Bazaar, especially in the East, has always been considered the center of every city. In the 18th century, Chorsu was the center of 4 roads of the Great Silk Road and was considered one of the largest shopping centers in Central Asia. It originated even earlier, over two thousand years ago. It was surrounded by people building their own clay dwelling houses.
That’s how the Old City arose, a unique Tashkent attraction. It’s a mahalla with narrow streets, endless dead ends, clay ovens, and iwans in the yards. Now, most of these houses have been demolished, and modern multi-story houses have been erected in their place. But among these multi-story buildings, there are parts of surviving houses that remind us of antiquity. Today, Chorsu Bazaar is still located at the crossroads of four shopping streets. The modernity of the city, the subway, transport do not influence the image of the bazaar at all. Unique style and architecture with centuries-old tradition of trading domes cover the entire market square and provide good protection from the hot sun.
Around the bazaar, there are craft workshops. This place is still used by potters, blacksmiths, goldsmiths, as well as many hundred years ago. There are also shops with local products. By curiosity and asking questions, you can learn a lot about the life and traditions of indigenous people.
Particular attention should be paid to rows with spices that fill the air with a unique flavor. And it is impossible to resist the rows of dried fruits and various oriental delicacies. Here you can find multicolored sultanas, dried apricots, prunes, and nuts of several varieties: peanuts, almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios, and salty kernels. A lot of national sweets are offered there: parvard, navat, and kozinaki. We can’t help but mention the traditional oriental delicacy of kurt.
There is an abundance of fruits and vegetables, melons, and watermelons around you. Once you are hungry, you can easily snack on or enjoy national dishes such as samsa, Uzbek pilaf, shish kebabs, hot Uzbek flatbread, and drink hot green tea. In the Eastern bazaar you can taste everything, both fruit and sweets.
Walking through the bazaar, you can completely satisfy the hunger. And even if you don’t buy anything, you won’t hurt anyone with it. And, of course, what oriental bazaar without bargaining? It’s a special art, a real entertainment. It is necessary to bargain, knocking down the price, pointing out the disadvantages, and praising the advantages of this or that product. The seller will not be offended, even on the contrary – they will usually make concessions and drop the price.
Today the Chorsu market continues to be Tashkent’s easternmost bazaar, the gut of which has changed little over many centuries, astonishing with its color and splendor of the capital’s residents and visitors.
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