Table Of Content

CULTURE SMART! UZBEKISTAN Alexey Ulko This book is available for special discounts for bulk purchases for sales promotions or premiums. Special editions, including personalized covers, excerpts of existing books, and corporate imprints, can be created in large quantities for special needs. For more information contact Kuperard publishers at the address below. ISBN 978 1 85733 852 2 This book is also available as an e-book: eISBN 978 1 85733853 9 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A CIP catalogue entry for this book is available from the British Library First published in Great Britain by Kuperard, an imprint of Bravo Ltd 59 Hutton Grove, London N12 8DS Tel: +44 (0) 20 8446 2440 Fax: +44 (0) 20 8446 2441 www.culturesmart.co.uk Inquiries: [email protected] Series Editor Geoffrey Chesler Design Bobby Birchall Printed in Malaysia Cover image: Traditional Uzbek embroidery. ©Arkady Chubykin, Adobe Stock Photographs on pages 17 (right), 34, 39, 56, 87, 94, 110, 112, 127, and 153 by courtesy of the author. Images on the following pages reproduced under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license: 19 © Yunuskhuja Tuygunkhujaev; 52, 54, 70, 116 (middle) © Ji-Elle; 66 © Ymblanter; 126 © Рөстәм Нурыев. Reproduced under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license: 21 © Patrickringgenberg; 93, 102, 104 © Shuhrataxmedov; 65 © ГОЛ ос; 92 © Thomas Falk (living in Uzbekistan and Germany); 105, 132, 135 © Guidecity; 117 © Sigismund von Dobschütz; 119 © Ekrem Canli; 125 © RIA Novosti archive, image #21541 / V. Kiselev / CC-BY-SA 3.0; 131 © Gennady Misko; 137 © mos.ru (официальный сайт правительства Москвы) фотограф — Сергей Кривов; 142 © Or2008; 156 © Nataev. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license: 17 (left) © https://www.flickr.com/photos/gusjer/; 33, 115 © upyernoz from Haverford, USA; 45 © Tim Griffin; 63, 68, 76, 124, 164 © Jean-Pierre Dalbéra from Paris, France; 106 © David Stanley from Nanaimo, Canada; 116 (bottom) © Ram©n from Llanera, España; 139 © Peretz Partensky from San Francisco, USA. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 France license: 20 © Stomac. Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication: 29 (top) Jam123. About the Author ALEXEY ULKO is a linguist, art critic, filmmaker, and writer who lives in Uzbekistan. A First Class Honors graduate in English Language and Literature from the University of Samarkand, he taught English there for ten years and became the first Hornby Scholar from Uzbekistan to obtain an M.Ed. TTELT degree from the University of St. Mark and St. John, Plymouth, in the UK. Since 2003 he has been an independent consultant in English-language teacher training, a translator, and a writer on contemporary Central Asian culture and art. He has made several short films and spoken at conferences on the subject. He is a member of the Association of Art Historians and the European Society for Central Asian Studies. The Culture Smart! series is continuing to expand. For further information and latest titles visit www.culturesmart.co.uk The publishers would like to thank CultureSmart!Consulting for its help in researching and developing the concept for this series. CultureSmart!Consulting creates tailor-made seminars and consultancy programs to meet a wide range of corporate, public-sector, and individual needs. Whether delivering courses on multicultural team building in the USA, preparing Chinese engineers for a posting in Europe, training call-center staff in India, or raising the awareness of police forces to the needs of diverse ethnic communities, it provides essential, practical, and powerful skills worldwide to an increasingly international workforce. For details, visit www.culturesmartconsulting.com CultureSmart!Consulting and CultureSmart! guides have both contributed to and featured regularly in the weekly travel program “Fast Track” on BBC World TV. ccoonntetnetsnts Map of Uzbekistan 7 Introduction 8 Key Facts 10 Chapter 1: LAND AND PEOPLE 12 • Geography 12 • Climate 14 • The People 16 • Major Cities and Regions 18 • A Brief History 23 • Uzbekistan Today 32 • Government and Politics 33 • The Economy 34 • Relations With the World 35 Chapter 2: VALUES AND ATTITUDES 36 • Nationality and Ethnicity 36 • The Urban and Rural Divide 39 • The Family 41 • Hospitality 42 • Community 43 • Secularism and Religion 45 • Attitudes Toward Education 47 • Work Ethic 48 • The Value of Money 50 • Attitudes Toward Authority 50 • Respect for Age 51 • Attitudes Toward Women 53 • Attitudes Toward Homosexuality 57 • Attitudes Toward Time 58 • Status 60 Chapter 3: CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS 62 • Holidays and Festivals 62 • Religious Holidays 63 • Ex-Soviet Holidays 65 • International Festivals 67 • Uzbek Customs and Traditions 68 • Names 