Erin Levi
To mark Uzbekistan’s Independence Day on September 1, the Central Asian country invited legendary Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli to perform at night in Samarkand’s historic Registan Square—his first concert in the ancient Silk Road city.
For Hurshid Narimov, a Samarkand-born tour guide who speaks Italian fluently, it was a sogno (dream) come true—particularly for a “ragazzo [boy] from Samarkand.”
A singer who lost his sight at 12, Bocelli experiences the world’s beauty through heart and voice—gracing grand opera houses and ancient squares alike. But performing in Registan Square on Independence Day represented something deeper: “a marvelous historical event” for modern Uzbekistan, a nation with deep cultural heritage, according to Narimov.
The evening was a grand production: The Time To Say Goodbye singer was joined on stage by the celebrated soprano Aida Garifullina, the National Symphony Orchestra of Uzbekistan, and leading choral groups. It was organized by the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation with support from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and SQB, and was framed as part of this mission to strengthen cultural ties between Uzbekistan and the global community.
While Narimov had missed Bocelli’s earlier Tashkent performance—he was guiding Silk Road travelers at the time—this time he not only attended but also served as Bocelli’s translator during press interviews. “Andrea Bocelli is much more than a great and famous singer,” Narimov said. “He has a deep respect for the arts and feels it is his mission to bring opera to places where it hasn’t been heard by the younger generation.”
Bocelli’s appearance is just one sign of Uzbekistan’s growing cultural moment. A few days later, on September 5, the historic city of Bukhara will host the inaugural Bukhara Biennial, the country’s first international art fair, spotlighting contemporary creativity alongside its storied past.
For me, this moment felt layered with meaning. I first connected with Narimov through the former New York Times 52 Places reporter, Sebastian Modak, who went to Uzbekistan after I had written about it for the paper’s “52 Places to Go” list in 2019. Narimov became his guide, and later, my friend, when I revisited Uzbekistan in 2021 and 2023. Our shared love of Italian added another bond—I studied in Samarkand myself in 2007 through a summer program run by the University of Turin, which simultaneously deepened my connections to both Uzbekistan and Italy.
So when Bocelli—an artist I’ve long admired—took the stage in Registan, it wasn’t just a concert. It was a convergence of my personal and professional worlds: an emblem of Uzbekistan’s cultural awakening, and a reminder of the friendships and discoveries that travel writing – and, above all, travel itself – makes possible.
