkable outside of Tashkent.
More often travelers complain of gastrointestinal problems.

• List of state hospitals

Climate and travel time

Uzbekistan is characterized by a continental climate. Alongside Liechtenstein, it is the only landlocked country in the world that is exclusively surrounded by landlocked states, i.e. countries that have no access to the sea. Therefore it gets very hot in summer (more than 40 ° C) while winters are very cold (down to -40 ° C). The average temperature in Tashkent is -1 degrees in January and 27 degrees in July. The most pleasant travel times are April and May as well as September and October, when the average temperature is around 15 to 20 degrees.

Post and Telecommunications

Postcards that are not written in Russian or Uzbek can only be sent from main post offices, as these are read before sending and there are no translators in smaller post offices. In contrast to other countries in the region, mailing works reliably.

Cellular providers are Beeline and UzCell, the latter offering the best coverage. SIM cards are only officially available to foreigners in the main offices of the companies as a 10-day tourist card. However, it is easy to buy tickets through middlemen. Also, hardly anyone is offended if you speak to them on the street and ask to use their phone. (Payment is declined.)

Internet cafés are only common in cities; they are often used by young people to play. Numerous types of sites, not just those of the opposition, are blocked, including torrents, porn, blogs. Most of the computers do not have a working USB port.

literature

• Cook, Katja; Travel know-how KulturSchock: Uzbekistan; 2010; ISBN 978-3831722020
• Uzbekistan travel guide;⁹2013 (Teschner), 24 general maps and city plans; ISBN 978-3-89794-251-6
• Sorg, G .; Uzbekistan and the Central Asian Republics: Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan; Norderstedt 2007 (BoD); ISBN 978-3833479243
• Andrea Schmitz; The Transformation of Uzbekistan: Strategies and Perspectives;SWP Study 2020 / S 13, July 2020, 36 pages

Web links

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