Bukhara

Bukhara (in Uzbek Buxoro) is a city historically astride the Silk Road in the Samarkand through Bukhara region of Uzbekistan. It has a wealth of architecture and culture and is a must-see destination on any tour of this region. It's also easy to reach, with a relaxed national visa regime and fast transport by plane, train or highway with no plodding camels involved. With a population of 280,000 in 2020, its suburbs are modern and industrial, but its centre is an extensive, well-preserved Old Town and UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Understand

A Bukhara carpet

This city dates back at least 2500 years. It became Islamic after the Arab conquest of 751 AD, blossoming into a religious and cultural centre under the 9th / 10th century Samanid dynasty. It was sacked by Jenghiz Khan in 1220; in the following century Timur embellished many of the cities he conquered but power and artistic patronage lay in Samarkand. The heyday of Bukhara, and basis for what you see today, came under the Shaybanid khanate from 1506 until 1598, especially under Abdullah Khan II the last of that lineage. Town centre was a vast marketplace astride the Silk Road, festooned with medressas, mosques, caravanserai and specialist bazaars.

That dynasty died out, with a bit of help from rival daggers, but semi-autonomy and an Emirate of Bukhara persisted for over 300 years. Nevertheless the glory days were gone: remarkably for a city 2200 km from the open sea, Bukhara was sunk by European shipping. Better shipping construction and navigation meant that western merchants traded with the Far East by sea, where they only had pirates and typhoons to contend with, rather than struggle overland on the Silk Road through banditry, local wars, plagues, moribund camels and corrupt officials.

From the early 19th century western powers vied for control, and the main contest was the "Great Game" between Britain and Russia. The realities of geography meant that Britain dominated maritime routes and India, while Russia dominated landlocked central Asia. Britons ventured here at great risk: one who lived to tell the tale was Alexander Burnes, travelling disguised in native grab from India, and his bestseller "Travels into Bokhara" is available online at Project Gutenberg. Not so lucky were Stoddart and Connelly, two officers publicly beheaded in 1842 by Emir Nasrullah Khan, who'd mass-murdered his way to power and could see that no reprisal was likely. But from the 1870s the emirs were puppets of the Russians, and in 1920 the Bolsheviks put them to flight.

The communist USSR was all for modern progress. The railway had already arrived and the next advance was to install mains water and sweep away the filthy system of hauz communal pools, to the dismay of the storks who'd relished their frogs and creepy-crawlies. Stalin also collectivised Uzbek agriculture into a monoculture of silk, paving the way for the drying-up of the Aral Sea. Another legacy was his gerrymandering of regions so that no faction could unite against him. Bukhara like Samarkand was ethnically Tadjik, speaking a language akin to Persian, but both were shoe-horned into a country speaking Uzbek, akin to Turkish. The borders were not changed when the USSR collapsed and Uzbekistan gained independence, and Russian remains a lingua franca though many people in the service sector know some English.

Tourist information embodies the mercantile spirit of the Silk Road - every few metres in Old Town is a place calling itself a tourist office, though it's simply a ticket / tour agency or selling overpriced knick-knacks.

Get in

By plane

1 Bukhara International Airport (BHK  ^IATA), ☏ +998 65 780 1067. This has several flights a day from Tashkent, and daily from Urgench, Moscow and Istanbul. It's a small place with limited facilities. Only 4 km to town centre so a taxi is cheap enough, and you could walk it in 40 min. (updated Sep 2024)

By train

2 Bukhara Railway Station, sometimes shown as Bukhara 1, has four or five trains a day from Tashkent via Samarkand and Navoi. "Afrosiyob", the fastest, takes only four hours. One overnight train plods on west to Urgench and Khiva, and once a week via Nukus and Atyrau to Volgograd.

These trains may sell out. You can only use the Uzbek booking system if you have an Uzbek phone number, eg by buying a local sim card, otherwise use a western agency such as Bookaway.

The station is reasonably clean. It's in the suburb of Kogon 15 km southeast of the city, walk out to the bus stop just beyond the station precinct. In 2024 the fare was 3000 Som; no timetables or other signage so ask around. Taxis also fight for your custom but are overpriced.

You might have time to look at the Emir's Palace 200 m up the road, see below. Bukhara 2 is also shown on timetables but is just a freight depot.

By bus

3 Bukhara Bus Station has hourly buses from Tashkent (11 hours) and Samarkand (5 hours). But set off early, as these do sell out. Shared taxis also arrive here, covering the route in half the time for twice the fare.

Buses from Urgench and Khiva take about 5 hours. Westbound they may have started from Tashkent and be full already.

Shared taxis run from Qarshi (90 min), Shakhrisabz (4 hours), Termiz on the Afghan border (6 hours) and Denau (6 hours).

