Uzbekistan, like Texas, is kind of a whole other country

Aug. 5, Anthony Elia, director of Bridwell Library and associate dean for Special Collections and Academic Publishing at SMU Dallas, for a commentary highlighting similarities between Texas and Uzbekistan, where he recently traveled. Published in the Dallas Morning News under the heading Uzbekistan, like Texas, is kind of a whole other county: https://bit.ly/3SsNk4e

The first time I came to Dallas it reminded me of Beijing. It was a skyline brimming with distinct new architecture, a city full of tall buildings brightly lit at night, and a metropolis entangled with twisting overpasses and thoroughfares dense with traffic, very much like the Chinese capital. Now having lived here for several years, I have been struck by the intriguing similarities Dallas shares with another part of the world — Uzbekistan and its capital, Tashkent.

I spent most of May traveling more than 2,000 miles around the Central Asian nation, touring ancient sites, visiting unique museums, and exploring vibrant bazaars. I observed a culture that is both distinct and remarkable, and enjoyed the most delicious and fresh varieties of meats and produce I have ever tasted, everything from Texas-style cuts of beef on skewers to marble-shaped strawberries and fragrant white mulberries.

By Anthony Elia

The landlocked country is one of the lesser known spots on earth for tourists, foreign to most Americans as one of the elusive “-stans”. Among its southern neighbors is Afghanistan, known to most of us through our longest war. Yet the social and cultural atmosphere of Uzbekistan is strikingly different from the images of an embattled land far from our own lives halfway around the world. Uzbekistan has become a versatile nation, experiencing great economic strides and making huge advances in infrastructure and urban development. In recent years, the country has oriented its tourism toward the ancient Silk Road, which has long been part of its identity.

In surprising ways, Uzbekistan shares several similarities with North Texas — a climate nearly identical to Dallas, dry and hot with impetuous but infrequent rain; long-term attempts at water control and drought mitigation; busy highways clogged with traffic and frustrated drivers trying to push forward; proud displays of national identity, including the regular showing of flags; a state which has become known for its regional independence and economic growth, while also being a magnet for capitalist investment and enterprise; and a hub of social and political activity that may seem contrasting and misunderstood, but certainly not without energy and purpose. Within all of this, there is an exploding construction market — luxury high-rises and midrange new builds dominate the expansive city space, much like the limitless acreage of single-family homes that have been swelling DFW’s suburbs in recent years.

The environmental parallels between Texas and Uzbekistan are most apparent in the relationship to water, how it has been managed, harnessed and irrigated. In climates where temperatures soar into the triple digits, both places have required deep interventions and creative solutions. Uzbekistan is home to the Aral Sea — a once thriving commercial fishing zone, which has become one of the greatest environmental disasters of the 20th century, as nearly 90% of the inland sea has dried up since the 1960s due to irrigation mismanagement and other factors. Still today, there is an impending water crisis in Central Asia. And in North Texas, we only need to look north to see our best efforts in dealing with water issues, by adapting new reservoirs near the city of Bonham and Bois d’Arc Lake, where population growth demands adaptability and more water.

Tashkent is most like Dallas in its expansive space, growth and attraction to investors and new residents seeking economic opportunities. Downtown is a bustling space of social and business activity. And perhaps most remarkable are both the Soviet-era subways, which are extraordinarily beautiful and efficient, and the high-speed rail that connects several of the major cities to the west of Tashkent. The Afrosiyob line boasts a speed of approximately 155 miles per hour between major hubs and is a smooth train ride that offers a light meal and hot black tea included in the ticket, which only runs about $8.60, a fraction of what the few U.S. high-speed rails charge. In Texas, we are still years away from constructing the proposed lines between major cities.

Like Texas, Uzbekistan possesses a proud sense of its history — and yet is mindful of a past that has points of contention with the present. There is an initiative to develop museums about repression and injustice throughout the country, with such memorials in Tashkent and Andijan already. Most cities have a square dedicated to those lost in war and conflict punctuated by the same statue of a mourning mother. In Texas, the Alamo stands its own ground today as a flashpoint of telling history.

Many societies must perform a balancing act of culture, between the ancestral and modern. The streets of Tashkent are full of people wearing both traditional dress and contemporary attire or selling melons on one corner and iPhones on the next. These contrasts make one realize that while our world is indeed quite diverse, we are still very much human beings with drive, purpose, and a desire for community, whether we are here in Dallas or on the other side of the world.

Anthony J. Elia is director of Bridwell Library and associate dean for Special Collections and Academic Publishing at SMU. He wrote this for The Dallas Morning News.