Set deep in the heart of land-locked Uzbekistan, on the cusp of the Hindu Kush and the sweeping Kazakh grass plains, the captivating capital of Tashkent represents the beating cultural, political, and socio economic heart of the nation as a whole. It rises up from where the old Silk Road once ranged across Asia, in neighbourhoods of sprawling apartment blocks; a striking overload of Soviet influence and utilitarian frontispieces that’s adorned with all the badges of a weathered Cossack living on the very edge of the old USSR. However, beneath this town’s Stalinist veneer, Tashkent tour guides are at hand to reveal a truly cosmopolitan underbelly, where arabesque souks rub shoulders with 16^th century madrassahs, the sepulchres of honoured Islamic sheikhs and Mongol khans coalesce together, the avant-garde drive of native Uzbek art bolsters the galleries, and ancient Zoroastrian relics sit side-by-side with detailed exposés of the Russian Revolution. And then there’s the city’s youthful and folksy energy, which springs up in spots like Alayskiy Bazaar and the sprawling Juva farmers market, between the chic fashion stops of Saligokh Street, and open-air bars aplenty in the summer.