The Amir Timur square, a once leafy park in the Uzbek capital Tashkent, has been changed beyond recognition by a controversial tree felling operation. (Pictures by Aleksey Volosevich)
Despite protests, authorities sent in workmen and heavy equipment to cut down the huge trees in the square - some of them more than 100 years old.
No official reason has been given as to why the trees had to be felled, though some locals say it is to open up views of the newly-built Congress Centre.
Others say officials were worried that the trees could have served as cover for would-be assassins.
The gardens were developed by the Russians in the late 19th century, and in Soviet times the area was known as the 'Square of the Revolution'.
As one of Tashkent's most beloved public spaces, the square and its gardens commemorate the medieval conqueror Timur, or Tamerlane as he is known in the West.
As well as the beautiful trees, the gardens are popular for their fountains, cafes and small restaurants.
Children often use the fountains to cool down in the 40C heat of a Tashkent summer's day.
Environmentalists were outraged at the cutting down of mature trees, just when world leaders are discussing the threat of climate change and deforestation.
Unusually for the tightly controlled country, there was a night-time vigil as the felling operation begun, but it failed to halt the operation.
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