Shared taxis from Olot take 40 min. Change there coming from Turkmenabat in Turkmenistan.

The station is 4 km north of city centre, linked by frequent bus, and you may be able to find a direct service from the railway station.

By road

Bukhara is 560 km from Tashkent. Follow M39 southwest via Jizzah and Samarkand: this crosses a corner of Kazakhstan, which is treated as a no-man's-land with no passport checks but keep yours handy. Continue west on M37 via Navoi into Bukhara.

Get around

A swarm of small buses serves the city. They're sometimes described as marshrutkas or dolmuşes but they have fixed stops and run to a fixed timetable, though its details are known only unto Allah. In 2024 the flat fare is 2000 Som in town and 3000 Som out to Kogon and the railway station. Pay the driver on exit if there isn't a conductor.

The only bus through Old Town is #9, running east-west past the Lyab-i-Hauz complex. Others run to points 1 km out, for instance #60 west side of the complex and #378 east side. Old Town itself is compact and mostly pedestrianised, so walking is the best way to explore.

Taxis often try to rip off tourists. Order through your accommodation, or via an app such as Yandex, to get a reliable ride.

Talk

The main language of Bukhara is the Tajik dialect of Persian. Russian is the second language and Uzbek is used but to a lesser extent. Bukhara, along with Samarqand and other cities in Central and Southern Uzbekistan, has been historically populated by ethnic Tajiks and Bukharian Jews who spoke Tajik along with their own dialects which today include some Uzbek and a lot of Russian loan words.

See

Kalyan Minaret

• 1 Lyab-i Hauz is the grand plaza and pool at the heart of the Old City, laid out in the 16th century, in legend after a dispute between the khan and the Jewish widow landowner. "Hauz" means a pool, and the city had several for its water supply. They degenerated into cesspools and the Soviets filled them in during the 1920s/30s, but this one survived. Ranged around it are:
  • Kukeldash Madrassah is north side, built in 1568 and in its day the largest in the Islamic world. It's now a hotel.
  • Nadir Devan-begi Madrassah is east side, built in 1622 as a caravansarai, but hurriedly converted into a Madrassah when the local grandee deemed it so.
  • Nadir Devan-begi Khanaka west side was built in 1620. A khanaka was lodging for itinerant Sufi priests.
• 2 Synagogue, Sarrafon. Su-F 09:00-18:00. There's been a substantial Jewish community in Bukhara since the 8th century. This synagogue was built around 1640, in legend as part of the peace deal with the widow who owned the Lyab-i Hauz site. It was closed down by the Soviets in 1940. Eventually it was returned, but the Jews had emigrated to Israel and the US so it was never again in use. It's now a small museum. Donation. (updated Sep 2024)
• 3 Magok-i-Attari Mosque, Mehtar Ambar 55. M-Sa 09:00-17:00. The oldest surviving mosque building in Central Asia, dating back to the 800s, reconstructed in the 1500s and now a carpet museum. "Magoki" means a pit, and it was in a dip in the ground when built over a former Zoroastrian temple, and has sunk further. It's now 6 metres below ground level, and its domes barely reach the street. "Attar" means perfume as there once was a perfume market nearby. The 12th century main facade is very impressive. (updated Sep 2024)
• Toqi Sarrafon a short block south of the mosque is a "trading dome" covering a bazaar. Traditionally this one hosted the moneychangers but it now has a mix, and given its position is a bit touristy. The dome is open 24 hours, individual traders follow their own hours.
• 4 Khoja Gaukushan complex. Closed. A complex similar to Lyab-i Hauz built in 1570, with a mosque, medressah and hauz. The name means "killing bulls" as the site was previously a cattle market and slaughter house. It's closed for restoration, though you can see the exterior. (updated Sep 2024)
• 5 Toqi Telpak Furushon is another trading dome. This one was the bazaar of the cap-makers.
• 6 Po-i-Kalyan is a magnificent religious complex laid out in the 16th century.
  • Kalyan Minaret was built in 1127, the only survivor of an earlier complex wrecked by Genghis Khan. It's baked brick, 45.6 m tall and as late as 1920 was used to hurl criminals to their deaths.
  • Kalan Mosque, completed in 1515, is around a large courtyard, with a blue dome over the grand mihrab.
  • Mir-i Arab Madrassah, built in 1535, has remarkable blue tilework.
• Hoja Zayniddin Mosque is 200 m west of Kalan Mosque. It's from 1550 but in disrepair.
• 7 Ulugbek Madrassah was built in 1417 and is a rare survival from the Timurid dynasty.
• Abdulaziz Khan Madrassah immediately south was built at the same time as a twin. It's now a craft market.

