Chorsu Bazaar ( Chorsu bozori), also called Charsu Bazaar, is the traditional bazaar located in the center of the old town of Tashkent, the capital city of Uzbekistan. Under its blue-colored domed building and the adjacent areas, all daily necessities are sold. Chorsu Bazaar is located across the street from Chorsu Station of the Tashkent Metro, near Kukeldash Madrasah. “Chorsu” is a word from the Persian language, meaning “crossroads” or “four streams”. Kukeldash Madrasah, built around 1570, is located at the edge of the bazaar. The modern building and the characteristic blue dome were designed by Vladimir Asimov, Sabir Adylov et al. in 1980, as a late example of Soviet Modernism style.
Bazaar is the heart of every oriental city, the center of public life, breadwinner of the whole city. Since the dawn of time bazaars appeared on the intersections of trade roads, on big squares of cities. They played role of main places of the city, where merchants, traders and common people gathered to discuss important news, to know prices, to have a rest in cozy choykhana (Uzbek café) eating pilaf and drinking green tea. Also bazaars were the places of main entertaining events of the city – theatrical performances.
It’s like this all the way through Chorsu Bazaar. Although Chorsu Bazaar may be the biggest market in Tashkent, there still aren’t huge numbers of tourists who come through.
Tashkent Bazaar Chorsu, the age of which is more than hundred years, also was always located on the main square of the city Eski-Juva. Old bazaar constructions destroyed and went bad, but the traditional architecture remained unchanged – domed large premises. This was the only way to protect oneself from heat and dust in terms of hot and dry Asian climate. A lot of the shopkeepers still think a foreigner is a bit of a novelty and want to show some hospitality. I assume they also think we might be an easy sale, especially when it’s something peculiarly traditional like horse meat they’re trying to sell.
As I explore Chorsu Bazaar, this is one of the things that makes the experience more enjoyable. Chorsu Bazaar is, in a few different ways, a great way to see a local side of Tashkent – and Uzbekistan – more generally. You see it in the people who have come here for their shopping, their fashion just noticeably different enough to my own. Men wearing taqiyahs, women with headscarves, bright folk dresses, farming coats, for instance. And you see it in the architecture. In the middle of Chorsu Bazaar is the central dome, the most recognisable symbol of the market. The outside, decorated with blue tiles, reflects the sunshine and the traditional style of Uzbekistan.
