# Chorsu Bazaar: Tashkent's beating heart

> The largest and oldest market in Uzbekistan, under a blue-tiled Soviet-era dome. Best for spices, plov ingredients and observing local life.

Chorsu ("four streams" — from four canals that once met here) has been Tashkent's central bazaar for more than a thousand years. The present covered pavilion was built in 1980 to a design by architects V.S. Azimov and S.R. Adilov: a low, wide dome 300 m in circumference clad in Uzbek blue tile, with radial pie-slice sections inside for different product categories.

Inside the dome:
- **Ground floor**: meat, dairy, dried fruit, honey.
- **Basement level**: fresh vegetables, herbs.
- **Upper gallery**: pickles, prepared foods, tea and spice packets to take home.

Outside the dome, the market spills into open-air rows selling:
- Clothing and household goods.
- Fresh **non** from clay ovens (aroma-navigate).
- The famous Chorsu **plov cauldrons** — try Beshqozon, Central Asian Plov Centre, or a small stall in the northeast corner for the most traditional Tashkent-style plov.

Best time: 08:00–11:00, weekdays, for the freshest produce and the least crowd. Fridays are the busiest and most photogenic.

The neighbouring **Kukeldash Madrasa** (16th c.) is a five-minute walk east.

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Keywords: Chorsu, Tashkent, bazaar, market, plov
Updated: 2026-08-15
Category: destinations
URL: https://uzbguidedtours.com/kb/kb-tashkent-chorsu-bazaar