A large bazaar along the Great Silk Road thrived around the clock, alive with bustling, full-blooded life. It was an entire infrastructure complex, comprising caravanserais, trading rows, a bathhouse, a mosque, and, of course, numerous teahouses, known as chaikhanas.
When speaking of the chaikhana, the one praised in the song by the group Yalla, depicted on Benkov’s canvases, and carefully preserved in the public consciousness, it is worth remembering that it was a sociocultural phenomenon deeply rooted in historical reality. In the chaikhana, people did not just drink tea; destinies were decided, debates were held, and poems were read. In the absence of social media, radio, or television, people came there to exchange priceless knowledge, gossip, and news. Visiting the chaikhana was not merely a form of leisure but an important ritual that structured daily life. Upon entering a chaikhana, one could observe a social cross-section of the period, as it was a place where people from all classes and professions gathered.
People traditionally came to the bazaar with the whole family. The first stop was the bathhouse, which existed at every large market. After that, leaving household matters to their wives, the men would gather in the chaikhana to drink tea and catch up on the week’s news. Town criers came here to announce decrees issued by the city’s rulers, and performers, artisans, and craftsmen also gathered from all around. Bird fights, performances, and other cultural entertainments were held here as well.
Besides serving as a kind of urban forum, the chaikhana at the bazaar was also a hub for various culinary traditions, as people of different cultures and tastes gathered there, all of which had to be taken into account.
The Obzhornye Ryady (literally “Gluttony Rows”) are one of those large old chaikhanas that once formed the plain but essential foundation of the bazaar’s “universe.”
Today, people come to the Obzhornye Ryady at Chorsu more for the atmosphere than for news and gossip. They also come to feel the thread connecting generations. 
...Decades have greatly changed the appearance of Chorsu, even within my own memory. I remember how the dome was built when I was a child. Deep in the narrow old streets there was a bird market where cockfights and quail fights were even held. That is gone now. Traditional crafts, such as the making of furniture, beshiks, chests, and other items, have been moved to separate rows outside the bazaar. Yet they have not lost their relevance, and you can still find many interesting things.

Ildar Sadykov

Today, the Obzhornye Ryady are an iconic place for both Tashkent residents and foreign tourists. The latter are brought there in organized groups as part of Old City tours. Where people once came to rest and spend their free time on market days, the place has now become something of an open-air museum with its unmistakable authenticity and aromas.
The Obzhornye Ryady are also a culinary landmark. Many of the cooks working here come from families that have passed their recipes down through generations. In a sense, it is a historical fast-food market.
Today, locals come here less to debate philosophical ideas and more to share a quick meal with family or friends, confident in the familiar taste of well-known dishes. Yet something of the ancient chaikhana has survived into the twenty-first century. One thing is certain: it remains a space of openness, acceptance, and tolerance. A place where you are welcomed and where, along with a cup of hot tea, you receive the warmth of hospitality, no matter where you come from or where you are heading.