When walking or driving up, you might feel as if you're going to the wrong place. Keep going straight and true after the numerous bars on Sultanali Mashkhadi street all the way to a concrete industrial building - in fact, a former agricultural factory. There, a small space faced entirely in glass, you'll find 139 Documentary Center. It is a multidisciplinary space with a focus on documentary media. To many, however, it is more like headquarters or a community center.
The space is totally pared down and thus helps to create a laser focus on its purpose: demonstrating the real places, spaces, and communities we inhabit. Here you can experience the works of prominent photographers from Uzbekistan - those who might not have otherwise had a chance to be exhibited. The feeling of seeing something real and true is particularly charged during exhibition opening nights. Photography is not the limit, however. Movie screenings and film festivals, community events, and even music all take place here.
If you want to join an event, rather than only see an exhibition, keep an eye on the gallery's Instagram page or channel in Telegram. I do recommend visiting opening nights for exhibitions, as well as keeping an eye out for movie screenings. The team works hard to bring artists and filmmakers out to the gallery, whether in person or virtually, for direct contact with visitors.
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"AKSU Restaurant" in Tashkent is run by famous Uzbek chef Bahriddin Chustiy. You can try food from all over the world here - I love discovering the menu!
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An unpretentious dining hall with only one main meal on the menu, and that's half of a young roast chicken, more commonly known here as tsiplyata tabaka.
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Glancing at their shashlik window, you’ll spot all the usual Uzbek favourites. Skewered beef chunks, ground beef, mutton & liver are all very popular here.
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Bibigon in a nutshell? Hotdogs, salads, burgers, pizza, breakfasts, desserts, coffee, tea, beer, vodka, and cigarettes.
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Are these tired-looking blue-tiled buildings a relic of Soviet art and construction? Or an eyesore on the horizon of a fast-developing city?
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Arrive there early to choose from beef, lamb, potato, or pumpkin-filled somsa. Uzbek-style samosas are eaten with a mildly spicy thin tomato sauce...
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They take pride in serving customers quickly, and their pizzas take no longer than 90 seconds to cook in their authentic wood-burning ovens.
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Whilst its competitors offer a one-size-fits-all flavour of coffee, Beanberry offers a variety. Brazil is my favourite for its tangy taste.
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If, like me, you're sensitive to certain foods and eating sugary, processed foods makes you feel groggy, then this might be the place for you!
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Just behind the statue is a small green area, not quite large enough to be considered a park but big enough to draw all kinds of of people passing by.
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Professional cheese makers use Italian technology to produce five soft cheese varieties: mozzarella, burrata, stracciatella, caciotta, and ricotta.
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"Jumanji" in Tashkent is a multicultural restaurant with food from all over the world. Come here and escape the hectic city vibe...
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90 Insider Tips from our local Spotters
Authentic Stories by Real People
Escape the crowd & travel slow 🐌
✓ 90 Insider Tips from our local Spotters