Tashkent offers ample opportunities for day trips. One of the attractions which you can see while visiting Parkent is the Institute of Sun. The drive is about 1-1.5 hours from Tashkent (depending on traffic).
Why was the Institute of Sun created?
The Institute of Sun is a scientific laboratory which is also quite unique: there are only two of such kind in the world. One is in Uzbekistan, another one in France.
Essentially, this institute contains a gigantic sun oven which can concentrate sunbeams in one point and reach temperatures of 3,000 centigrade within seconds.
The reason for creation of this institute is space exploration. Back during the times of Soviet Union, scientists were very interested in exploring materials which would not be destroyed in space under various temperatures and conditions. For example, they wanted to imitate the low pressure of Mars or vacuum in space. They needed a place where they could test the materials which would eventually be used for constructing space shuttles.
Soviet scientists developed several criteria for selection of the location. It needed to be in a place where sunlight was abundant during a large part of the year. It also needed to be located on a high rock. Out of all the candidates within the vast Soviet Union, the Parkent area near Tashkent emerged as the winner. The sunlight here is available 300 days of the year.
The construction of the sun oven began in 1981. The Institute facilities were completed in 1987 and it started work then.
Changes in the Institute’s work
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, a lot of things changed. For a while, the institute was deprived of any financing. Given the development stage of Uzbekistan, at that time space exploration was not a priority.
Eventually, the work carried out by this laboratory changed a bit. They are still testing various materials under different conditions but for other industries, not the space industry. For example, they are now testing different types of ceramics. This object is now also open for tourists, which was not the case before.
What can you expect to see at the Institute of Sun?
If you visit this institute, you will be able to get a guided tour of the facility and listen to a lot of interesting scientific facts. If you like science and have some kids with you, this will be a very interesting experience for your family.
Among other things, you will see many different mirrors of various shapes and sizes and watch a demonstration by the institute associate of how sun energy can be used for various purposes (e.g., cook an egg). You will also see some other projects the institute is working on, like special tape to cover the greenhouses.
And most importantly, you will be able to walk up the stairs to the very top of the institute and enjoy the beautiful view from there. You might get lucky to use the elevator, but it wasn’t available while we were there. We had to walk all the way up.
I must say that this is a bit of a scary walk. The stairs are pretty open and we could see everything down below. If you are terrified of heights, it’s probably not a good idea to go and it’s better for you to just observe everything from the ground.
The Final Word
I think this trip will be interesting for both adults and kids. My daughter and I found this visit quite educational and we would recommend other foreign travelers or expat families to visit the Institute of Sun and learn about it. If you are in the Parkent area, you might also want to visit Sukok forest, which offers great hiking opportunities.