The culture of Uzbekistan is vibrant and unique—it was formed over thousands of years, incorporating the traditions and customs of the peoples who at various times inhabited the territory of modern Uzbekistan.
The ancient Persians, Greeks, Arabs, Chinese, Russians, and nomadic Turkic tribes have all contributed to Uzbek culture, which is considered the epitome of Central Asian, crossroads cultures. The traditions reflecting the multinational nature of Uzbekistan are omnipresent in its music, dance, painting, applied arts, language, cuisine, and clothing.

Each region of Uzbekistan has its own unique shades as well, which are most clearly manifested in national dress and local dialects.

Over the centuries, Uzbekistan has had a tradition of fostering equestrians and wrestlers.

Some of the sports that originate in the country are the kurash. Other types of wrestling are belbogli kurash, turon, and boyqurgan all having the same origins.

Other popular sports in Uzbekistan are football, basketball, boxing, wrestling, and judo.

Since its independence in 1991, Uzbekistan has taken part in the Summer Olympics and Winter Olympics with increasing success. Uzbekistan has competed four times at the Summer Olympics, collecting one gold medal and five bronze medals in boxing, two gold medals and two silver medals in wrestling, and a silver medal in judo. Uzbekistan's only medal at the Winter Olympics was a gold medal in cross-country skiing in 1994. In the 2016 Rio Olympics Ruslan Nurudinov won gold in the men's 105kg weightlifting, lifting a total of 431kg, including an Olympic record 237kg in the clean & jerk.

Marked aridity and much sunshine characterize the region, with rainfall averaging only 200 mm annually. Most rain falls in winter and spring, with higher levels in the mountains and minimal amounts over deserts.

The average July temperature is 32 °C, but daytime air temperatures in Tashkent and elsewhere frequently surpass 40 °C. Bukhara’s high summer heat contrasts with the cooler temperatures in the mountains.

In order to accommodate to these patterns, Uzbeks favour houses with windows facing away from the sun but open to porches and tree-filled courtyards shut off from the streets.