Getting Around
Renting a Car and Driving in Uzbekistan
Licences, rental companies, road quality, the methane fuel problem, police checks and the honest question of whether to hire a driver instead.
Author · 223 guides · page 8
Toofan Singh
Culture & History
Being a Guest in an Uzbek Home
Shoes, gifts, where to sit, why your tea bowl is only half full, how much to eat and how to leave. What to do when you are invited in.
Food & Drink
Achichuk and Uzbek Salads
The tomato and onion salad that comes with plov, the Korean carrot on every bazaar counter, and the mayonnaise salads inherited from the Soviet century.
Travel Tips
Uzbekistan Customs Rules: What You Can Bring In and Take Out
Currency declaration thresholds, the certificate you need for anything over 50 years old, medication rules and drones. What to do before you buy a carpet.
Culture & History
The Mahalla: Uzbek Neighbourhood Life
The neighbourhood as an institution: courtyard houses, the committee, weddings and funerals, and how to walk through one without being a nuisance.
Food & Drink
Shurpa and Mastava: Uzbek Soups Explained
The lamb broth, the rice soup, the mung bean porridge and the dumpling soup: what each one is, when Uzbeks eat it and how to order.
Travel Tips
Staying Healthy in Uzbekistan
Water, food hygiene, heat, pharmacies and what medical care is actually like. Practical precautions for a trip, without the scaremongering.
Culture & History
The Doppi: Uzbekistan's Skullcap
The black and white Chust cap, the gold-embroidered Bukharan one, who wears which, what the pepper motif means and how to buy a real one.
Food & Drink
Dimlama: The Slow-Cooked Uzbek Stew
Meat and vegetables layered in a sealed pot and left alone for two hours. What goes in, why the order matters and where to find a good one.
Culture & History
Suzani: Uzbekistan's Embroidered Textiles
Regional styles, what the motifs mean, how to tell hand embroidery from machine work, and what an old piece against a new one should cost.