Every resident of Gazgan, a small township in the northern part of the Navoi region, can boast of living in a house of marble. Practically all buildings here are constructed of whole blocks of marble - and not merely covered with plates of marble on the outside. That is even true of the traditional duvals or fences around patios, shacks, pens, and other suchlike buildings.

All this marble comes from a substantial deposit in the thinly populated slopes of the Nuratau Range, once famous far and wide. Back in the Soviet Union the Gazgan marble of 22 colors and 200 hues was widely used in decoration of centers of culture and administrative buildings in practically all major cities, capitals of Soviet republics, and regional centers. Symbolizing the imperial style of the era, the marble was used in metro stations in Moscow, Leningrad, Kiev, Baku, Kharkov, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, and - of course - Tashkent. It was used in construction of embankments, galleries, and monuments to communist leaders.

Gazgan marble is not in such a demand now, in the country or abroad, but not because the deposit is worked out or quality of the marble went down. Geologists say that the deposit is practically inexhaustible. The marble is still used in creation of a glossy image of modern Uzbekistan where whole squares are paved with it and monumental arcs and columns are built. Unfortunately, Uzbekistan turned out to be too rich in marble. At the economic exhibition dedicated to the 14th anniversary of sovereignty every region of Uzbekistan came up with its own export-oriented construction materials - plates, cubes, marble bits.

Employees of the marble quarry in Gazgan admit that their monthly salary rarely exceeds 60,000 sums or $60. Explosives are not used. Marble is cut out in sheets and then cut into plates. A square meter of marble plate costs between 4,000 and 16,000 sums ($4-16) depending on color and quality. In Russia this marble is offered to customers at between 60 and 90 rubles a square meter (delivery included). The district foreign trade turnover was zero in 2000, and $28,800 in 2002 even though several joint-stock companies with foreign and Russian capitals were already operating.

Almost 2,000 employees work in 7 pits. There is no shortage of workforce here, but employees value their jobs. The surrounding population amounts to almost 80,000 people, every second of them able to work. The Marble City itself looks deserted and dormant. There are no foreign cars riding in the streets, mostly bikes and donkeys. There are no cell phones here, and nobody has ever heard anything about Internet. Centralized water supply goes to approximately 40% dwellings, gas to about 60%. There is the opinion that wall and floors of marble help the locals endure the scorching heat generated by the nearby Kyzyl-Kum. Air temperature frequently rises to 46 degrees Celsius between May and October, and hot desert winds rush along the stony hills.