The locus of dynamism
Chapter 8
Siyob Bazaar, Samarkand, 2024
Modern trade practices
(1)
Adaptation is perhaps the most pronounced dynamic process that can be observed at all levels of the Uzbek bazaar’s functioning. In order to be able to compete with supermarkets, bazaars gradually introduce modern trading peculiarities.
With the development of modern technologies, the patterns of interactions between sellers and buyers have changed. Many sellers of national goods have begun using social networks for advertising, reaching a fairly large audience, as well as delivery systems that allow buyers to receive goods from the bazaar at a convenient location.
Like cashless payment, especially in tourists' sections of the bazaar. Some sellers, instead of selecting products for their clients, allow them to choose for themselves. There is also a home delivery option, usually for heavy items or large-volume purchases.
Chorsu, Tashkent, 2024
The bazaars' physical space also changes. Under the pretext of urban landscaping, city authorities periodically launch an unspoken campaign against bazaars. Such renovations almost always involve the partial or complete removal of old trading spaces and lead to price increases, as rent in the new buildings rises significantly.
Former “Indoor Market”, Bukhara, 2024
This confrontation is also a struggle over who gets to define what markets are and what trade should look like today. As street trading is pushed out, informal commerce has increasingly become associated with ‘backwardness'. This has shaped the perception that such practices—and the spaces they occupy—do not belong to a modern city.
Siyob Bazaar, Samarkand, 2024
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Siyob Bazaar, Samarkand, 2024
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Between memory and future
(2)
Today, there are vivid debates about Chorsu reconstruction. The city’s rapid growth over the past decade, poor traffic decisions that resulted in constant traffic jams—combined with the expansion of trading areas into the surrounding streets—have turned the city’s oldest and largest bazaar into a chaotic, unregulated space.
The new plan for the bazaar is to turn it into a more modern and attractive tourist site. It is planned to build a multi-level parking and pedestrian crossings.
There was talk about demolishing several Soviet-era buildings, including some of the smaller domes, but city activists and local architects managed to defend them.
Chorsu Market, Tashkent, 2024
Main dome of Chorsu market, Tashkent, 2024
Most locals see such renovation projects as attempts to destroy the bazaars. Often, the informal ties destroyed by renovation cannot be restored: sellers either change the location of their counter or leave this business.
Siyob Bazaar, Samarkand, 2024 and 2019
Today, the symbolic importance of Chorsu is growing, as it is seen as a place with a unique culture of economic exchange—distinct from that of supermarkets and shopping malls. The historical legacy of the place also contributes to this image.
Chorsu Bazaar, Tashkent, 2024
Dmitry Kostyushkin
Local history expert, employee of the UNESCO International Institute for Central Asian Studies
There is a saying: "bazaars and mazars should not be touched." Mazars are mausoleums and places of worship — they’re safe, as no one would dare demolish a sacred site. But bazaars carry the same meaning, because it is a living organism, it is a place around which the whole city life is concentrated.
The location of a bazaar—especially one that has existed for centuries—carries an aura of inviolability. It largely defines how urban space functions, shaping the flow of people, their daily routines, and the routes they follow.
Changes are inevitable and needed. Yet it remains to be seen how, in the pursuit of renewal and tourist appeal, the city can avoid destroying one of its key spaces—a place that plays a crucial role in the daily lives of its residents.
Chorsu Market, Tashkent, 2024
