Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan and Central Asia's premier metropolis, betrays little of its 2,000-year history as a crossroads of ancient trade routes.This modern city of 2.1 million people, the fourth largest in the CIS after Moscow, St. Peterburg and Kiev, holds much to arrest the curious traveler, from imposing squares, monumental architecture and fine museums, to the mud-brick maze of the old Uzbek town, autumn colors on dappled poplar lanes and the sweet spray of fountains on burning summer days. The Tashkent oasis lies on the Chirchik river, within sight of the foothills of the western Tian Shan. Tashkent's citizens are justifiably proud of their metro, Central Asia's first and bursting with decorative intent. Construction began in 1972 and extension of 30 kilometers makes metro the most convenient way to traverse the city and cool escape from melting avenues. Cotton is a common motif, from the mosaics of Pakhtakor( cotton workers), to the boll lamps of Uzbekistan; cupolas drip with gold leaf at Alisher Navoi, while Kosmonavtlar offers ceramic discs of cosmonauts floating in a spectral sea. Old Tashkent is the famous part of the city . Buried deep in institutes and factories north of Navoi's museum and street are three mausoleums dating back to the 15th century.