71 • Circumcision 74 • Engagements and Weddings 75 • Birthdays 79 • Funerals 80 • Superstitions 81 Chapter 4: MAKING FRIENDS 84 • Attitudes Toward Foreigners 85 • Meeting the Uzbeks 86 • Social Life at Work 88 • Topics of Conversation 89 • Invitations Home 91 • Humor 94 • Manners 96 • Taboos 97 • Dating 100 Chapter 5: PRIVATE AND FAMILY LIFE 102 • Housing 102 • Daily Life and Routine 105 • Everyday Shopping 106 • Meals 108 • Children 109 • Education 111 • The Path To Marriage 112 • Military Service 113 Chapter 6: TIME OUT 114 • Leisure 114 • Eating Out 115 • Uzbek Cuisine 116 • Drinks 118 • Restaurants 119 • Table Manners 121 • Paying for the Meal 122 • Art, Music, and Theater 122 • Sports 126 • Bazaars 126 • Bargaining 127 ccoonntetnetsnts • Changing Money 128 • What To See 129 Chapter 7: TRAVEL, HEALTH, AND SAFETY 130 • Intercity Travel 130 • Local Transportation 136 • Where To Stay 138 • Health 139 • Safety 140 Chapter 8: BUSINESS BRIEFING 142 • The Business Environment 142 • Regulations 143 • Labor Migration 144 • Business Culture 145 • Corruption 147 • Meetings 148 • Presentations 149 • Negotiations 151 • Contracts 151 • Managing Disagreement 152 • Women In Business 153 • Chapter 9: COMMUNICATING 154 • Language 154 • Greetings 156 • Styles and Stereotypes 157 • Body Language 158 • TV and Radio 160 • Newspapers and Magazines 162 • Internet 162 • Telephone 163 • Mail 163 • Conclusion 164 Further Reading 165 Index 166 Acknowledgments 168 7 m a p o f u Map of Uzbekistan zb e k is ta n ANHS NEIT KYRGYZSTAN Namangan• •Chust • Andijan • okand Margilan•• Ferghana PAMIRS TAN K S nt • • GE AJIKI AZAKHSTAN Syrdarya (Jaxartes) R.UM T Tashke Gulistan Jizzakh • Navoi•Samarkand • Shakhrisabz •HISSAR RANKarshi • T Termez •AFGHANISTAN K KR KYZYL DESE khara • u B L SEA Nukus • KHORESM Urgench•• KhivaAmudarya (Oxus) R. URKMENISTAN A T R A USTURT PLATEAU iinnttrrodoudctuiocntion Uzbekistan, like its Central Asian neighbors, is not particularly well known to the outside world. For about seventy years it was one of the fifteen republics of the USSR, then commonly referred to as “Russia,” and few Westerners knew much about the cultural and ethnic differences within this huge country. In 1991, after Independence, Uzbekistan joined the family of other “stans,” of which the most internationally prominent are Afghanistan and Pakistan. At the same time, the names of Uzbekistan’s oldest cities, Samarkand and Bukhara, are often instantly recognizable and evoke glamorous associations with the Great Silk Road and The Arabian Nights. Which of these impressions is the right one? All and none, for Uzbekistan is an exciting mixture of different cultural traditions, from Persian to Turkic, from European and Russian, to the contemporary globalized amalgam. When you arrive in Uzbekistan you immediately discover how multicultural its society is, which you may see as something to celebrate as well as cause for a certain disappointment. Those who expect to find a stereotypically drab post-Soviet country with dull concrete buildings and hapless people will be rewarded with the chance to dip into a vibrant, colorful, and exotic Central Asian life. Uzbeks are open, hospitable, emotional, and positive people, but they also like a certain order. Travelers expecting to face the kind of chaos that overwhelms the urban labyrinths of such cities as Cairo or Delhi will be pleasantly surprised by careful 9 introduction in tro d u c tio n city planning, wide tree-lined streets, and well-kept architectural monuments. On the other hand, visitors should be prepared for some Soviet-style restrictions and bureaucracy and the lack of certain features of the globalized world such as cash machines, McDonald’s, Starbucks, and broadband. You will also notice a distinct urban–rural divide and different cultural patterns and rules used in different communities. The ethnic and linguistic mixture may be confusing, but getting to know the people of Uzbekistan can be a hugely enjoyable experience. This short guide aims to raise awareness of the complexity of Uzbekistan's culture, to equip you with the knowledge of how to make the most of your visit, and to help you to avoid or handle the occasional difficulty. It sets out to guide you through a spectrum of local subcultures, from the traditional rural Uzbek through a mix of Russian, European, and Soviet cultures to the modern cosmopolitan community. As a native Russian-speaking citizen of Uzbekistan, I am aware of the inevitable subjectivity of my own perspective. To compensate for this bias, I have sought advice from both Uzbek-speaking friends and foreign friends who have spent time in Uzbekistan in different roles and positions. They have shared their insights with me and greatly enriched my own understanding of Uzbek culture. Welcome to Uzbekistan! Hush kelibsiz O’zbekistonga!