Uzbekistan’s capital Tashkent has over 2200 years of history. Situated along the Chirchiq river and a stop on the silk road, the city of nearly 2.5 million people has been a nexus of trade in the Muslim republics. Stone City, as it directly translates, flourished during the Timurid and Shaybanid dynasties. The Soviets infused the population with their own ethnic peoples as they did with all of their holdings. Nearly 20% are ethnic Russians. In 1966 an earthquake devastated the city resulting in a newer systematic urban grid. A similar grid appears on this cover from the Soviet era with the words for the “city” and “water pipes” are written in Cyrillic. Two five pointed stars sit at the east-west quadrants and an islamic motif occupies the center. Four pick points extend at the 45s and a familiar mark is located near the southeast point.