Discussions are underway in Tashkent regarding several ways to immortalize the memory of Boris Golender, a renowned historian and local historian who dedicated many decades to studying the history of Uzbekistan and popularizing this knowledge among city residents and country visitors. Among the proposed options are the creation of a monument in Tashkent, the installation of a memorial bas-relief on one of the historic walls, or the placement of a commemorative sign in Charvak.
Boris Golender passed away on February 5, 2026, at the age of 79. During his career, he became one of the most well-known specialists in the history of Tashkent, conducting tours, giving lectures, publishing books, and covering the city's life in various media projects.
Initiatives to Immortalize Memory
The initiative to install the monument was put forward by the Ilhom Karimov Tashkent Business Club, where Golender was a member for about twenty years. Alexey Arapov, chairman of the club's board, believes that the image of a person who dedicated a significant part of his life to Tashkent should be preserved in the urban space. He noted that hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people attended his tours or listened to his speeches and video materials about the city, and Golender's name has become synonymous with deep knowledge of the specific city's history.
As part of the initiative, the business club proposes placing the monument on one of the capital's streets. Arapov compared this idea to the discussion about a monument to Sergei Yesenin, who was in Tashkent for about a month and a half. In Arapov's opinion, since Golender dedicated his entire life to Tashkent, the city owes him a debt of memory and gratitude.
In addition to the monument idea, the business club and Boris Anatolyevich's close circle are working on preserving his written legacy. A commemorative book, tentatively titled 'Guardian of Tashkent,' is planned for publication for the historian's 80th anniversary.
Another initiative concerns Charvak. The authors of the ZBS podcast, who filmed a documentary about the environmental problems of the Charvak reservoir, are also considering installing a monument to Golender there. The local historian participated in the filming of this project, and his conversations with the authors were one of the reasons that prompted them to continue working on the topic and engage in the improvement of the area. The project team expects to start implementing this idea in about three years, after the reservoir area has been tidied up, and plans to attract sponsors for funding.
Disagreements Regarding the Form of Commemoration
Nevertheless, among those who knew the historian well, there is no unanimous opinion on what the monument should be like. Rustam Husanov, moderator of the X-Place group, who cared for the local historian for a long time and considered him his mentor, emphasized that this issue is deeply personal for him. He expressed concern that the monument should not be installed merely formally, so that trash does not appear nearby or disrespect is shown to his memory. Husanov would prefer a monument at the grave and a bas-relief on a wall, but has not yet decided on the location for the bas-relief.
At the moment, none of the proposals has received official approval, and the city authorities have not yet given their answer. However, the very fact that the issue of the monument was raised by the business club, media project authors, and the local historian's friends indicates a serious and sincere desire in Tashkent to preserve the memory of a person who carefully guarded his city's history his entire life.