Bukhara

(June 14, 15, 16)

Surrounded by the Kyzyl-Kum desert, Bukhara is a true oasis. The guide books describe it is Central Asia’s holiest city. It is also one of its oldest having recently celebrated its 2500th anniversary. It is full of centuries old mosques, medressas, mausoleums and minarets that have been exquisitely restored to their former brilliance– some by the Russians (during the era of the USSR) and later by the Uzbeks (after independence). The oldest medressa in Central Asia is found in Bukhara. Built by Ulugbek (Tamerlane’s grandson and renowned astronomer) in 1417, it is still waiting its turn for restoration. The current population of the city is a little over a quarter of a million.

Among the many stunning examples of Islamic architecture that we visited was the very large 16th century Kalon mosque. At one end of the courtyard is a small stone structure called the Mausoleum of the Children. When Genghis Khan stormed through the region in the early 13th century, he sacked Bukhara and killed many of its citizens, including children. The remaining town’s people buried all the slaughtered children in one place and built the mausoleum as a memorial. The mosque and its surrounding courtyard is now filled with over 10,000 people during Islam’s two largest festivals.

The nearby Kalon minaret was built in 1127. It stands 42 m high and was so well made that it has only needed minimal cosmetic repairs over its 850 year history. It has 14 distinctly different ornamental bands that include the first glazed blue tiles used in Central Asia. Genghis Khan was so impressed by its beauty that he ordered it spared from destruction.

When not trying to make some sense of the city’s ancient and complex architectural, economic and intellectual history, we wandered around the covered markets and along many narrow laneways, exploring tiny cavernous shops that held everything from carpets to silk scarves to spices. We discovered one of the remaining caravanserai (literally ‘camel route palace’) that is now home to the sellers of plastic toys, plastic flowers and wedding dresses. Enough remains of the original structure to easily imagine it filled with camels and traders who used the space to rest and replenish on their Silk Road journey.

Our two days of wandering about the city were incredibly hot with the thermometer reading 45 C in the shade late in the afternoon. The evenings brought some relief and we were able to enjoy rich dinners of kebabs, four or five different types of salads, apricots, watermelon, green tea and beer. One evening we ate by a pool built in 1640, surrounded by mulberry trees; another on a roof top as we watched the sun set over multiple tiled domes and minarets.

Photos of Bukhara...

Bukhara