One of the country’s main concert and ceremonial halls, the “Friendship of Peoples” Palace was opened in 1981 and has since remained at the center of the capital’s cultural life. Here, Tashkent residents have seen hundreds of world pop stars. The palace has also hosted and continues to host international political and state events.

The palace’s design was approved by the republic’s leader Sharaf Rashidov, who regularly visited the construction site.

The head of the Moscow architects’ group, Yevgeniy Rozanov, managed to create a building of unique shape reminiscent of archaeological finds from Varakhsha and Kampir-Qala. The base of the structure is a square, and all four facades feature identical decoration and design. According to experts’ recollections, Tashkent architects were skeptical about transferring the project to the Central Research Institute of Experimental Design, but in the end, the city received a truly unique structure — with elements of Eastern style interpreted by Moscow architects.

After a recent reconstruction, the palace hall seats 3,968 spectators.

The “Friendship of Peoples” Palace serves as the compositional center of an extensive architectural ensemble that includes the eponymous square with a giant flag of Uzbekistan, fountains, and a sculptural composition in memory of the blacksmith family of Shaahmed Shamakhmudov, who sheltered orphans during the war.

In 2008, the palace was renamed the “Istiqlol Palace of Arts,” but in 2018, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev restored its historic name. That same year, the monument to the Shamakhmudov family was returned to its original location in front of the palace.