History and Culture of Bazaars in Central Asia
Bazaars started around caravanserais to sell produce to the caravans passing through. As economies developed from primarily subsistence to market based, the bazaars moved inside the city walls. In both cases the bazaar has always had a much larger impact than simply a place to buy and sell goods. It is where people would go to meet other people, where people would interact with the outside world, and be exposed to new products and ideas. Originally bazaars were only open on Sunday. In fact, in Turkish “Pazar” is the word for both Sunday and bazaar, and many Central Asians still refer to Sunday as bazaar day. As cities grew and developed, the main bazaar of a city was supplemented with smaller bazaars and they were open every day but Monday which was set aside for cleaning.
The look of the bazaar has changed a lot over the years as well. Initially, sellers would bring their produce out to the field next to the caravanserai on a donkey cart and put up a canopy to protect them from the sun. Then they began building little stalls along the main street of the city. Eventually, permanent structures were erected and those have continued to improve into the modern bazaars that we see today. One of those improvements is refrigeration. Previously, dairy, fruit, and other perishables were sold out of cellars dug into the floor of the bazaar.
The bazaar lies in the winding valley between these hills, and we see merely the flat mud roofs of the houses and shops, overgrown sometimes with grass and poppies. It is only when in the very bazaar that we have any idea of it, and it is only by walking there day after day that we can begin to realise its size, for the streets are so crooked and thronged with people that there is no vista whatsoever.
Eugene Schuyler from Turkistan, Notes of a Journey in Russian Turkistan, Khokand, Bukhara, and Kuldja (1876)
Night bazaars are another fascinating element of bazaar life. Many wholesale bazaars are open all night so that sellers from the smaller bazaars can come buy produce to resell the next morning. The night bazaar is also a convenient time for workshops to sell their wares. All the clothes or other items that were made during the day can be sold the same night. In modern times, night bazaars are becoming less common. In Tashkent, Qoyliq Bazaar still has a night bazaar and a few other bazaars will open at 3:00-4:00 am a couple times a week for wholesale buyers.
Current Environment of Bazaars in Tashkent
Chorsu has traditionally been Tashkent’s main bazaar. While it has been supplanted by other bazaars and warehouses as the main distribution point for goods in the city, it is still the most significant bazaar in terms of history and culture. Many tourists are drawn to Chorsu by the blue-domed main hall and maze-like alleys of booths, but the tourists make up a small percentage compared to the thousands of people who still do their daily shopping there. This is changing however as supermarkets have appeared in every neighborhood of Tashkent. Thirty years ago, nearly everyone shopped at a bazaar. This number has now been cut in half. If the trends continue, it is likely that many of the smaller produce bazaars will close while the historical, wholesale, or specialized bazaars continue to operate.
A fifty percent drop may seem like a lot, but the population has grown significantly as well, so the bazaar scene in Tashkent is actually quite alive and active. Today there are specific bazaars for wholesale, retail, and specialty items such as building supplies or electronics. Most of these bazaars are now housed in modern indoor facilities and even the open-air produce bazaars have significantly improved in cleanliness. As a general rule, produce bazaars or the produces sections of bazaars are open every day, but other bazaars are closed on Mondays. In December most bazaars will have a pop-up holiday market where you can buy decorations for Christmas and New Year’s. O'rikzor and Qo'yliq bazaars have the two largest.
Below you will find specific information on some of the more interesting or unique bazaars, but we have decided not to include each of the dozen or so produce bazaars scattered around the city. Instead, here is some information about them as a group with three of the most popular ones highlighted.
Produce Bazaars in Tashkent
Most produce (dehqon) bazaars are laid out the same with tables of produce in the middle and shops around the perimeter. The shops are easier to cool and keep dry, so they normally contain meat, dairy, and dry goods. Products are often grouped together so that shoppers can easily compare prices; fruit with fruit, vegetables with vegetables, spices with spices, etc. Bartering is acceptable at the bazaar, but sellers will not budge much unless you are buying large quantities. Because the produce bazaars are the center of economic activity in their neighborhood, you can also find many other useful shops around the bazaar such as seamstresses, cobblers, locksmiths, and nowadays cell phone repair. A recent development in the bazaars is the acceptance of cards for payment. Not every seller has a terminal, but many do now. If you find that you have bought more than you can carry, there are always porters on hand with carts (arava) to help out. A typical price is 10,000 – 20,000 so’m depending on weight and distance. Produce bazaars are generally open from 8:00 am to 8:00pm. Summer hours will be a bit longer, and winter hours a bit shorter.
