Mirzo ulug’bek nomidagi o’zbekiston milliy universiteti jurnalistika fakulteti 2-kurs magistri yo’ldosheva kamolaning ingliz tilidan tayyorlagan taqdimoti

In 1991, after collapsion of Soviet Union, Uzbekistan declared itself as an independent state with its capital in Tashkent.

As one walks around the city, there are remnants of the Soviet past all around. Some of the emblems and statues were changed, the Soviet ones now in museum archives, replaced with ones that represent the new nation. For example, near the President’s ‘White House’, is a former Soviet pillar that had an emblem of the USSR with a statue of Lenin on top. Lenin has been replaced with a beautiful bronze globe with a relief of Uzbekistan in the center, indicating that no one from the outside should interfere with Uzbekistan. (A lesson I sincerely wish our politicians would learn – no country, whether it is Syria, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan or the U.S. wants anyone to interfere in their business. We are not the world’s policemen!) In place of the emblem is a statue of ‘The Happy Mother’ with a baby in her lap.

This Madonna-like image has nothing to do with Christianity, it actually comes from a VI C BCE amulet that is in the History museum. (Yep, the goddess does survive!!!) There is also the emblem that is on the flag with its wheat and cotton shafts indicating the wealth of the nation, the 8 pointed star for the 8 heavens in Islam, the crescent moon and 5 pointed star for the 5 Pillars of Islam, the sun, and valley between two rivers representing the geography of the country between the Amudarya and Srydaria Rivers, a rising Phoenix with the text in Cyrillic that states “Uzbekistan. ‘The Happy Mother‘ represents the culmination of the new country with its new beginnings, whereas ‘The Sorrowful Mother’ is the main figure by the Commemorative Walls dedicated to those who fought and died in wars ordered by the Soviets.
The Sorrowful Mother looks down thinking about her lost children whose names are engraved on hundreds of bronze tablets lining two terraced walls. The contrast between ‘The Sorrowful Mother’ whose children had no freedom and ‘The Happy Mother” is a continuation of Soviet art propaganda, but an effective one. The Commemorative Walls are impressive and I was stunned to find a number of Rodins on the Tashkent panels, until reminded that people from all over the Soviet Republic were sent here during the war. My distant Croatian relatives would have been part of this mix. The imagery and symbolism doesn’t stop there though. Perhaps the largest square in the city is Mustakillik and it is graced with an open entrance with three storks, peace, happiness, and rebirth, in the center flying to the sky.
Tashkent was destroyed by an earthquake so there are not too many ancient buildings left standing. In the rebuilt Hasti Imom Complex, which has a number of new and older mosques, medrasahs, minarets and the Islamic University, is a small building that was constructed to house a very special book.
Tashkent is a modern city and while historically it was separate from the Central Uzbekistan metropolises, it truly is the capital city today. The historical museum is very nicely laid out and provides a wonderful introduction to the different eras. I would sincerely recommend starting one’s journey through the country here in the museum, before venturing into the overwhelming richness of Uzbeki monuments as otherwise it is very very easy to be completely confused with strange names and unfamiliar historical events.