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Article: Uzbekistan: in the shadow of Tamerlane. (national cultural hero)
- Article from:
- World Policy Journal
- Article date:
- March 22, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 World Policy Institute. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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On a recent tour of Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, my young Persian-featured interpreter proudly showed me the city's large, European-style parks, beautiful in early autumn, its newly renovated public buildings, such as the lavish stock exchange and the sprawling, new Indian- and Turkish-built hotels, and a bevy of monuments, including the massive, very Soviet memorial to the victims of a 1966 earthquake that destroyed much of the city. Although she took me to the most significant mosques and madrasahs, she was very surprised by my interest in the rundown, winding streets of the Old City. She was even more astounded by my attraction to the huge, teeming bazaars, ...