366). CULTURAL Characteristic FOUR: Hospitality. An essential part of the Uzbek cultural heritage is hospitality. The country is located at the crossroads where trade routes pass through opening up the door to Central Asia. Many villages had oasis facilities and so caravans passing through would stop and use the hospitality of people in small villages where there was water, shade and rest. The "Silk Road" runs right through Uzbekistan. The hospitality that was shown to these caravans was in the form of safety from the dangers of the road, a place to sleep, food and water for the camels, hot tea, food, and graciousness, according to Central Asian Cultures.

The route through Uzbekistan is called the Silk Road because on many of the "complex overland routes gained their name from the most famous of luxury items" to pass through -- and that was silk (www.centralasiacultures.com/silkroad). It was not just silk that passed through the Silk Road routes; also traders from the west carried other precious commodities like metals, stones, ivory and glass. Traders from the east passing through the Uzbek communities on the Silk Road brought furs, ceramics, jade, iron, along with fruits and vegetables from the rich forest lands or Central Asia (carrots, pomegranates, carrots, apricots and apples, to name a few). The cultural tradition of hospitality continues today in this region.

The "Uzbek Tea Ceremony" is a formal and culturally well-established ritual of hospitality, according to Central Asian Cultures Web site. A hostess serves tea and a traditional snack. The tea is brewed fresh while the guest is present; it is poured from the teapot into a ceramic cup "and then returned to the teapot three times," which allows the "full flavor and aroma of the tea to develop" (Central Asian Cultures). The fourth...

The teahouses that offer hospitality in Uzbekistan are called "chaikhanas"; men get together in these teahouses, chat, joke, and even cook pilaw (rice with meat and vegetables) or kazan kabob (fried meat with potatoes).
CULTURAL Characteristic FIVE: handicrafts: Yesterday and today a big part of the Uzbek cultural tradition involves the production of wonderful handcrafted items of silk, jewelry, ceramics, stone and wood carvings, metal engraving, leather stamping, calligraphy and miniature painting. The tourist industry is a big part of Uzbekistan's economy, and people come from all over the world to view and purchase these handcrafted items mentioned above. In addition tourists are fascinated with Uzbekistani carpet weaving, embroidery -- including gold embroidery (Embassy of Uzbekistan). The lively bazaars in Uzbekistan feature craftspeople actually creating ceramics, carpet weaving, embroidery, etc., on the spot.

Works Cited

Adams, Laura L. (1999). Invention, Institutionalization and Renewal in Uzbekistan's National

Culture. European Journal of Cultural Studies, 2(3), 355-373.

Central Asia Cultures. (2010). Uzbekistan -- Uzbek Culture, Customs and Traditions. Retrieved June 4, 2010, from http://www.centralasiacultures.com/uzbekistan.

Djumaev, Alexander. (2005). Musical Heritage and National Identity in Uzbekistan.

Ethnomusicology Forum, 14(2), 165-184.

Embassy of Uzbekistan to the United States. (2010). About Uzbekistan: Culture and Traditions.

Retrieved June 4, 2010, from http://www.uzbekistan.org/uzbekistan/culture/.