During its time as a region within the Russian Empire and later, the Soviet Union, Uzbekistan experienced a massive political and cultural oppression, aiming to cast fear among dissidents. Fast forward to the 21st century, in the capital of the now independent country of Uzbekistan, an eye-catching memorial and museum complex pays tribute to the thousands of victims who paid the ultimate price just to keep their national heritage alive and kicking.
By: Omri Westmark
Date: 20:00 20.10.23
Last Update: 20:00 20.10.23
Sandwiched between Europe and East Asia, Uzbekistan has always been prone to incursions by its more powerful neighbors. That has culminated in the 1860’s and 1870’s, when a series of skirmishes with the Russian Empire resulted in the complete conquest of the country, followed by its incorporation into Russia’s sphere of influence.
Following the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, Uzbekistan alongside its other Central-Asian counterparts, became one of the USSR’s 15 socialist republics. Until the dissolution of the Soviet Union and its coveted independence in 1991, the Uzbek nation was subjected to a full-blown crusade to erase its culture, including mass executions, deportations and arrests.
To honor all of those who were affected by decades of Soviet and Russian occupation, a quaint memorial complex was erected in the Uzbekistani capital in 2000. Located in front of Soviet-era Tashkent Tower, the aptly named Memorial to the Victims of Repression is an Islamic-style rotunda, where a nephrite tomb serves as a sober reminder of the country’s dark chapter.
The monument sits within a 17-hectare park, which according to local historians, was the alleged site where over 13,000 people were executed in the 1930’s as part of Stalin’s endeavor to purge any political resistance across the USSR. Nesltled along the Bozsu canal, the verdant park also boasts a hefty number of flowers and cedar trees, both of which represent the suffering and sacrifice of the residents of Tashkent during these tumultuous years.
The Shahidlar Xotirasi Monument is accompanied by the nearby Museum of Victims of Political Repression, where multiple exhibits unveil some of the atrocities that transpired throughout Uzbekistan since the 19th century, when Tsarist Russia first invaded its territory.
Conspicuous by their grotesqueness among the museum’s sections is the one dedicated to the Uzbek cotton scandal. During the 1980’s, the Soviet regime conducted a large-scale purging campaign after a couple of senior local officials were found guilty of falsifying cotton production figures. Nearly 25,000 innocent peasants were indicted, while 4,500 of whom faced criminal charges.
The mass trials and political persecution against Uzbeks might be part of another era, but even three decades after the country broke free from its oppressors, these collective memories still echo within the minds of millions, for whom this memorial offers a glimmer of solace.
photography by: Omri Westmark
photography by: Omri Westmark
photography by: inga/ Wikimedia Commons
photography by: Omri Westmark
Museum of Victims of Political Repression
photography by: Omri Westmark
Tashkent Tower as seen from the memorial park
photography by: Omri Westmark
