Publication Details
Abstract
Bukhara and Samarkand play crucial role in Uzbekistan’s ziyarah (pilgrimage) tourism with their world famous revered scholars’ shrines and mausoleums – those of Imam al Bukhari, Bahouddin Naqshband, and others. Tashkent, the capital, is typically functions as a transit hub rather than a pilgrimage destination despite hosting considerable religious and historical sites, including the Hazrati Imam Complex and the Zangi Ota Complex. This article asses Tashkent’s potential to contribute to Uzbekistan’s ziyarah tourism field. Having collected the information of 26 ziyarah sites and a compiled dataset of Tashkent along with tourism statistics for 2019-2025, this article argues that the capital’s advantages – international air connectivity, existing visitor infrastructure, and its own concentration of sacred sites – position it not as a competitor to Bukhara ad Samarkand, but as a strategic gateway and integrative part of the national ziyarah network. The article summarizes the relevant literature, discusses the key features of ziyarah in Tashkent, highlights the city’s over-representation in terms of national tourism activities, suggests some directions for positioning Tashkent within a coordinated national pilgrimage tourism strategy.