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

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Karshi is a working regional capital in the hot south, and most travellers pass through on the way between Bukhara and Termez. Its old core is small but real: two mosques, a madrasa, a bathhouse and a bazaar, from the time when the town was the second city of the Emirate of Bukhara. The name Karshi means 'palace' and comes from a palace built here by a Mongol khan in the 14th century; before that the town was Nasaf. About an hour and a half on foot; in summer it is over 40 degrees by noon, so go early or late.

A short history of Karshi

In the Middle Ages the city was called Nakhshab and later Nasaf, and several Muslim scholars who bore the name al-Nasafi came from here. The name Karshi, "palace" in Mongolian, arose in the 14th century, when the Mongol khan Kebek built a palace here. The city was one of the centres of the Emirate of Bukhara until its end in 1920. Today it is the capital of Qashqadaryo Region and an industrial city based on natural gas.

The 8 best sights in Karshi

1
Kok Gumbaz Mosque
The blue-domed mosque at the heart of the old town
2
Odina Mosque and Madrasa
The town's other old mosque, with a small museum
3
Kilichboy Madrasa
Early 20th-century madrasa a few steps from Odina
4
Old Bathhouse
Domed brick hammam of the old town
5
Erkurgan
The walls of ancient Nakhshab, 15 minutes north-west; little shade
6
Kashkadarya Riverside Park
Evening walk by the river north-east of the old town
7
Grieving Mother Memorial
War memorial in the new town; quiet and shaded
8
Islam Karimov Monument
Statue of the first president on Mustaqillik Street

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Tours in Karshi →

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 Karshi:

Free walking tours in Karshi

Old Nasaf

Kok Gumbaz Mosque · The 'blue dome' mosque was built in the late 16th century, when the Shaybanid khans of Bukhara ruled the region. Its dome stands on a high drum, so it rises above the flat roofs of the old town.
Odina Mosque and Madrasa · Odina comes from the Persian word for Friday, and this was the town's Friday mosque in the 16th century. Today it houses a small museum of local history, and the park around it was laid out after independence.
Kilichboy Madrasa · Built in the early 20th century, it is one of the last madrasas raised in the Emirate of Bukhara before the Bolsheviks took over in 1920. Soon after, almost all such schools were closed.
Old Bathhouse · Hammams like this one were heated by a fire under the floor, the hot air running through channels beneath the stone. In a town without running water they were where everyone washed, and their domes kept the steam in.
Dehqon Bazaar · Karshi lies at the centre of the Kashkadarya region, whose name means 'river of the Kashka'. The bazaar gathers the produce of its oases: melons and pomegranates from the plain, walnuts and dried fruit from the mountain villages to the east.
Nasaf quarter · Medieval Nasaf produced a line of Islamic scholars known as al-Nasafi. The best known, Abu Hafs Umar al-Nasafi, wrote a short creed in the 12th century that is still taught in religious schools from Turkey to India.

River and new town

South of the old centre, Soviet Karshi was laid out on a grid of wide streets, parks and memorials, and this is where most of the town now lives and eats. The route starts by the Kashkadarya, the river that made the oasis, and ends with a lamb dinner cooked in a tandoor. It is easiest by taxi, with short walks at each stop. Do it in the evening, when the town comes out into the parks.

Kashkadarya Riverside Park · The Kashkadarya comes down from the Zarafshan and Hisor mountains, but nearly all its water is taken for fields along the way. Below Karshi it fades into the steppe and no longer reaches the Amu Darya.
Grieving Mother Memorial · Statues of a grieving mother stand in towns across Uzbekistan for the men lost in the Second World War. The republic sent well over a million soldiers to the front, and hundreds of thousands did not come back.
Islam Karimov Monument · Before he became the country's first president, Islam Karimov ran the Kashkadarya region as its Communist Party chief in the late 1980s. From Karshi he was promoted to lead the whole republic in 1989.
Yangi Bazaar · Yangi means 'new', and almost every Uzbek town has a Yangi bozor beside its old one. In summer look for the small, very sweet Kashkadarya melons sold from trucks at the entrance.
Karshi Station · Karshi is the railway junction of the south: one line runs to Termez on the Afghan border, another north to Kitob and Shahrisabz, and the main line west to Bukhara and Tashkent.
Chorsu tandir · Tandir go'sht is lamb lowered into a sealed tandoor, often on a bed of juniper branches, and left for hours until it falls from the bone. In the south it is a dish for guests and Fridays, and it is sold by the kilo.

