Ceiling of the Museum of Applied Arts in Tashkent, Tashkent, Republic of Uzbekistan, unknown photographer, source: eurasia.travel. Possibly the best-looking museum in Tashkent, the Museum of Applied Arts is situated in the former home of Imperial Russian diplomat Alexander Polovtsev. This museum is as popular for its setting as for its many beautiful exhibits. Polovtsev was an avid collector of handicrafts and his personal possessions still form the heart of the museum’s superb collection of decorative arts. Tsarist diplomat expressed his appreciation of Uzbek architecture by having his residence built by masters from Bukhara, Samarkand, Khiva, Ferghana and Tashkent. He was transferred before completion in 1907, so never saw the finished courtyard of verandas and reception halls, vibrant with colour, ganch and wooden carving. The first public exhibition was held here in 1927, and it was classified as a national collection a decade later, source: eurasia.travel.
