Uzbekistan is a central Asian country. It was one of the soviet socialist republics. The country is known for its great mosques, mausoleums, and other great sites linked to the Silk Road. The Silk Road is, of course, the ancient major trade route between China and the Mediterranean.
Those are the generally known facts. Here now are the generally less or unknown facts. And these, you will definitely find really amazing. Here are a few examples: why are their communications a bit hard to understand? What does time mean to Uzbeks? What things must a woman not do if she wants to keep her reputation? And why must you not fill a guest’s cup of tea more than half-full at a time?
The answers to all these and lots more are in the following 10 amazing facts about Uzbekistan. Happy reading!
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Capital: Tashkent
President: Shavkat Mirziyoyev
Government: Unitary Presidential Republic
Language: Uzbek
Population: 31,576,400 (2016 Estimate)
Currency: Uzbekistan Som (UZS)
Amazing Facts About Uzbekistan
1. General Greeting
Greeting generally men and men, women and women, men and women, take the same pattern. They shake hands and/or do an arm grip. Women who are very close also exchange kisses. But the most prominent feature is the bunch of 5 to 6 questions. What is amazing is: do not expect responses; it is only polite to ask. Just ask about family, marriage, health, children, etc.
2. Communication Style
Communications style of the Uzbeks is overtly indirect. There are lots of innuendoes and underlying meanings that you would have to sift through. This is because conversations tend to be some kind of winding road that does not directly lead to the destination.
3. No Personal Space
Uzbeks hardly keep personal space when in conversation with each other. Men would have their arms on the other person’s shoulder nearly throughout their conversation. Women would do the same with women. But it is amazing that in cross-sex conversations, there is strictly no touching.
4. General View of Time
Uzbeks view time as meant for man and not the other way round. No one cares whether there is a schedule or there isn’t. The rampant unemployment contributes to this also. People can just sit around drinking tea or vodka for hours. People also drop in unannounced.
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5. What a Woman Must Avoid
In Uzbekistan, a woman who wants her reputation intact would not do any of the following, be it in public or in private:
- Drinking too much alcohol
- Staying out later than 9pm
- Walking about in the dark
Is that amazing, or what?!
6. Women are Usually Escorted
It is the responsible thing for a responsible woman to be escorted to places. A woman walking out all by herself does not get much respect. There may not be a moral code that says a woman must not walk all alone. But it is viewed as morally better for her to be escorted.
7. Skirts and Long Hair
Women wear skirts and keep their hair long. Especially in the rural areas, it is hard to see a woman wearing trousers. And it is rarely seen for a woman to live alone. What is amazing is that, if she does, tongues would wag as to her morality and marriagability.
8. Cups Only Half-full
When you are a host to someone, it is your duty to fill their cups with for the whole time they are with you. What you must not do, however, is to fill their cup more than half-full. If you do that as a mistake, say it is a mistake immediately. Doing it means you want them to leave. Wow! Amazing, right?
9. Use of Respectful Suffixes
To Uzbeks, respect means a whole lot. For this reason they love it if, even as foreigners, you endeavour to add the respectful suffix opa after a woman’s name; and aka after a man’s. Example: Linda-opa and David-aka. You could also use hon and jon respectively.
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10. Horrible Prisons
Uzbek prisons are very horrible places to ever want to be. The country is known to rank very low when it comes to respect for human rights. Therefore, it is in your best interest to avoid whatever is unlawful and keep from staying even a day in prison.
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