Tashkent Metro: Soviet mosaic art underground

Central Asia's first metro opened in Tashkent in 1977, five years after the devastating 1966 earthquake destroyed much of the old city. Soviet planners designed the underground stations to double as earthquake and nuclear-air-raid shelters, hence the deep tunnels and thick doors.

Photography was forbidden until June 2018 (military-strategic asset). Now it's freely allowed and encouraged.

Standout stations to photograph:

• Kosmonavtlar — cosmonaut portraits (Yuri Gagarin, Valentina Tereshkova, Vladimir Dzhanibekov who is from Uzbekistan) in ceramic medallions on a deep-blue starfield.
• Alisher Navoi — vaulted ceiling of majolica arches with poems by the 15th-century Chagatai poet.
• Pakhtakor — cotton-blossom mosaics on the walls, marble columns.
• Mustaqillik Maydoni — chandeliers over the platform, Independence Square exit.
• Toshkent — the original terminus, with a pillared central hall.

Ticket is a single flat fare (~2,000 UZS in 2026, about US $0.15) and works for any journey with any changes. Buy at kiosk windows or ticket machines; kiosk staff usually don't speak English but a pointing gesture works.

Trains run 05:00–24:00 daily. Rush hours 08:00–09:30 and 17:00–19:00 are packed.