Nakhshab and the gas steppe

Around Karshi lies the Karshi steppe: flat, hot and, until the 1970s, mostly empty. Today it is cotton fields watered by a canal from the Amu Darya, gas fields, an air base with a recent history, and the ruins of the city that stood here before Karshi. This is a car route of about 150 km, with long straight roads and few services. Fill the tank in town, carry water, and do not photograph the air base.

Erkurgan · Erkurgan was the capital of ancient Nakhshab, inhabited for well over a thousand years before the Arab conquest. Its earth walls run for several kilometres, and digs inside them have found a citadel, palaces and temples.
Taxis to Bukhara and Samarkand · Karshi sits on the old road from Bukhara south to Termez and the Amu Darya crossing into Afghanistan. Trucks heading for the Afghan border pass through here day and night.
Karshi-Khanabad Air Base · From 2001 to 2005 the United States used this Soviet-built base, known to American troops as K2, for operations in Afghanistan. Uzbekistan ordered them out in 2005, after the West criticised the killing of protesters in Andijan.
Kasbi · The fields around Kasbi are watered by the Karshi Main Canal, which takes water from the Amu Darya and lifts it uphill through a chain of giant pumping stations. Before the canal opened in the 1970s, this was dry steppe grazed by sheep.
Shurtan Gas Chemical Complex · The Shurtan gas field south of Karshi is one of the largest in Uzbekistan, and the chemical complex built on it in 2001 turns gas into polyethylene. Its flares are visible at night from far across the steppe.
Kok Gumbaz Mosque · Back in town, the blue dome is the end of the route. Karshi was the seat of the heir to the Emir of Bukhara in the 19th century, and its mosques were kept up as a sign of the emirate's second city.

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Getting to Karshi and getting around

Karshi International Airport · Domestic and a few Russian flights, 15 minutes south of the centre
Karshi Station · Trains to Tashkent, Termez and Shahrisabz; the station is south of the centre
Taxis to Bukhara and Samarkand · Shared taxis gather on the northern bypass; pay per seat

Cheap eats in Karshi

Karshi eats like the hot south of Uzbekistan: tandoor-roasted lamb at lunch, plov in the teahouses and shashlik at night. Meals are cheap and filling; the heat means locals eat lunch late and dinner later. Pay in som cash.

Chorsu tandir · Tandoor lamb by weight, about 150,000-200,000 som a kilo
Bahrom Bobo · Teahouse plov near the old town, about 30,000 som
Ustosh Osh · Plov at lunch only, about 30,000-40,000 som
Aziz's Uyghur Lagman · Hand-pulled Uyghur lagman, about 25,000-35,000 som
Qarshi Chayxonasi · Tea, bread and shashlik, a skewer about 10,000-15,000 som
Zavtrak 7:00 · Breakfast from seven, eggs and pastries around 30,000 som

Museums in Karshi

Odina Mosque and Madrasa · Small local history museum inside
Kok Gumbaz Mosque · Working mosque; outside prayer times
Kilichboy Madrasa · A short look at the courtyard
Erkurgan · Open site; go in the early morning

Nature and day trips near Karshi

Kashkadarya Riverside Park · Evening walk by the water
Odina Park · Shade beside the old mosque
Kasbi · Canal country west of town

Things to do in Karshi with kids

Kashkadarya Riverside Park · Rides and ice cream on summer evenings
Grieving Mother Memorial · Shaded square for a calm break
Yangi Bazaar · Melons and sweets to choose

Where to eat in Karshi

Navruz · Uzbek restaurant near the old town
Sardoba · Dinner on Mustaqillik Street
Oazis · Garden restaurant in the new town
Il Cappuccino · Coffee and cake when tea is not enough
Beer House · Beer and grilled meat late into the evening

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Frequently asked questions about Karshi

What is there to see in Karshi?

The top sights in Karshi are Kok Gumbaz Mosque, Odina Mosque and Madrasa and Kilichboy Madrasa. The full list on this page has 8 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Karshi?

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

Is there a free walking tour in Karshi?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Karshi, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Old Nasaf.

How do you get to Karshi and get around?

The main ways are Karshi International Airport, Karshi Station and Taxis to Bukhara and Samarkand. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Karshi, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Karshi 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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