Culture & History
Karakalpakstan's Right to Secede: Article 74, Now Article 89
Uzbekistan's constitution lets Karakalpakstan secede by referendum. What it says, why it moved from Article 74 to 89, and the week it nearly vanished.
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Culture & History
The people, crafts, faith and history behind what you'll see on the ground.
Culture & History
What Is a Mahalla, Legally? From the 1993 Law to Mahalla Seven
The mahalla is a legal body with a chair, state-paid staff and duties from welfare to policing religion. How the law built it, 1993 to the mahalla seven.
Culture & History
Uzbekistan's Jury Trial Pilot: What Starts in November 2026
From November 2026, Tashkent courts are due to try their gravest criminal cases with lay jurors. What the pilot covers, what's still unknown, and why now.
Culture & History
Paying Instead of Serving: Uzbekistan's 28-Day Army Option
Uzbek men can pay seven times the minimum wage and train for 28 days instead of serving a year. How the buyout works, what it costs now, and its roots.
Culture & History
The End of Tashkent's Propiska (October 2025)
How Tashkent's Soviet-rooted residence permit decided where Uzbeks could live, work and school their children, and how a 2025 law finally retired it.
Culture & History
Uzbekistan's Exit Visa: The Last One in the Former USSR
Until 2019 Uzbeks needed an OVIR sticker to travel beyond the former USSR. How the exit visa worked, how it was abused, and how it finally ended.
Culture & History
The Sogdians: The Silk Road's Merchant Civilisation
Who the Sogdians were, what their 313 CE letters and Afrasiyab murals reveal, why they faded, and where to see Sogdian sites in Uzbekistan and Panjikent.
Culture & History
Romanov Palace Tashkent: The Exiled Grand Duke's House
Why a Romanov grand duke was exiled to Tashkent over stolen diamonds, what his 1891 palace became, and whether you can get inside in 2026 (you can't yet).
Culture & History
Fergana Craft Trail: Silk, Ceramics and Knives in 3 Days
A 3-day route linking Chust knives, Margilan silk and Rishtan ceramics: leg distances, the Wed-Thu-Fri order, the Kokand express and packing rules.
Culture & History
Khanate of Kokand: History from 1709 to 1876
The Khanate of Kokand from 1709 to 1876: Ming founders, the Qing trade deal, Tashkent, Khudoyar Khan's three reigns, the 1875 revolt and what survives.