Bukhara, Uzbekistan

A beautiful city which inspires thoughts of Disney’s Aladdin, Bukhara is another one of the oldest cities in Central Asia, and similar to its sibling Samarkand, it also has a seemingly unending stock of impressive mosques, minarets and madrassah’s, all cloaked in interesting histories and culture.

A place of prominence and importance on the Silk Road trading route connecting the East with the Mediterranean, Bukhara was a good stop-off place on the route and vital in the trading and export of silk. Located about 140km further west of Samarkand, the two cities have long relied on and competed with each other. The city of Bukhara was founded possibly as early as the 3rd or 4th century BCE and was the capital of the Samanid dynasty in the 9th and 10th centuries.

The centre of the city was designated a UNESCO world heritage site in 1993 and important buildings have been restored and protected very well. All of the above makes for a city that welcomes hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. And it’s no wonder, as once you’ve been there yourself, and sat in the shadow of the mighty Kaylon Minaret, its unlikely you’ll want to leave.

Art work in the Fine Art Museum

When to go: Winters here are extremely cold, and summers extremely hot. Shoulder seasons are the best time to visit - April to June and September to November. We visited in October and it was still around 28 degrees Celsius most days and felt very hot.

Essentials to pack: Trainers for easy city traversing, long sleeved tops and trousers, sun cream, cardigans for covering up in religious or sacred places, some Disney tracks on your phone? (This very much feels like the setting for Aladdin!)

Currency: Som - £1 is approximately 15,000 Som

Must see: Kaylon Minaret, Mir-I-Arab Madrassah, The Ark, Lyabi-Hauz, Nodir Devonbegi Madrassah, Chor Minor Mosque, Zindan prison, Old town, Fine Art Museum, The Ark, Chashmai Ayub Mausoleum

How to get there: Flights from London Heathrow to Tashkent (capital of Uzbekistan) are direct and take around 7 hours - approx. £600pp return. Once in Tashkent, trains to Bukhara run several times a day, take between 3 and 6 hours and cost between £20-40 depending on whether you take the bullet train or the slow train.

Public transport: There are busses in the city but they tend to skirt the centre which is pedestrianised. We walked everywhere on foot as it is a relatively small city and all sites were easy to get to. The most used form of transport is taxi or Yandex which is a bit like Uber but around 1/10th of the cost of a regular taxi in Uzbeksitan - ask a restaurant or hotel to book one for you.

Where to stay: We wanted to stay somewhere that was within easy reach of the main attractions in the city but also wanted to keep the costs down, and I wanted a private bedroom/bathroom if possible. We found exactly what we wanted in Abuzar guesthouse - which we think is probably the accommodation with the best location you can have in the city. Our private double room with en suite was clean, had extras like toiletries and slippers and good aircon. But best of all it was only £75 for 3 nights, super cheap! https://www.booking.com/hotel/uz/abuzar.en-gb.html

3 day itinerary:

Day 1:

Begin your time in Bukhara by walking to the centre of the city, which is informally thought of as the Lyabi Hauz water feature which sits in the middle of a square with the magnificent Nodir Devonbegi Madrassah at one end, and lots of green space, benches and several bars and restaurants around the other edges. This space is a great place to start your tour of the city, but also very tranquil should you wish to return another day for food or drink.

Walk over to the madrassah, which was built in 1622, and go inside to explore - the building is in need of repair but you can go inside and into the courtyard out the back where there are some stalls selling souvenirs. There is some excellent tilework and beautiful decoration on the interior of the madrassah. However, the showstopper view of the building is from the front, where you will see that images of birds, animals and a sun were used to embellish the exterior; something which is uncharacteristic on Islam monuments.

Just to the right of the Madrassah is the statue of Khoja Nasreddin; a folk hero who is well known in the East from fables, anecdotes and legends. He was a joker, a fool, a troublemaker, but is much loved by the people as he comes from the people. In one story, Khoja travels through Bukhara and enters the court of the Emir of Bukhara. A film was based based on this novel in 1942 and the character took root in Bukhara and became a symbol of the country. The statue shows Khoja riding a donkey with a grin on his face - a cheery monument showcasing Bukhara’s sense of humour.

Head over to the nearby café Giotti and get one of their coffee’s (and a cake if you fancy). A fairly new and modern Italian cafe; their coffee is exceptionally good for the region.

