“Gagarin was here once!” declares Ira proudly, as she takes me through the apartment block where she works in central Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan.
Ira, a lady in her 50s, is the concierge at 72 Sadyk Azimov Street. Ensconced at the front entrance, she greets residents and guests with a smile. Ira knows everyone in the building, directs delivery couriers to the right apartments and chats with people passing by.
Number 72 is known to its dwellers as Voenniy dom, or ‘Officers’ house’ – it has a unique history, and was once inhabited by highly ranked military officers, generals who were heroes of the Soviet Union. And, much to the pride of Number 72’s residents, the building was also visited by cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. After he made the first manned flight into space in 1961, Gagarin became a Soviet celebrity, travelling across the Soviet republics, including, in particular, Uzbekistan – where he was greeted by citizens and officials.
