Uzbek Sum (UZS; symbol лв) = 100 tiyn.
Notes are in denominations of лв1,000, 500, 200, 100, 50, 25, 10, 5, 3 and 1. Coins are in denominations of лв100, 50, 25, 10, 5 and 1, and 50, 20, 10, 5, 3 and 1 tiyn.

Currency Exchange
Ordinary tourists and business people have to pay in hard cash for hotels, hotel services and transport. The US dollar is the most widely acceptable currency here and bills are normally paid in cash. Changing money in the black markets is illegal and the penalties can be harsh. For official exchange rates, head to the banks and the currency exchange bureaus in major hotels.

Credit/Debit Cards and ATMs
Credit and debit cards are accepted in some of the major hotels in the tourist centres. Uzbekistan aims to introduce its own Visa card in the near future.
Traveller's Cheques are not accepted widely.

Banking Hours: Monday-Friday, 0900-1800 hours. Some banks are open on Saturdays from 0900 to1500 hours.

Check today's Uzbekistan Exchange Rates from OANDA.com.

Although visitors to Uzbekistan can avail of emergency health care free of charge, as in most parts of the former Soviet Union, health care here is not up to the mark. Compounding this inadequacy is the country’s serious financial problem. As a result, hospitals and doctors often expect to be paid in cash for their medical services. Basic medical supplies such as disposable needles, anaesthetics, antibiotics and vaccines are in short supply.

Therefore, it is sensible to take along with you a well-equipped first-aid kit complete with basic medicines and the prescriptions with which you need to buy them. The managing staff at your hotel will be glad to help you with any minor problems. However, if there is a medical emergency, you will need to get a referral from either the Tashkent International Medical Clinic or from the appropriate embassy. This will be a far safer route than approaching local health care facilities without the help of someone who is aware of local conditions and knows the language. If a major health problem surfaces, you are better off looking for support outside Uzbekistan. Also, don’t forget your travel insurance.

Uzbekistan is an ancient place and was already inhabited in the second millennium BC. We know this by the discovery of early man-made tools and monuments in the Tashkent, Bukhara, Ferghana, Khorezm (Khwarezm, Chorasmia) and Samarkand regions. Uzbekistan has a romantic past. In 327 BC, Alexander the Great conquered Bactria and Sogdiana, and married Roxana, daughter of a local chieftain from Bactria. In the fourteenth century AD, Timur (better known as Tamerlane in the West), conquered the Mongols and established his empire in Uzbekistan.

The nineteenth century saw the expansion of the Russian Empire into Central Asia. By the start of the twentieth century, Russia had taken over Central Asia regardless of early resistance to the Bolsheviks; Uzbekistan and the rest of Central Asia were swallowed up by the Soviet Union. The Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic was created on October 27, 1924. Uzbekistan declared independence on August 31, 1991, and marked September 1 as a national holiday. The country is developing its mineral and petroleum reserves, and it is the world’s second largest exporter of cotton today.

In Uzbekistan, you will find a wide variety of ethnic communities apart from the Uzbek majority. As of 1995, approximately 71% of the country’s population was Uzbek. The main minority groups were Russians (8%), Tajiks (5%), Kazaks (4%), Tartars (2.5%) and Karakalpaks (2%). However, it seems now that the non Uzbek population is gradually falling in number as Russian and other communities are leaving Uzbekistan. On the other hand, Uzbeks are returning to their homeland from other parts of the former Soviet Union.

The cities along The Great Silk Road, such as Samarkhand, Naryn, Bukhara and Khiva, were host to thousands of tradesmen and the many attendants who accompanied the caravans. The caravans stayed a while on their stops in the commercial capitals since it took time to store their wares, carry out trade, and then re-load for the onward journey. These tradesmen established their business relationships with care and made sure they secured the best deals. Part of the strategy involved the entertaining of guests with sumptuous fare – tables laden with a dizzying range of delicacies, all pressed upon the guest. In fact, the tradesmen and their family members never really allowed plates to get anywhere near empty.

You can see that the idea of the business lunch or dinner goes back a long way. Nothing bonded people together quite as strongly as shared food and drink, setting the stage for negotiations. The creation of such a hospitable ambience led to the transformation of a strictly business relationship into one of lasting friendship.

The days of the caravans may be over in Central Asia, but the art of hospitality and the traditions surrounding the table are alive and well. Although in the last 100 years, the Central Asian menu has had more European items added to it, the spirit of hospitality inherent in the peaceful and friendly people of Central Asia is still forging friendships round the table.

Note that it is customary to remove your shoes but not your socks when you enter someone’s home or sit in a chai-khana. Hardly anyone in Uzbekistan wears shorts and if a woman wears them, she can only expect unwelcome attention from the local males. Be wary of displaying your wealth (such as wearing jewellery) in public places. Homosexuality is illegal in Uzbekistan.