After you’ve refuelled your energies, almost next door to the cafe is the Art Museum of Bukhara which showcases some of the finest art in the country. Situated over two floors and 4 large rooms and costing only 20,000 Som pp to enter (£1.30), there are several interesting pieces here ranging from classic looking pieces of oil or paint on canvas, to sculptures and more modern impressionist art pieces and modern clashes of colour. The museum also hosts a room dedicated to carpets, historical ceramics and artefacts that have been discovered locally.

Next door to the Art Museum is the Bukhara Photo Gallery which is free to enter. It is relatively small; housed all in one room, but worthwhile visiting. It is a great little gallery tucked away at the back of a historic caravanserai. You can buy high quality postcards of the displayed photographs for only 20,000 Som (£1.30). The photographs give you a stark insight into the lifestyle of locals and tourists alike; showcasing what the city represents in the modern day.

After you’ve had your fill of art and culture, take your time wandering down the back streets that run south off the main Bahouddin Naqshbandi street where the galleries are. The road turns into a maze of smaller streets, which get narrower and narrower until cars can no longer fit down them. This is the old down of Bukhara and it is fascinating to explore on foot. You will see locals doing their washing or cooking, open doorways to courtyards with trees and flowers, people sharing food or school children running by. Amongst these there are still guest houses and restaurants, but they have a more local feel to them. You may find the shop selling extraordinary hand-painted canvases which we spent a good deal of time looking around in. You may find a hundred things we didn’t find. Take your time and wander at leisure.

Steamed dumplings known as Manty

After a busy first day, head to Minzifa restaurant for your dinner. They serve fresh homemade local dishes for a good price, and have a good range of beers, wines and cocktails too. This is also the best place in the city to watch the sunset.

Day 2:

After a heart breakfast at your accommodation, which all of Uzbekistan seems to feel it is necessary to provide, walk the 15 minutes from the centre to Chor Minor Mosque. A relatively small building and mosque compared to others in the region, but a beautiful structure with an important history. The mosque was a historic gatehouse for a now destroyed madrassah. It is located in the north east part of the city amongst an old part of town. “Chor Minor” means “four minarets” in Persian; referring to the buildings four towers and role as a mosque. You can pay around 10,000 Som pp (60p) to climb up the staircases and look out from the ramparts. We didn’t do this as we decided the best view was of the mosque itself, so settled down on a bench opposite to watch the sun coming up and reflecting off it.

Opposite the small mosque is a very interesting row of shops which hawk Soviet-era mementos such as currency, military uniforms and passports, alongside regular souvenir stock.

Spend some time walking back towards the centre (you are aiming for Khodja Nurobobod street) of the city by wandering aimlessly through the old streets in this part of the town; they are also a maze of streets, roads and alleyways which combine to make a fun hour or so of turning at random and getting lost.

Once you’ve reached Khodja Nurobobod street, continue along it going west until you find yourself smack-bang in the middle of the biggest square in the city, where the Kaylon Minaret, Mir-I-Arab Madrassah and Emir Alimkhan Madrassah make up the area known as the Registan. If you’re in need of refreshment, go to the Minor House cafe on one side of the square and up some steps - it is worthwhile visiting for the view of the square alone - but serves great soups and drinks.

The Kaylon Minaret is part of the compex of the mosque and one of the most prominent landmarks in the city. Built in 1127 to summon Muslim’s to prayer, it is made in the form of a circular brick tower which narrows as it goes upwards. It is 48 metres high, 9m wide at the bottom and 6m wide at the top. An impressive sight day or night, it is particularly magical at night when it is lit up spectacularly.

Built in 1535, the Mir-I-Arab Madrassah literally means “Prince of Arabs” and refers to Sheikh Abdullah Yamani who was the head of the Muslim community in Bukhara during the short-lived Shaibanid dynasty. The impressive and ginormous two storey building is almost entirely covered in extensive tilework which would have taken years to complete. Enter and go through to the courtyard which is shared with a mosque and decorated equally as regally. The two blue domes are visible from most points in the square and inside the madrassah, such is their size and colour.

The Emir Alimkhan Madrassah was built in the 16th century on the orders of - you guessed it - Emir Alimkhan. The building has undergone heavy restoration work to ensure it stands proud and striking today. The building comprised of a madrassah or school and a public bathhouse. The two buildings were comprised in a ‘back to back’ manner to protect the bathers from view. The madrassah has a long narrow courtyard lined with small dormitories for the students.

Once your head is full of incredible buildings, feats of engineering and thoughts of Aladdin, head back towards town for dinner at Chalet in the centre of the city. The food is good - a mix of traditional and western options - and there is often live music whilst you dine.

