Gulistan: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

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Gulistan is a working regional capital, not a sight: wide Soviet streets, a university, two bazaars and a quiet centre. Until 1961 it was called Mirzachul, the local name of the Hungry Steppe around it, and its new name means 'land of flowers' — a statement about what irrigation did here. This short loop is for the evening you arrive or the morning you leave. About an hour on foot, plus a taxi to the farmers' bazaar.

A short history of Gulistan

The city arose in the first half of the 20th century in the Hungry Steppe, an arid plain between Tashkent and Jizzakh that irrigation turned into cotton fields. It was first called Mirzachul, and in 1961 it was renamed Gulistan, "land of flowers". Today it is the capital of Sirdaryo Region, a small, young city that lives from the farming around it.

The 9 best sights in Gulistan

1
Syrdarya Regional Museum
The one real museum in town; worth half an hour on how the steppe was farmed
2
St Nicholas Church
A small Orthodox church, a trace of the Russian settlers of the steppe
3
Guliston Friday Mosque
The main mosque; visitors welcome outside prayer times
4
Xotira Maydoni
The town's memorial square, with shade and benches at the centre
5
Syr Darya River
The great river of Central Asia, half an hour north
6
Sardoba Reservoir
A large steppe reservoir half an hour west; mostly a drive-by view
7
Farhad Hydro Plant
Near Shirin, 45 minutes south-east, where the river leaves the mountains
8
Bekobod
Steel town on the Tajik border; the road east to the Fergana side
9
Yangiyer
The next town south on the M39 towards Jizzakh

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What is an audio walk?

Tours in Gulistan →

A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Gulistan:

Free walking tours in Gulistan

A steppe capital in an hour

Syrdarya Regional Museum · The Hungry Steppe was almost empty desert until canals from the Syr Darya were dug, first under the Russian Empire and on a huge scale in Soviet times. The museum's photographs of canal builders and cotton fields show how recent this whole landscape is.
Xotira Maydoni · Squares named Xotira, 'memory', exist in almost every Uzbek town and honour the men who did not return from the Second World War. Uzbekistan sent hundreds of thousands to the front, and the 9th of May is still marked here as Memory and Honour Day.
St Nicholas Church · Russian and Ukrainian peasants were settled in the Hungry Steppe from the late 19th century to farm the newly watered land. Their descendants are few now, but the church still serves the Orthodox families who stayed.
Guliston Friday Mosque · In Soviet times most mosques in Uzbekistan were closed or turned into stores and clubs. The Friday mosques of the steppe towns went up after independence in 1991, often with money collected from the neighbourhood.
Clothes Bazaar · Look for the atlas and adras fabrics, the silk and cotton ikat with blurred patterns that Uzbek women wear at weddings. They are woven mostly in Margilan in the Fergana Valley and sold in every bazaar of the country.
Dehqon Bazaar · Mirzachul melons, from the steppe around Gulistan, are famous across Uzbekistan for their sweetness; the hot dry summers and irrigated soil suit them. In August and September they are stacked in hills here, and sellers cut one open to let you taste.

Across the Hungry Steppe

South and west of Gulistan the steppe stretches flat to the Kazakh border, cut by canals and cotton fields. This drive follows the railway and the M39 through the towns that grew up on them, to the reservoir that burst in 2020. There is little to enter and a lot to see from the road: fields, canals and the shape of a landscape made by engineers. Allow two to three hours by car; take water, there are long empty stretches.

Guliston Station · The railway from Samarkand reached Tashkent in 1899, crossing the Hungry Steppe on the way. For decades the line was the only way across this empty land, and towns along it began as stations.
Shared taxi and minibus stand · Shared taxis, called simply 'taxi' and paid per seat, are how most Uzbeks travel between towns. The driver leaves when all four seats are sold; you can buy the empty ones to go at once.
Xovos · Khavast is a railway junction: here the line towards Bekobod and the Fergana Valley leaves the main Tashkent–Samarkand track. For most of the 20th century it was the gateway by rail to the whole eastern half of the country.
Yangiyer · Yangiyer means 'new land' in Uzbek, and it is one of the towns built from scratch in the Soviet push to turn the steppe into cotton fields. Its straight grid of streets was drawn on an empty map.
Sardoba · A sardoba is a domed brick cistern, built along the old caravan roads to keep water cool and clean in the desert. The district took the name of the structure that once meant survival on this steppe.
Sardoba Reservoir · On 1 May 2020 part of the new Sardoba dam gave way, and the flood swept through villages downstream and on into Kazakhstan. Tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border were evacuated, and the dam was later rebuilt.