The following bazaars are located in parts of town with a high concentration of expats and therefore have a larger selection of imported goods. Each of them is also larger, cleaner, and nicer than the average produce bazaar.
Mirabad Bazaar (Gospitalniy)
Mirabad District
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This bazaar is near the Oybek area. There are also a higher percentage of Koreans who live in this area, so you can find a decent selection of Asian products in and around the bazaar. Mirabad is one of the few bazaars that sell pork.
Oloy Bazaar (Alayskiy)
Yunusabad District
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This bazaar is near the Minor area. It is recently refurbished and very nice and clean with lots of parking. You can find a lot of imported items in the shops around the edge of the bazaar.
Eco Bazaar
Mirzo Ulugbek District
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This bazaar is near the Maxim Gorky area. It is attached to a mall and completely enclosed which is great on hot summer days. It is a very clean and modern bazaar. Apart from produce, you can also find a few kitchen stores, makeup products, and electronics. There is plenty of free parking on site.
Bazaars of Interest in Tashkent
Chorsu Bazaar
Shaykhontohur District
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Chorsu provides the classic bazaar experience with its iconic blue dome and wide variety of products. For this reason, it is featured in much of the city’s tourism promotion, and you are likely to encounter a tour group while shopping. The bazaar is easy to access via metro with two entrances inside the bazaar.
Meat, dairy, and spices are found inside the dome with produce and dry goods in a ring of stalls around the dome. Clothing, souvenirs, and a few everyday items are sold around the base of the dome, and there are some furniture makers across the street from the main entrance. Several national cuisine open-air dining spots can be found nearby, and many people consider Chorsu the best place for plov in the city.
From April to November, Chorsu will have wholesale produce sellers on the weekends from approximately 4:00 – 8:00 am.
Products: all things food - produce, meat, dairy, grains, spices, and some canned goods; jewelry, clothing and souvenirs
Qatortol Bazaar
Chilanzar District
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This indoor bazaar has an interesting mixture of products. On the first floor you will find vendors selling meat, dairy, sweets, cosmetics, and cleaning supplies. There are also a few stalls selling produce in the courtyard behind the bazaar. On the second floor there are shops selling clothes including formal attire, casual attire, lingerie, and kid's clothes.
Products: meat, dairy, sweets, clothes, cleaning supplies, cosmetics.
Yangiobod Bazaar
Yashnobod District
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Yangiobod is a second-hand bazaar in Tashkent and the closet thing to a flea market in Tashkent. From more recently used items to antiques, you can find anything at Yangiobod. The bazaar is open everyday except Monday, but Saturday and Sunday morning are the most active. Yangiobod is particularly known for its Soviet-era paraphernalia, but there are older items as well. Many of the antique sellers will close up shop around 12 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
Do not confuse this Yangiobod Bazaar with the Yangiobod Bazaar a few metro stops north which only has produce. This Yangiobod Bazaar is right next to the 6-Bekat (6 metro stop).
Products: antiques & flea market wares, books, coins, furniture, second-hand tools & home improvement supplies, doors & windows, animals (pets & livestock), used & new kitchen supplies, children’s clothes, strollers & toys.
Ippodrome Bazaar
Chilanzar District
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Ippodrome takes its name from the nearby horseracing track, and can refer to the entire bazaar complex which includes the Ippodrome, Abu Saxiy, Bek Baraka, and Chinni bazaars or it can refer specifically to the Ippodrome Bazaar which is primarily apparel.
