Khamza Theatre of the Uzbek Museum
Kokand, Uzbekistan

The Khamza Theatre, originally conceived for dance and drama productions, has broadened its functions to include a much more varied use. Its major facility is an auditorium with 755 seats. It is a 'State Theatre" which means that there is a regular repertory company, professionally paid, that performs and works here all the year round (216 employees). The district of Ferghana has three such State Theatres and the Khamza Theatre is one of them. The building is modern, built with pre-cast panels and clad and decorated by the craftsmen of the Republic. It is built to counteract the highest seismic forces (Richter 8).


The Khamza Theatre was built as part of the cultural plan to modernise Uzbekistan. This modernisation process, which is still unwinding in the Republic, envisaged the theatre as a major town centre. There was already a theatre in the town. It was the theatre the poet Hamza (born 1889) started, but it was not impressive enough to serve the purposes of a State Theatre. Thus the authorities decided to build a bigger and more modern theatre including modern facilities. The project started in 1974, underwent a lot of changes and interruptions, and was eventually opened on the 23rd of February 1987.


Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture

Location
Kokand, Uzbekistan
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Associated Names
Associated Collections
Events
1986
Dimensions
Ground floor area: 4,500 m²; total site area: 12,000 m²
Building Usages
public/cultural
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