ABSTRACT
My whole life has been linked to Tashkent both as a citizen and as an architect. This chapter sketches out the many cities that co-exist through memories, archaeological monuments, the architectural remains of previous centuries, the city’s current form and its newly emerging social organisation. A glance at the past shows that acquiring the status of a capital city 150 years ago changed Tashkent’s appearance beyond recognition, as well as altering its residents and their lifestyle. Before then, life was a constant struggle for everyone. Their sons and daughters entered the new world in the Soviet period and, confident of their destiny, built a new city. Today, their descendants have still not fully recognised the significance of their heritage; they face the choice of destroying or restoring that link with the past, without which there is no future. The city’s high political status must be reinforced by an active social, industrial and cultural life, otherwise the city risks becoming nothing but a village with a seven-figure population.
