One of the most amazing and educational places in Tashkent is the State Museum of Applied Arts and the History of Craftsmanship of Uzbekistan. The museum houses more than 7,000 examples of folk applied art: embroideries, skullcaps, jewelry, carpets, ceramics, chasing, knives, fabrics, and other items of craftsmanship. 

The museum's exhibits are conditionally divided into three groups: works created based on ancient traditions; works by 20th-century masters; and creations by contemporary artist-craftsmen. 

All the museum's exhibits are unique, but the building itself and its history are no less interesting. 

Before the revolution, this was an alley off Shelkovichnaya Street (later named after Herman Lopatin, now Yunus Rajabi Street). After the revolution, the street was named in honor of Commissar Shpilkov, who was executed during the Osipov Revolt; now it is called Rakatboshi. 

The house was built by merchant and commerce advisor Nikolai Ivanovich Ivanov—not far from his own brewery. 

In 1896, Ivanov sold the house to diplomat Alexander Alexandrovich Polovtsov, who had arrived in Tashkent as a special assignments official of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He was sent here to study the state of resettlement affairs in Central Asia and the Transcaucasus. 

The house was rebuilt in an Eastern style—it was a rare example of combining Russian architecture with decorative elements in local traditions. The best masters decorated the walls with ganch, installed columns with wood carvings, and painted the walls and ceilings with ornaments. 

In 1909, Polovtsov donated his house to the city. During World War I, barracks were placed here for captured Austrian officers. In the 1930s, Polovtsov's mansion was turned into an orphanage for Kazakh orphan children who had fled en masse from famine. From 1937, the House of Handicrafts Museum was located in the building, and in 1960 it received the name "Permanent Exhibition of Applied Arts of Uzbekistan." 

In 1997, the museum came under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Uzbekistan and received the status of "State Museum of Applied Arts." 

On December 20, 2017, a government resolution was issued "On the Organization of the State Museum of the History of Applied Arts and Craftsmanship of Uzbekistan," clarifying its name and tasks. 

Few people remember all the historical facts, but old-timers still habitually call the museum "Polovtsov House." 

All the vicissitudes of this amazing building are remembered by the huge oak tree growing in the museum courtyard—be sure to stroke this "veteran" with your palm when visiting. 

The address is simple: Rakatboshi Street, 15.