Chorsu Bazaar

Chorsu Bazaar occupies the junction of Beruniy Street and Navoi Street in the Shaykhontohur District of Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in the heart of the Old City. The name comes from the Persian for crossroads, and a market has stood at this meeting of routes for centuries, long before the Russian conquest of 1865. It is the best-known marketplace in Uzbekistan and one of the oldest continuously operating in Central Asia.

The defining landmark is the large blue-green domed hall, built in the Soviet period around 1980 as a covered food market. Its shape, a circular concrete building under a single wide dome, is an example of late Soviet modernism blended with traditional Central Asian forms, and it replaced earlier open stalls. Inside, long counters sell dried fruits, nuts, spices, bread, meat and dairy products, while surrounding open-air stalls sell vegetables, fruit, household goods, textiles and clothing.

The bazaar is organised thematically by product rather than as a museum. Visitors will find piles of non, the round Tashkent bread, sacks of dried apricots and raisins, heaps of spices, fresh herbs, meat sections and rows of sweets. Nearby lanes hold copper, knife and craft vendors, and the surrounding area includes the Kukeldash Madrasa and the Juma Mosque. Much of the visible trade today is local, so the market is a working picture of everyday food culture rather than a staged attraction.

The bazaar has been renovated and reorganised several times as the city modernised, and new covered sections, pedestrian areas and nearby developments continue to change its edges. Nonetheless the dome and central food hall remain the focus. Visitors should be prepared for crowds, strong smells and pushing. Bargaining is normal for non-food goods, and many sellers offer samples. Pickpockets operate in dense crowds, so valuables should be kept secure.