Up the Syr Darya

Everything around Gulistan depends on one river. The Syr Darya comes out of the Fergana Valley, is dammed for power near Shirin, and flows north past the steppe towards the Aral Sea. This route touches it at both ends: the dams and the steel town in the south-east and the old crossing near Chinaz in the north. It is a full half day by car; the road to Bekobod runs close to the Tajik border, so carry your passport.

Bekobod · The Uzbek steelworks at Bekobod was founded during the Second World War, in 1944, when industry was being moved east out of reach of the German army. It is still the country's main steel plant.
Farhad Hydro Plant · The Farhad dam and power plant were built between 1943 and 1948, much of the digging done by tens of thousands of collective-farm workers called up for the job. It is named after Farhad, the hero of a Persian legend who cut through a mountain for love.
Syrdarya Thermal Power Station · The gas-fired station at Shirin is the largest power plant in Uzbekistan, and its chimneys are visible from far across the flat land. The town of Shirin grew up around it in the 1970s.
Syr Darya River · The Syr Darya runs for more than 2,000 kilometres from the Tien Shan to the Aral Sea. So much of its water is taken for cotton along the way that for years it barely reached the sea, one of the causes of the Aral's collapse.
Sirdaryo · The town of Sirdaryo stands on the left bank of the river that gives both it and the whole region its name. North of here the Hungry Steppe gives way to the old irrigated oasis of Tashkent.
Chinoz · Chinaz stands close to where the Chirchiq, the river of Tashkent, flows into the Syr Darya. Before bridges, this was one of the main ferry crossings on the road between Tashkent and Samarkand.

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Getting to Gulistan and getting around

Guliston Station · On the Tashkent–Samarkand line; the fast trains often skip it, so check before booking
Shared taxi and minibus stand · Minibuses and shared taxis to Tashkent and Jizzakh leave when full

Cheap eats in Gulistan

Gulistan is a place to eat simply and cheaply on the road. The local plates are the national ones: plov, lagman, shashlik and somsa, with round non bread from the tandoor. In late summer, the best thing in town is a Mirzachul melon from the bazaar, eaten in the car.

Lagman Haus · Hand-pulled lagman on the Jizzakh road, about 25,000-35,000 som
Farovon Kafe · Plov or shashlik in the centre, about 30,000-40,000 som
Fayz · Simple Uzbek dishes, a main around 25,000-35,000 som
Chorraha · Tea, somsa and quick plates near the museum, around 20,000 som
Hot bread bakery · Round non straight from the tandoor, about 4,000-5,000 som

Museums in Gulistan

Syrdarya Regional Museum · History and crafts of the region; half an hour
St Nicholas Church · Small and quiet; modest dress
Guliston Friday Mosque · Outside prayer times; women cover their hair
Xotira Maydoni · War memorial square in the centre

Nature and day trips near Gulistan

Syr Darya River · Wide, brown and slow; a stop on the way north
Sardoba Reservoir · Big open water in the flat steppe; view from the road
Farhad Hydro Plant · Where the river leaves the hills; 45 minutes away
Sirdaryo · Riverside town north of Gulistan

Things to do in Gulistan with kids

Town park · Shade, swings and ice cream in the centre
Dehqon Bazaar · Let the children pick a melon; sellers cut a slice to taste
Guliston Station · Watch the long freight trains pass
Burger 24 · When the children have had enough plov

Where to eat in Gulistan

Syrdarya Fish · Fried river fish with bread and onions
Restoran ASR · A proper sit-down dinner
Bukhara Kafe · Plov and grills in the evening
Registon · Uzbek dishes and shashlik
Vatan · Local favourite on Islam Karimov Street

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Frequently asked questions about Gulistan

What is there to see in Gulistan?

The top sights in Gulistan are Syrdarya Regional Museum, St Nicholas Church and Guliston Friday Mosque. The full list on this page has 9 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Gulistan?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Gulistan without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Gulistan?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Gulistan, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: A steppe capital in an hour.

How do you get to Gulistan and get around?

The main ways are Guliston Station and Shared taxi and minibus stand. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Gulistan, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Gulistan that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.

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