Most visitors land in Tashkent and use it as a first taste of the country before heading to the Silk Road cities. The city was largely rebuilt after a 1966 earthquake, which is why its centre feels distinctly Soviet-modernist — broad boulevards, monumental squares and mosaic-covered public buildings.
Away from the government quarter, the Chorsu district keeps an older, denser texture: a domed bazaar, narrow lanes and some of the city's oldest surviving madrasahs. A day here pairs well with a ride on the metro itself, where several stations were built as ornate public halls rather than plain transit stops.