Tashkent is home to an icon of Soviet modernism. The white marble cube was built in 1970 as the Lenin Museum, before becoming the State Museum of the History of Uzbekistan following the collapse of the USSR. Today, the building is one of the country’s most important examples of 20th-century architecture. In 2026, its significance was recognised by UNESCO.
A marble structure suspended above the ground
The imposing building on Sharafa Rashidov Avenue was constructed between 1969 and 1970 to a design by Yevgeny Rozanov and Vsevolod Shestopalov. The construction was treated as a project of particular significance, intended to commemorate the centenary of Vladimir Lenin’s birth and to house the Tashkent branch of the Central Lenin Museum. It is the very form of the building that makes the greatest impression on the viewer. The simple, almost cubic structure is clad in light, slightly pink marble, and the heavy mass is visually raised above the recessed section housing the entrance. Large glazed sections at the base enhance the effect of the building appearing to float in the air. UNESCO recognises the building as an exceptional example of Soviet modernism with local references.
Panjara instead of typical Soviet decoration
What sets the museum building apart is its façade, and more specifically its openwork sunshades. Their geometric pattern draws on the panjara, traditional latticework found in Central Asian architecture. In old houses and palaces, these screens protected interiors from the harsh sun and ensured privacy. This traditional motif has been scaled up to the size of the entire building. The regular grid of light-coloured screens creates a striking interplay of light and shadow on the façades. Soviet modernism was thus given a local voice, whilst prefabrication and curtain walls were combined with a motif derived from Uzbekistan’s indigenous architecture. The building was constructed a few years after the tragic 1966 Tashkent earthquake, during a period of intensive reconstruction of the city, and therefore also took into account the climate and high seismic activity of the region.
From the Lenin Museum to the Museum of the History of Uzbekistan
The building’s original interiors conveyed a completely different atmosphere to today’s exhibition. The Lenin Museum was a site of the Soviet cult of personality, with the figure of the revolutionary leader as the central element of the exhibition programme. The high entrance hall, large exhibition halls and light-coloured materials created an interior of an almost ceremonial scale. Following Uzbekistan’s regaining of independence in 1991, the building’s function underwent a complete transformation. In 1992, the former Lenin Museum building was taken over by the State Museum of the History of Uzbekistan, which dates back to 1876. Between 1999 and 2003, major interior works were carried out, adding decorations inspired by Uzbek art, including ganchkorlik motifs, carved wood and murals.
Hundreds of thousands of artefacts under one roof
Today, the museum ranks among the most important institutions dedicated to the history of Uzbekistan. Its collection comprises over 300,000 items, including more than 70,000 archaeological artefacts, over 100,000 coins and more than 18,000 ethnographic objects. The exhibition halls showcase artefacts relating to the ancient cultures of Central Asia, the Silk Road, Islam, the Timurids, the khanates of Khiva, Kokand and Bukhara, and the history of the 20th and 21st centuries. Following two years of renovation work, the museum reopened on 24 July 2026. The modernisation, which began in 2024, included, amongst other things, the replacement of outdated heating and cooling systems and the restoration of marble features in need of repair. The refurbished exhibition utilises multimedia and interactive technologies to present history from the earliest civilisations to independent Uzbekistan. The Turkish studio Project Istanbul is responsible for the digital elements.
Museum of the History of Uzbekistan: Modernism recognised by UNESCO
The former Lenin Museum is one of the best-preserved examples of Tashkent modernism from the 1960s and 1970s. In July this year, ‘Tashkent Modernist Architecture. Modernity and Tradition in Central Asia’ was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The serial inscription includes ten buildings and complexes constructed during the reconstruction of Tashkent following the 1966 earthquake. UNESCO highlighted the geometric composition, prefabricated construction techniques, seismic resilience and the combination of modernist form with traditional panjara. The building, originally created for the Soviet cult of Lenin, has become a venue for showcasing Uzbekistan’s centuries-old history.
Source:whc.unesco.org,uzbekistan.travel,tashkentmodernism.uz
See also:Architecture|Modernism|History|Culture|Travel
