A secular Muslim country with a serious tea and bread etiquette, two alphabets, European plugs and a working week that runs to Saturday.
- Non, the round bread, is close to sacred - never placed upside down, never thrown away, and torn by hand rather than cut.
- Tea is poured in small amounts deliberately. A half-full bowl means the host wants you to stay and be refilled; filling it to the brim is a hint to leave.
- Uzbekistan is majority Muslim and firmly secular, but cover shoulders and knees at working mosques and mausoleums, and carry a scarf for your head if you are a woman.
- Uzbek is written in both Latin and Cyrillic, often on the same street, Russian is the second language, and rahmat and salom open doors here.
- Plugs are the European type and at 220 V, the working week runs Monday to Saturday, and many museums close on Monday instead of Sunday.
Bread, tea and the table
- Non, the round bread, is close to sacred. It is never placed upside down, never thrown away, and torn by hand rather than cut with a knife.
- Tea is poured for you in small amounts, deliberately. A half-full bowl means the host wants you to stay and be refilled; filling it to the brim is a hint to leave.
- Pour with the right hand, and take the bowl with the right hand.
- You will be fed more than you can eat. Refusing outright is difficult; leaving a little is the graceful version.
- Plov is eaten at lunchtime and every region claims the correct recipe.
Religion and dress
- Uzbekistan is majority Muslim and firmly secular. Alcohol is sold openly, few women cover their hair, and the mosques are as much monuments as places of worship.
- Cover shoulders and knees at working mosques and mausoleums. Women should carry a scarf for the head; men should not wear shorts.
- Take shoes off where others do, at a mosque and inside many homes.
- During Ramadan most restaurants stay open and life continues, but eating conspicuously in front of someone fasting is poor manners.
Language and the alphabets
- Uzbek is written in both Latin and Cyrillic, often on the same street, and the changeover has been going on for 30 years.
- Russian is the second language and is what a taxi driver over 40 will answer in.
- English is common among younger people in tourism and rare elsewhere.
- Learn rahmat, thank you, and salom. They open doors here in a way they do not in most places.
- Google Translate's offline Uzbek and Russian packs are worth downloading before you land.
Practical odds and ends
- Plugs are the European type and at 220 V, 50 Hz.
- The working week runs Monday to Saturday, with Sunday the day off; many museums close on Monday instead.
- Public toilets are scarce and basic. Carry tissue; use hotels and restaurants.
- Smoking is common and banned indoors in a way that is loosely enforced.
- Photographing people, especially women, needs asking, and most people will happily agree.
- Bargain in the bazaar, not in a shop. Start at about half and settle above it, with good humour rather than as a contest.
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