Toqi Zargoron was the jewellery bazaar

• Toqi Zaragon just west of Ulugbek Madrassah was another trading dome, traditionally for the jewellers.
• 8 Chor Minor (Madrasah of Khalif Niyaz-kul), Mehtar Ambar 90. M-Sa 08:00-20:00. The name means "four minarets" and this building of 1807 was once part of a religious complex that has disappeared. Although it remains a mosque, the four towers are not minarets. One tower collapsed in 1995 but was re-constructed. (updated Sep 2024)
• 9 Ark Citadel, Registan. Daily 09:00-18:00. Citadel or kremlin that contained palaces, temples, barracks, offices, the mint, warehouses, workshops, stables, an arsenal; everything a ruler might want for his comfort, and for the misery of his captives. It's a heptagonal enclosure (said to be patterned on the constellation of Ursa Major) with earth brick walls up to 20 m tall. It was built and re-built for millennia, taking its present form under the Shaybhanid dynasty around 1500. You enter through the grand west gate and see the museum, throne room, royal courts and mosque. The eastern half has not been restored. (updated Sep 2024)
• Shukhov Tower just west of the Ark Citadel was built in 1929 as the city water tank, to replace those stinking hauzes. The basket-weave appearance is not artwork, but what remained after the cladding burnt off. It's been fitted with a restaurant and observation deck, both over-priced tourist traps.
• 10 Bolo Hauz Mosque (opposite Ark Citadel). The mosque was built in 1712, with a free-standing minaret and painted wooden pillars added in 1917. In front is a small hauz. Free. (updated Sep 2024)
• 11 Chashma-Ayub Mausoleum. Daily 09:00-20:00. The name means "spring of Ayub" - Job - who in legend struck the ground with his staff and out gushed a spring. Bukhara was one of several cities where he performed this feat and was subsequently buried; the oldest authenticated burial here was of Khwaja Hafiz Gunjari in 1022 AD. The entrance portal is from 1208, but the mausoleum is from 1380 in the reign of Timur, with a Khwarazm-style conical dome. The site was extended in the 15th century and has a small museum about the Sunni Islamic scholar Muhammad al-Bukhari (810-870), whose tomb is in Samarkand. (updated Sep 2024)

Shukhov Tower replaced the unhygienic hauzes

• Bukhara Zoo 200 m west of Chashma-Ayub Mausoleum is a sad, cramped, dirty place recalling how ancient rulers kept their captives.
• Talipach Gate 200 m west of the zoo was one of the medieval gates in the city walls. The area is grubby and tumbledown.
• 12 Ismail Samani Mausoleum, Samonids Recreation Park. Daily 08:00-18:00. The Samanids were a Persian dynasty in power 819-945. In 892 Ismail Samani united its four petty kingdoms, broke from Abbasid influence, and moved the capital from Samarkand to Bukhara. He built this mausoleum for his father and lay here himself from 907. It's the oldest Muslim monument in Bukhara, with elements of Zoroastrian design such as the sun motif. (updated Sep 2024)
• 13 Qosh Madrassah, Mirdustim. Daily 08:00-20:00. The name means "double madrassah", the Modari Khan and the larger Abdullah Khan, built together in 1566. They look neglected. Free. (updated Sep 2024)
• 14 Baland Mosque. Built in the 16th century, with beautiful interior decorations, but you'll be lucky to find it open. Worshippers now use the modern mosque next to it. (updated Sep 2024)
• 15 Fayzulla Xoʻjayev House, Tukai Alley 70, ☏ +998 65 224 4188. M-Sa 09:00-17:00. Xoʻjayev (1896-1938) was from a wealthy Bukhara family. He sought to free his country from both hidebound clerical tradition and Czarist rule, which pleased the Soviets, and he was leader of Uzbekistan from 1924. However he opposed the heavy-handed excesses of Stalin, such as cotton monoculture, so he was purged, given a show trial and shot. He has a mixed reputation today and this museum, his father's house, depicts life of a merchant family but says little about the man. (updated Sep 2024)
• 16 Namozgoh Mosque. M-Sa 08:00-19:00. Built from 1119, with modifications through the 16th century. It's richly decorated within. (updated Sep 2024)
• 17 Mausoleum of Saif ed-Din Bokharzi & Bayan-Quli Khan. Sayf al-Din was a 13th century poet, sheik and mystical theologian who settled in Bukhara as a tutor. He died in 1261 and his tomb became a Sufi shrine. Bayan Qulï was a local ruler much influenced by Sayf al-Din and was buried alongside in 1358. Mausoleums were then built to both, and a large religious complex developed, in what was then the separate village of Fathabad. The rest of the complex has disappeared. (updated Sep 2024)
• 18 Khanaka of Faizabad. This was built 1588/9 and is still used as a mosque. (updated Sep 2024)

