Uzbek President Islam Karimov has died aged 78 after more than a quarter century of ruling the Central Asian nation with an iron fist.

The government confirmed his death on Friday evening after a day of conflicting reports which started when opposition media said he had suffered a fatal stroke.

Russia's Vladimir Putin was among the first to pay his condolences, saying it was a "great loss".

A funeral will be held for the dictator on Saturday, according to officials from Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan.

The service will be held in his hometown of Samarkand, where part of the city centre has already been cordoned off and the streets cleaned, media said.


Image: President Islam Karimov with Vladimir Putin (L) on an April visit to Moscow

The veteran leader - who had not been seen in public since the middle of August - was admitted to hospital last Saturday.

Karimov: A Dictator In The Classic Mould

A statement issued on a government website on Friday had only said he was in a "critical" condition after a stroke.

Last Monday Mr Karimov's youngest daughter Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva announced on social media that he was in "stable" condition.

She said he was in intensive care after a cerebral haemorrhage, before hinting two days later that he was making a recovery.

It is not clear who will succeed the man who has ruled the landlocked country since 1989, first as the head of the local Communist Party, then after it gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

Image: It is unclear who will succeed Mr Karimov

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim became the first foreign leader to offer condolences over Karimov's death.

Analysts say any transition of power is likely to be decided by a small group of senior officials and family members behind closed doors.

It is suggested a hint at a successor may come if and when the government announces their president's death.

It is feared that any failure to pick a new leader could lead to destabilisation of the country of 32 million people which is rich in natural resources, and a major cotton exporter.

Mr Karimov was criticised throughout his rule by the West and human rights groups for his authoritarian style of leadership.

However, he did have some support because of his control of radical Islam and fundamentalist groups threatening to cross into the country from neighbouring Afghanistan.