Chapter 34
Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Michael never cared to spend a lot of time in Tashkent because it reminded him of all that had been lost in Central Asia. Home to over three million people, the heart of Tashkent was now a modern capital—big and sprawling, with high-rises, traffic jams, and numerous government institutions. Some cement-block reminders of the failed USSR’s onetime power and hold over the land could still be found, and there remained an ever-shrinking traditional Uzbek town of narrow streets lined with mud-walled houses interspersed with ornate blue-domed mosques.
The old Tashkent that Michael enjoyed had been one of the major stops along the caravan route between Europe and China. Not only was most of that gone, but even moderately aging areas were being destroyed by the n
