The State Academic Bolshoi Theatre of Uzbekistan named after Alisher Navoi

The main pride of the musical and theatrical life of the republic, the leading theater of the country, the center of attraction of theatrical and musical culture talents - all this is about the State Academic Bolshoi Theatre of Uzbekistan named after Alisher Navoi. The theater is located in the center of Tashkent, not far from the Amir Timur Square, its majestic building and numerous shady alleys always attract many citizens to relax. And the history of the creation of the theater has more than 100 years.

In 1920, a folk singer of Turkestan, an Uzbek Soviet theatrical figure, Mukhitdin Kari-Yakubov came up with the idea of creating a professional concert ethnographic ensemble. In November 1929, the ensemble was given the name of the Uzbek Musical Theater, Mukhitdin Kari-Yakubov became its director, and the dance troupe was headed by the legendary dancer, actress and choreographer Tamara Khanum. The theater did not have its own building, so its entire troupe was located in the building of the circus theater “Colosseum”, built at the beginning of the XX century by a native of Tiflis G.M. Tsintsadze. During the formative years of the theater, it was the only representative building for the functioning of the theater in Tashkent. And finally, in 1948, the Uzbek Musical Theater was renamed the Alisher Navoi Theater, and since 1966 it has been the State Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theater named after Alisher Navoi.

The construction of the building for the theater started in 1939 under the direction of architect Alexey Shchusev. During the Second World War, construction was stopped for the period from 1942 to 1944, and then continued with the participation of the best Uzbek craftsmen and Japanese prisoners of war. The completion of the construction and the grand opening of the theater took place in 1947, on the 30th anniversary of the October Revolution. 

The entrance to the theater is represented by a majestic three-arch portal, the building itself is lined with polished brick, and the base and stylobate are granite. All colonnades, pylons, window and door openings are lined with gray marble. Black marble with white stripes and golden flecks is also noticeable in the decoration.

According to Alexey Shchusev's plan, he saw the theater as a large marble casket, as in the poems of Alisher Navoi.

4 muses: painting, dance, poetry and architecture - they are the ones who, when greeting visitors, decorate the walls of the main foyer of the theater located on the ground floor. On the second floor, the walls are decorated with panels corresponding to the main characters from the poems of Alisher Navoi. So, the visitor can recognize Farhad and Shirin, Iskander on horseback, Bahram-gul and Dilyaram, Leyli and Majnun on each of them. 

According to the architect's plan, the theater contains 6 side foyers that fully reflect the architectural and artistic traditions and style of the regions of Uzbekistan: Tashkent, Khorezm, Ferghana, Termez, Samarkand and Bukhara. The Tashkent and Ferghana halls are located on the ground floor. On the second floor there are Bukhara and Samarkand halls. The peculiarity of the Bukhara Hall is its design, where traditional ganch carving superimposed on a mirror base is used. The Samarkand hall is decorated with two-layer ganch carving, which is called “islimi”, and Gazgan marble is also used in the decoration. On the third floor there are the final Termez and Khorezm halls. The Termez Hall is decorated in the same style as the palace of the ruler of Termez once was. And in the design of the Khiva hall there is a traditional wooden ganch carving.

The theater hall accommodates 1,440 people, consists of a parterre and two tiers, its design is made in pastel patterns and gilding. Architect Shchusev himself drew patterns that can be seen today on the curtains of scenes and lodges made of velvet. 

In front of the theater building there is a large fountain, which was originally designed, repeating the motifs of traditional water reservoirs.

In 1996, a memorial plaque was installed on the wall of the theater in honor of the Japanese who participated in the construction of the theater.

From 2012 to 2015, the theater underwent major reconstruction, the building and the fountain were updated, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe came to open it.

Today, the theater has gathered all the rich heritage of national and world classical theater art. Opera, ballet and children's productions are staged on the stage. The theater also cooperates widely with foreign Embassies and participates in international festivals, holds open-air festivals.

And in the evening, at the walls of the theater, vacationing citizens and guests of the capital gather on benches around the fountains.