Oqsaroy in Tashkent: reports and Q&A

[Belteral]

It's kind of a staple and a running joke now, there shall be at least one statue of Lenin for me to photograph in every city I visit during my travels in the Stans.
And, as I'll be in Tashkent a week from now, naturally I looked into the matter.
I know there have been three successive Lenin statues on what is now Independence square but as he has now fallen out of fashion there is no more there.
So, I have two questions: is there still a Lenin statue to be seen in Tashkent, and is the fate of the humongous statue that once was the centerpiece of Krasnaya ploshad known?
Thanks!

[Milad]

The Uzbek have been quite good in erasing the Soviet past, so I don't think you'll find any Lenin statue on the streets in Tashkent. The most Soviet thing in Tashkent is the Metro nowadays. If you are really desperate to find one, you might have a chance finding one in some museum, although your chances are quite limited here either.

[steven]

Instead, there is an Islam Karimov statue which you should definitely check out https://caravanistan.com/uzbekistan/cen ... ov-museum/

I met someone who recently visited and there are now some weird murals etc in the museum with Karimov and tigers, spaceships and the like. Sadly, I forgot to ask the guy for his pictures.

[Belteral]

Oh, that sounds rich!
I'll definitely try to visit tomorrow, and send you some pictures if I can get in.
Thanks!

[Belteral]

You were right about the tigers. And there are Indeed others with spaceships (I'll send you more once I've unloaded my camera card).
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YeYvoY ... p=drivesdk
The place is open from 9am to 9pm every day except Monday. Entrance is free. The Oqsaroy itself wasn't open today (although it is labeled as "museim" so I guess there must be some exhibitions there). The annex exhibition hall was open and shows, in one room photographs of président Karimov (mostly carrying official functions) and in a second room a series of paintings of Karimov (and a few of his wife). I'd say that this last room alone is worth a visit.

[steven]

Yes, please, more!!

[Devidyal]

I went today! The science museum is still not open. We looked in the windows and the rooms are completely empty. We did find the exhibition hall dedicated to Karimov. I'll leave my personal political opinions out of this post. The people were incredibly friendly. They went rushing around looking for someone who could speak English with us. They found someone! They made a really a big deal out of welcoming the American family. They took loads of photos of us, they asked us to sign a guest book. They told us Karimov's widow comes in regularly and reads all the comments and they mean a lot to her. They even gave us a nicely made propaganda book all about his life. They made us feel really welcomed.

The on-site cafe was insanely expensive. We paid $11 USD for a month's car insurance and they charged us $6 USD for three small bottles of water. After, we went to a restaurant and had three huge dishes of plov, three salads, bread, and three liters of water for less than $10. So, yeah, I wouldn't go in there hungry or thirsty.

I asked about when the museum should be open. They told me they are hoping to have it open by the anniversary of Karimov's birthday, January 30th, 2022. There is a lot of construction going on... so.... maybe????

I took pictures, but I'm just too tired to upload them to my computer right now. It's been a long day.