Products: rugs, tapestries, shoes & boots, women’s & men’s clothing, men’s suits, wedding attire & dresses, fabric, sewing supplies, winter coats & hats, belts, baseball caps, underwear & lingerie, children’s clothing, prayer rugs, kitchen & bath linens, bathrobes, bedding, pillows, comforter sets, purses, bags, backpacks, luggage, limited selection of jewelry & watches.
Services: clothing alterations & repairs, dry cleaning, shoe repair
Abu Saxiy Bazaar
Chilanzar District
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Most of the Abu Saxiy complex is situated to the north of the Ippodrome Bazaar. The centerpiece is a modern multi-level building called “Abu Saxiy Center.” The center houses boutique and midrange clothing sellers and several dining venues. Most of the home appliances, electronics, and toys are north of the Center. Further north of that is more clothes and a fabric market. Abu Saxiy is better for TVs and printers, while Malika Bazaar is better for cellphones and laptops.
Products: clothes, footwear, electronics, home appliances, and toys
Chinni Bazaar
Zangiata District just outside Tashkent City
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Just across the street from the Ippodrome Bazaar, but technically outside of Tashkent City, Chinni Bazaar is the place to find anything and everything for the kitchen. As is the case with most bazaars, Chinni’s wares show wide variety in price and quality. If you are setting up a new house, restaurant, or cafe, this is the place to go.
Products: kitchenware and household goods
Bek Baraka Bazaar
Zangiata District just outside Tashkent City
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Bek Baraka Bazaar is located just north of Chinni Bazaar. Bek Baraka has apparel similar to Ippodrome Bazaar, but Bek Baraka also does wholesale and has fabric.
North of Bek Baraka Bazaar along the west side of Tashkent Circle Automobile Road you will find a kilometer-long row of furniture outlets selling everything from patio sets to office furniture. A few rug sellers also intersperse the furniture outlets.
Products: clothes, footwear, fabric, some children’s toys.
Uy Bazaar
Chilanzar District
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The house bazaar is located in the back corner of the Chilanzar produce bazaar. Here realtors and sellers gather to market their properties. If you are in the market to buy or rent a house or apartment this is a good location to connect with multiple landlords and realtors in one place. Most of the properties are in the cheap to mid-price range and tend to be located in the western part of the city.
Orikzor Bazaar
Uchtepa District
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Orikzor is the main wholesale bazaar for non-perishable food items, constructions materials, and toys. Although it is a wholesale bazaar, it is possible to buy smaller amounts also. There is also a retail clothes section. People come from all over Uzbekistan to shop here. Many restaurants source their supplies from here. Parking is hard to find and the road in front of the bazaar can be quite congested.
Products: wholesale non-perishable food goods and disposable tableware, bulk cleaning supplies, bulk sweets & baked goods, flour, coffee, rice, canned goods; building supplies; toys.
Qoyliq Bazaar
Bektemir District
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Qoyliq Bazaar has several sections with food on the west side of Fargona (Bektemir) Road and clothes and building supplies on the east side. Qoyliq is the primary wholesale produce bazaar for the city and the only place that still has a night bazaar. There is also a produce bazaar in the main pavilion, and you can find shops that sell pork and live fish. In the buildings on the east side of the road you will find the usual assortment of cheap clothes and building supplies.
There was a push to close Qoyliq Bazaar and move the sellers to a new facility further south called Food City, but this effort seems to have stalled for the time being.
Update: As of April 1, 2024 the wholesale produce bazaar including the night market has been closed. The retail produce section is still open for now, but there are plans to close it as well.
Products: produce, clothes, building supplies
Malika Bazaar
Yunusabad District
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Malika Bazaar is the go-to place for electronics and appliances. Know your product before you shop. Counterfeits are widespread for almost all major brands, so be sure to thoroughly inspect the item before purchase. On site parking is available. The east end of the bazaar is a multi-level mall with several boutique clothing and shoe shops (Giovanni, Abercrombie & Fitch, GAP, Oligarch, Loft), a Korzinka (chain grocery), Cases City (large cell phone accessory store), and a cell phone repair academy.
