This sprawling wholesale bazaar stretches along the ring road of Uzbekistan’s capital. At over 80 acres, it’s the largest commercial center in the country — the size of a small town — where locals can buy any imaginable goods imported from China and Turkey. It even has its own fire station and a large mosque. A large set of nearby warehouses, used for storage, have their own railway access.
According to a money launderer once employed by the Abdukadyr family, the market was founded in the late 90s by the family’s patriarch, Khabibula Abdukadyr, and named after his generosity (sahiy means “generous” in Uzbek, while Abu is short for Khabibula).
What’s known for certain is that, in subsequent years, the market came under the ownership of Timur Tillyaev, the son-in-law of late Uzbek president Islam Karimov. He reportedly received extensive privileges and avoided paying taxes on its trade.
After Shavkat Mirziyoyev took power following Karimov’s death in 2016, the bazaar’s operations faced a months-long probe by multiple law enforcement agencies. It was acquired by Abdukadyr in December 2017 for an unknown amount and renamed Tashkent Trade Center. (After being reached by reporters, Tillyaev’s lawyer confirmed the sale but did not disclose the amount.)
Mirziyoyev’s government almost immediately praised what it described as increased tax revenues from the bazaar’s new owner, which it has identified only as a “foreign investor.” Abdukadyr has invested $10 million to build two shopping complexes at the bazaar, according to government records.
The company that owns the Tashkent Trade Center also owns the land under the nearby “Chinaware Bazaar,” said to be the Uzbek capital’s largest kitchenware market.