State Museum of History of Uzbekistan

The State Museum of History of Uzbekistan under the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan is the oldest museum in Central Asia. It was founded on 12 July 1876 and was named the National Museum of Turkestan. Thanks to the work of public and private organisations the museum received a considerable number of exhibits for a short period of time. The museum’s collection consists of over 250,000 items and includes unique archaeological, numismatic and ethnographic articles.

The articles exhibited in the museum allow the visitors to perceive the extent of the development of Central Asian civilisations starting from the Stone Age through the appearance of the first states and to the present day.

Since the Republic of Uzbekistan proclaimed independence the collection of the museum has considerably grown, mainly by the materials of the latest historical research and achievements concerning a large span from the Stone Age to the present time.

The museum also possesses rare archive materials, manuscripts, historical documents, photographic materials and others reflecting the principal stages of the history of the Uzbek people. Samples of painting and sculpture, ceramic, bronze and glass items, articles of funeral rites and others allow us to see the history of the development of religion and culture in the territory of contemporary Uzbekistan in various historical periods. Exhibits belonging to the Timurid period are of special importance as they illustrate clearly the flourishing of the medieval science, poetry, architecture and crafts.

The material and artistic culture of Uzbekistan is represented by masterpieces of Uzbek crafts and painting. These are bronze and ceramic items, jewellery, religious articles and so on.

The museum has a souvenir shop where you can buy works of the traditional Uzbek art: ceramic articles, miniatures, national fabrics, carpets and various handmade items.