Products: a few carpet stores, office chairs, gaming chairs, fans, refrigerators, mini fridges, chest freezers, ovens, range, dishwashers, dryers, washing machines, safes, security cameras, vacuum cleaners, water kettles, curling irons, hair dryers, range hoods, clothes irons, shop vacuums, PC & laptop accessories, keyboards & stickers, mice, stand mixers, pressure washers, water coolers & heaters, photography supply & lighting, PC build components (CPUs, motherboards, graphics cards, RAM, HDD/SSD, towers, cooling systems), e-scooters, hoverboards, cell phones, cell phone parts & tools (displays, touch screens, batteries, laminators/autoclaves, deep freezers, soldering irons, hot plates with vacuum screen separators, test station power supplies), cellphone accessories (cases, mounts, cables, chargers, screen protectors), point-of-sale equipment, very small selection of Xbox & PlayStation accessories, watches
Services: Cell phone, PC, laptop & tablet repair.
Brands: HP, Philips, Sony, Haier, Hitachi, Dyson, Beko, Hotpoint, Toshiba, LG, Samsung, Canon, Asus, MSI, Vivo, Redmi, Artel, Bosch, Gefest, TP-Link, Dell, HIK Vision, Braun, Thinkpad, Huawei, Xiaomi, Karcher, Electronix, Logitech, Apple (products only – no official stores).
Sergeli Car Bazaar
Sergeli District
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Sergeli Car Bazaar is the main place people shop for used vehicles. There are also lease-to-own options. Around the bazaar there are all sorts of shops selling car parts and car accessories. Thoroughly inspect all vehicles and parts before purchase. Do not expect sellers to be forthright or truthful. Some parts sellers offer a limited warranty on larger assemblies like engines or transmissions, but be sure you understand their terms. For more details, see our guide, How to Buy a Used Car in Tashkent.
Products: used cars and car parts
Parkent Bazaar
Yashnobod District
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Parkent Bazaar has a little bit of everything. While most bazaar focus on a few things, Parkent has a produce bazaar as well as clothes, home goods, and hardware. A few small home improvement supply shops are located around the perimeter of the bazaar, and the food sellers are in the center. The selection of hardware is not as good as Jomiy, but it is much closer for most people.
Products: toys, houseware, clothes, cleaning supply, cosmetics, swimwear, shoes, bedding, limited home improvement supply, food – produce, dairy, grains, spices, and meat
Services: clothing alterations & repairs
Jomiy Bazaar
Olmazor District
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Jomiy Bazaar is the largest retail bazaar in the city for construction goods and home improvement tools and fixtures. Apart from the area 200 meters east of the Jomiy traffic circle, most of Jomiy Bazaar extends to the west along Usta Shirin Road. There are many small shops along the street as well as one four story building with many vendors inside.
Izza Bazaar
Uchtepa District
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Izza Bazaar features a large selection of metal products along with an assortment of other construction materials. Most of the steel stock is staged in a yard on the west side of Tashkent Circle Automobile Road just south of the Bozsuv Canal
Products: steel stock (flat, angle, square, round, I-beam, rebar, wire, galvanized), construction adhesives, foam board & fiber batt insulation, expanding spray foams, electrical wire, interior & exterior moldings (foam & plastic), wall paper, abrasives, conduit, pipe (concrete, HDPE, PVC, ABS), bitumen products (paper rolls, liquid, primers, bulk blocks), fiber & chip boards, cement, wrought iron fencing, cast iron radiators & boilers (sales & service), tubs, sinks, toilets, shower pans, hot water heaters (conventional & on-demand), paint supply, gypsum board, dimensional lumber, scraped logs, windows & doors, plate compactors, scavenge pumps, plasma cutters, generators, power shears, MIG & TIG welders, corded & cordless power tools, pallet jacks, marble, granite, ceramic, tile, truckloads of sand, gravel, or brick
Ibn Sino Wood Bazaar
Zangiata District just outside Tashkent City
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Ibn Sino Wood (takhta) Bazaar is the primary retailer of wood products for construction. When visiting the wood bazaar, do not confuse it with the nearby Ibn Sino produce bazaar.
Products: dimensional lumber, log lumber, and other wood products
Article Main Image credit: Abigail Warix
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