The cityscape of modern Central Asia. The politics of urban renewal in Tashkent

At present, no expense is spared for the regeneration of the Uzbek capital; national and international resources are being used to create the skyline of modern Tashkent. Importantly, Timurid (14th century) and Shaybanid (16th century) architectural styles have been used to construct a modern Uzbek identity. Although Samarkand was the main Timurid capital and Bukhara the Shaybanid stronghold, Tashkent has become the emblem of everything that is new and modern in post-Soviet Uzbekistan. Like an architectural palimpsest, the Timurid and Shaybanid past is used to define the present political and religious agenda of independent Uzbekistan.

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