the capital of Uzbekistan, in the far north-east of the country in the western foothills of the Tien Shan mountains: population 2,192,700 (est. 2009). One of the oldest cities in central Asia, Tashkent was an important centre on the trade route between Europe and the Orient. It became part of the Mongol empire in the 13th century, was captured by the Russians in 1865, and replaced Samarkand as capital of Uzbekistan in 1930.