Department of Culture

As we walk further, notice how straight this street is. That is no accident. When architects planned Navoi Avenue in 1943, they had to cut a straight road through a labyrinth of old mud-brick alleys. While laying out the street, they oriented themselves by existing buildings. And one of those "beacons" was the Central Telegraph building that you see now. It was precisely by its facade that the so-called "red line" was aligned-the building boundary for the entire avenue. In style, the Telegraph is similar to the Chirchikstroy building we saw earlier. It is strict European classics. Symmetry, pilasters, a clear window rhythm. No playing with the East. This is a serious and businesslike building. But if we walk a little further, the mood of the street changes again. Look at the building right after the one with columns-that is the Ministry of Culture. It was built right after the war, in 1949, by architects Sidorov and Yakushev. And here we see once again an attempt to cross West and East. On one hand, a powerful classical portico like a palace. On the other hand, look closely at the details. The arches here are not round, but pointed upward. The cornices are decorated with a pattern resembling stalactites. This building echoes that very same Ministry of Agriculture by the Ankhor River that we talked about at the beginning.