The city was conquered by the Arabs at the beginning of the 8th century and later became part of the possessions of various Muslim ruling lines before falling to the Mongols in the early 13th century. It was subsequently ruled by the Timurids and Shaybanids and then led an independent existence before being annexed by the khanate of Kokand in 1809. When it was captured by the Russians in 1865, it was a walled city of some 70,000 inhabitants and already a leading centre of trade with Russia. In 1867 it was made the administrative centre of the new governorate-general of Turkistan, and a new European city grew up beside the old native one. Soviet rule was established by Russian colonists in November 1917 after an armed uprising. Tashkent remained the capital of the new republic of Turkistan in the U.S.S.R., but when the latter was split in 1924, Samarkand became the first capital of the republic of Uzbekistan, U.S.S.R. The capital was transferred to Tashkent in 1930.

After World War II, the city enjoyed a golden age. It became a mecca for the film industry, a centre for the Space programme, and the chosen site for other great industrial projects. The city was rebuilt after the devastating earthquake of 1966, and became the official symbol of the friendship which existed between all peoples within the Soviet Union. It also gave a warm welcome to thousands of Greek fugitive guerilla soldiers after their defeat in the Greek Civil War (1944-1949). Most of them were obliged to live there for more than 30 years and for some this is the case today as well.

But in 1993, the Soviet Union collapsed. A new monument now stands on a site in the city which has seen no less than eleven different monuments over the century. The new monument is to Tamerlane the Great, the legendary Mongol hero of Turkistan, whose name still lives on in the hearts of the people.

Today, with a population of more than 2 million people, Tashkent is the largest industrial centre in Central Asia that manufactures modern aircrafts. Besides being industrialized, it is also the centre of cultural and artistic life. Tashkent has 20 museums and 9 theatres. One of the largest collections in Central Asia of sculptures, paintings and handicrafts is in the Uzbek Art Museum. Another museum of Applied Arts displays 30,000 exhibits of handicrafts, embroidery, and traditional jewelry.