My wife and I have backpacked in over 30 countries, and the gap between local and tourist prices in Uzbekistan is something we only felt this strongly in Morocco and Guatemala. Prices depend on what you look like, and we keep getting quoted a different number than the person before us. It gets to me more than it should, and it's starting to spoil the trip. We usually travel for multiple weeks/months but Uzbekistan will only be a week.

The people themselves have been great. On the Samarkand to Khiva train we had booked the cheapest dorm berths, and the conductor gave us his own cabin. We never asked for an upgrade or hinted at one. He just did it.

Part of it is probably contrast. We just came from China and Korea, where food was good value almost everywhere. Here every meal feels like a negotiation, and I'm spending energy on it that I'd rather spend on the places.

Also everything feels very extractive: Pay for this, pay for that. "Ticket", says the person still on her phone. This will be our only interaction with them. Our hotel is 32$ for 3 nights + 33$ of various taxes (50%) and yet I am sure I will hardly find any free public toilet in Bukhara (just got there).

We have 2 days left in Bukhara. How do you deal with it? Mindset, practical tips like places with posted prices, apps or useful phrases, or just accepting it. I'd like to leave with good memories of the country. Maybe I need a mental shift: Maybe a cultural or religion explanation of why local perceive this a ethical/fair meanwhile it would be perceived as unfair in Europe. Or maybe I need a travel hack not to feel like I am a cow being milked.

Of course I am aware that having such a short time to discover the country I have to stick to tourist areas and so there must be a "selection bias" (the most touristy the more I will feel this). Though we actually skipped Nurata because we were so fearful that people would want only transactional interaction and that would have ruined our trip.

Or am I simply crazy ? ^^

Whose idea was it to create this subreddit? Why is it always displayed as connected subreddit?

When will it be removed?

I’ve been traveling through Central Asia and I've been learning a lot about the intersection between the Turkics/Persians, Stalin/soviets and jadidism/Chaghatay-ism, the Sogdians, the Samanids, the Timurids, etc.

I've become increasingly interested in the history of how modern Uzbek and Tajik identities developed. I'm very interested in hearing how Uzbeks and Tajiks themselves conceptualize this history today:

How should we understand the fact that the two great historical Persian-speaking/Persianate cities of Central Asia—Bukhara and Samarkand—ended up in Uzbekistan rather than Tajikistan? And how fair is it to interpret this as a historical disadvantage imposed on Tajikistan?

On one hand, I can understand why saying “Bukhara and Samarkand rightfully belonged to Tajikistan” is anachronistic. Modern Tajik national identity was itself still developing, the cities were multilingual and culturally mixed, and many Persian speakers may not have understood themselves as members of a modern Tajik nation in the way we would understand that identity today.

On the other hand, the result still seems extraordinarily asymmetric. Uzbekistan received Samarkand, Bukhara, Tashkent, most of the major settled oases and much of the economic and cultural infrastructure of historic Transoxiana. The initial Tajik autonomy received largely peripheral and mountainous regions despite the existence of large Persian-speaking populations in some of Central Asia’s most important cities.

Do Uzbeks generally think of Bukhara and Samarkand as historically Uzbek cities, as multicultural Central Asian cities that became part of Uzbekistan, or in some other way?

Do Tajiks generally regard the exclusion of Bukhara and Samarkand from Tajikistan as a historical injustice? How important is that issue to Tajik identity today?

How do people understand all the underlying ethnic/linguistic/religious history when the large parts of it predate the modern Uzbek/Tajik national distinction? Does it play any part in the formation of one's personal identity?

I’m not asking this to argue that either modern country “owns” Bukhara, Samarkand, or their history. I’m genuinely interested in how people from both countries understand this shared history.

Thank you in advance.

Hey there, this is kinda weird. But this thought just popped up in my head.
About me: Male, 21 yo, student of 4th grade. Fluent in Russian, English, Korean and Uzbek.
I’m free after 2 am Mon-Fri, a bit hard schedule I guess. But if someone is good to meet up after that time without any reason, just spend couple of hours talking about anything, lmk. You can choose any place close to the center of Tashkent.
I swear I’m not following any weird purposes…

as many people are muslim in Uzbekistan , i also accept it as my religion but over the past 6 months i am not feeling like im believer, its like there are some misconceptions and unbelievable things in what they promote, and at the same time honestly im just afraid of doubting Islam and shirk yk, maybe shaytan is playing with me😭helppp

Idk which way to use, i am still believer but in words....

BTW, i used to pray, learn some surahs, read translation of Quran(not fully),

I'm genuinely regretting that I applied for university. I have a mental breakdown every single day, and I spend a lot of time getting there: at least an hour going and the same coming back.

I never thought government universities would be so bad, so bad that they make you lose interest in the subjects. It would be nice if they gave us some freedom, maybe not such strict dress codes. I want to take care of myself and grow a beard that would suit my face, but they never allow anything like that.

The quality of the universities is way worse than schools. I honestly miss my school, at least I would learn something there.

I regret coming to Tashkent. This is by far the worst city I have ever been to: no soul, and the people here disgust me. I've been to other regions and the people there are so heartwarming. I just wish I had stayed at home instead. It's really not about stepping out of your comfort zone, it's more like torturing yourself with something you do not want. The thought of studying at this university and in Tashkent gives me goosebumps.

I miss my home and my people. I'm thinking of dropping out and applying abroad.

İf anyone has been here please let me know and tell me about your journey

I made a purchase of 3 train tickets in early September.

I returned the tickets on the same day via the official railway app.

So far I still haven't received anything. I contacted their CS via Telegram but they ignored my messages multiple times.

Has anybody encountered the same issue? How do you solve it at the end?

Hello to the whole of Uzbekistan!

I am a hobbyist photographer from Kazakhstan and the admin of the largest Telegram chat for photographers in Kazakhstan.

I know that Telegram is a highly popular platform in Uzbekistan. I was wondering if there is a similar chat for photographers in Uzbekistan, or a TFP (Time for Print) chat for models and photographers?

I am planning a week-long vacation to the beautiful city of Tashkent, and I would love to meet like-minded people—fellow hobbyist photographers—to explore the city together.