Check if Bukhara FC are playing a match nearby, and if so, do what the locals do and support their team. Make sure you buy some sunflower seeds to munch on too, or you’ll be the odd one out!

If football isn’t your thing, perhaps head back to Minsifa for a sunset drink or go back to the Kaylon Minaret to see it lit up.

Day 3:

Start day 3 with a tour of The Ark - a massive fortress located on the west side of the city - built and occupied around the 5th century AD. In addition to being built for military and protective uses, the walls of the ark housed what was essentially a town itself; inhabited by various royal courts and well to do people that held sway over the region and the city. The Ark fell to Russia in 1920 and was no longer an occupied town or fortress by that point. Entry costs 40,000 Som pp (£2.70) and is well worth a visit for the view you get over the city of Bukhara alone, but also houses several museums and restored areas.

The museums show archaeological finds of the region, historical artefacts and information about the Ark and the city of Bukhara, and showcases things such as the throne room, the coronation court and the reception of the royal houses. There is also a walkway through the uncovered ruins of the town within its’ walls; notably you will see the discoveries of an old mosque and mausoleum.

When you leave the Ark you may want to visit Bukhara Tower which is opposite - a structure where you can pay to go up to the observation deck or go to one of the restaurants to enjoy the view - however, we didn’t do this as the top of the Ark is the same height as the Bukhara Tower observation deck.

View from the Ark

Behind the huge structure of the Ark and through the car park full of coaches taking visitors to and fro’ is the smaller but no less historically important structure of the Zindan or prison. A small museum is inside with basic facts about the prison and its history - showcasing instruments of torture used on prisoners and the cells they were housed in. The worst one of these was known as the “bug pit”, a deep pit around 4m below ground level which prisoners could not get out of and was full of poisonous bugs and insects. The most interesting story of the prison was that of two British soldiers.

Stoddart had been tasked with delivering a letter of reassurance to the Emir of Bukhara, stating that the British had no intention of continuing their invasion of Afghanistan into his kingdom. However, Stoddart had ridden into the castle on horseback rather than walking, and arrived without a gift for Nasrullah Khan, the Emir of the time. Nasrullah was nicknamed “The Butcher” for his brutal and violent tendencies. Naturally he was outraged at these indignities, and viewed the British Empire as a weakened nation after their defeat in Afghanistan. Nasrullah imprisoned Stoddart in prison. After Stoddart had been imprisoned for 2 years, Connelly was then sent by the British Empire to persuade Nasrullah to release Stoddart, but Nasrullah decided to imprison Connelly as well and put both of them in the bug pit. After they had languished there for a year, in 1842, they were brought out in front of the Ark and executed. The British Empire did not respond.

Leaving the prison, loop back around to the front of the Ark and go to Bolo Hauz restaurant in the park opposite the front. They serve local food at great prices - a quick easy lunch for a day of sightseeing - their soups and laghman are particularly good.

Once you feel replete, head over the road to the Bolo Hauz mosque which is an incredible structure currently not open to the public but worth viewing from the outside to see how the entire front edifice is made almost entirely from wood. Huge wooden columns rise up to support the wooden beamed roof of the entryway. There are sections adorned with patterned tiles and paintings and the entire structure is awe inspiring.

Leaving here, head further east to the Samonids Recreation Park where the Ismail Samani Mausoleum lies amongst open spaces and green grass. The structure, completed in 905 is the town’s oldest Muslim monument and is without doubt one of the most breath-taking original buildings in the city.

Just across the park is the Chashmai Ayub Mausoleum, a must-visit whilst in the area. The name of the mausoleum means Job’s well, due to the legend in which Job (Ayub) visited this place and made a well by striking the ground with his staff. The water of the well is very pure and considered to have healing powers. Therefore the mausoleum has become something of a site of pilgrimage. Inside the mausoleum is a museum with information on the water sources in Bukhara and also you can drink the famous healing water here directly from a tap.

You will be thirsty and tired by now, so head to the coffee shop on M. Ashrafi Street outside a hotel and sit on the small tables on the pavement to people watch. We whiled away an hour or so here reading our books and enjoying a great coffee.

It’s your last night in the city, so go to the best restaurant in town for a great culinary experience. The Old Bukhara close to the centre is rated very highly and we booked in advance to get a table on the top terrace where the lighting and atmosphere is very romantic. Go to the Joy Lounge in town for a night cap - they served one of the best cocktails I had the entire time I was in the country!