Tashkent (dpa) - Uzbekistan is recommended by guide books as a must "stop" on the trail of global backpackers. One of the countries on the Silk Route, this Central Asian nation offers a blend of cultures and religions, interesting landscape, rich natural resources and delicious fruits.

But despite its scenery and the people's hospitality, many foreigners who have visited Uzbekistan are hesitant to return, mainly due to the heavy police presence in Uzbek cities.

"Even if it were as beautiful as paradise, if it is a police state, who wants to visit it?" Eiichi Tanaka, 40, a Japanese engineer, said in the Uzbek capital Tashkent.

Tanaka, who has visited 40 countries, wanted to spend a 10-day holiday in Central Asia when a travel agent, knowing of his interest in Moscow's metro, suggested Uzbekistan - the only Central Asian nation with a subway built during the Soviet times.

The Tashkent metro, with marble sculptures, wall carvings and chandeliers, turned out to be an exquisite, but scaled-down, replica of Moscow's subway. But Tanaka's joy turned into fear when a policeman demanded to see his passport as he was leaving the metro.

"He stopped me and asked for my passport, so I showed him my passport. A few minutes later, at a bus station, I was stopped again by a policeman asking to see my passport. Fortunately, the two policemen did not extort money from me, but some foreign backpackers said in their blogs they have been blackmailed by policemen in Central Asian countries," he said.

Policemen are a common sight in Uzbek cities, but they are not controlling traffic and or catching thieves, they are checking identity cards especially those of foreigners.

Some foreigners believe the Uzbek government, which has repressed dissent with an iron fist, suspects foreigners of espionage or of being pro-democracy activists who might help Uzbek dissidents to topple the authoritarian Uzbek government.

The insecurity is not unfounded.

Originally a Persian province, between the fourth and 19th centuries, Uzbekistan was invaded or ruled by Alexandra the Great, the Arabs, the Turks, Genghis Khan, Tamerlane, the Timurids and the Uzbeks. It was a Soviet republic from 1925-1991.

Shaking off Soviet rule in 1991, Uzbekistan plunged into deep insecurity, worried about outside threats and dissent from within.

In May 2005, in the eastern city of Andijan, a demonstration against the imprisonment of 23 Muslim businessmen turned into a bloodbath.

Uzbek security forces shot and killed hundreds of protestors, calling them "terrorists," after demonstrators broke into the prison and freed the men.

Since then, Uzbekistan's National Security Service agents have been monitoring foreigners with an eagle eye.

"But we come to see sights and to spend money. We didn't go to Andijan or meet dissidents. If Uzbekistan wants to attract tourists, it should stop policemen's harassment of tourists," French tourist Bernard Guillet said.

Uzbekistan began promoting tourism after gaining independence from the former Soviet Union in 1991 by launching the national carrier Uzbekistan Airways a year later and training translators, interpreters and tour guides. At present, there are 4,000 university students studying journalism, philosophy, English, French, Spanish and German.

Hundreds of travel companies and hotels have sprung up in Tashkent and the three most-famous ancient cities in the south and south-west - Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva. The three cities contrast modern Tashkent with their well-preserved mosques and mausoleums.

Bhukara, a commercial centre on the Silk Route, has more than 140 architectural monuments, some dating back to the Middle Ages. The word "Bukhara" comes from the word "Vihara" or "Buddhist temple."

Christina, manager of the Tashkent-based Uzitour, said that during the Soviet era, no tourists visited Uzbekistan, but only Russian experts and delegations.

"Now foreigners are rediscovering Uzbekistan and individual tourists and tour groups are pouring in. So we offer city tours, camel safari trips to oasis as well as regional tours - tours that cover several Central Asian countries," she said, adding that travelling in a tour group lessens the chance of harassment by police. // © 2006 DPA


Publication date: 12 December 2006   

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