Further out

Palace of Sitori-i-Mokhi Khosa

• Kogon Palace just outside the railway station precinct was built in the 1890s for the last emir, but he didn't care for it. It was used as a lavish guesthouse for VIP visitors using the new railway, and Kogon village became a diplomatic quarter. It's a splendid mansion but you're unlikely to find it open.
• 19 Sitori-i-Mokhi Khosa, Shifokorlar (6 km north), ☏ +998 90 715 6825. Daily 09:00-18:00. Lavish summer palace of the last emir of Bukhara, Sayyid Mir Muhammad Alim Khan. It was completed in 1918 but he was overthrown by the Soviets in 1920 and fled into exile. Adult 40,000 Soʻm. (updated Sep 2024)
• 20 Baha' al-Din Naqshband Mausoleum (10 km northeast of centre). Sa-Th 08:00-18:00. Religious complex with museum and mosque, grouped around the tomb of Baha' al-Din Naqshband (1318-1389) who founded the Naqshbandi order of Sufi Sunni Islam. free. (updated Sep 2024)
• 21 Chor-Bakr (10 km west of centre). Daily 08:00-17:30. Large necropolis from the 16th century; heavily restored. (updated Sep 2024)

Do

• Hammam Borzi Kord, Mehtar Ambar 55 (within Toqi Telpak Furushon), ☏ +998 94 859 1616. Daily 06:00-23:00. Traditional bath house, mornings only for local men then after 14:00 for tourists of mixed gender. (updated Sep 2024)
• Hammom Kunjak, Nurobobod (100 m west of Kalan Mosque), ☏ +998 97 234 3233. Daily 09:00-21:00. The women's bathhouse. Most reckon it's an overpriced tourist trap. (updated Sep 2024)
• Football: FC Bukhara were relegated in 2023 and now play soccer in the Pro League, the second tier. Their home ground Buxoro Arena (capacity 22.700) is 2 km south of city centre. The playing season is March-Nov.

Buy

Chor Minor

• Central Bazaar is a large covered market north side of Chashma-Ayub Mausoleum, open daily 07:30-18:00.
• Carpets are what Bukhara is famous for, but many outlets are over-priced for their quality.

Eat

• Bolo Khauz Teahouse, Afrosiab St (next to Bolo Khauz Mosque). Atmospheric restaurant but touristy prices. (updated Sep 2024)
• Doston House, Kokill Kalon 5 (100 m east of Lyab-i Hauz bus stop), ☏ +998 91 445 2755. Daily 12:00-15:00, 18:00-21:00. Restaurant in a charming 19th century guesthouse in the old town. (updated Sep 2024)
• Lyab-i Hauz Hotel north side of the main square has a decent restaurant, see Sleep.
• Rustam & Zukhra south side also serve non-residents, see Sleep.
• Minzifa, Hoja Rushnogi 6 (just south of Toq Sarrafon), ☏ +998 93 960 2326. Daily 11:00-23:00. Good veggie selection, but quality overall disappointing. (updated Sep 2024)

Drink

• Silk Road Tea House, Khakikat (south side of Po-i-Kaylan), ☏ +998 93 383 4034. Daily 10:00-18:00. Shop and cafe serving spice and herbal tea, saffron and ginger tea, coffee with cardamom, green and black tea as well as sweets including halva, qandalat and nabat. (updated Sep 2024)
• Shorud Wine Tasting, Sarafon 2 (south side of Lyab-i Hauz), ☏ +998 90 298 8800. Daily 10:00-23:00. Wine shop and tastings, friendly helpful owner. (updated Sep 2024)

Sleep

All hotels charge tourist tax on non-citizens, equivalent to US$4 per person per night in 2024. It's usually extra to the quoted price.

• Lyab-i House Hotel, Khusainov 7, ☏ +998 65 220 2244. Atmospheric hotel right on Lyab-i Hauz in the former Kukeldash Madrasa, with a good restaurant. B&B double US$100. (updated Sep 2024)
• Amelia Hotel, Bozor Hodja 1 (200 m east of Lyab-i Hauz), ☏ +998 65 224 1263. Small friendly hotel in a 19th century Jewish merchant's house. Rooms are comfortable. Beautiful terrace B&B double US$90, cash only. (updated Oct 2024)
• Alexia Suite is a similar restored merchant house run by Amelia Hotel at Chitbofon 3, between it and Lyab-i Hauz.
• Hotel Grand Nodirbek, Sarafon 10 (south side of Lyab-i Hauz), ☏ +998 89 396 87877. Tranquil clean hotel in a 19th century merchant house, ranged around a courtyard. B&B double US$60. (updated Sep 2024)

Ark Citadel

• Hotel Malika-Bukhara, Gavkushon 25, ☏ +998 65 224 6256. Pleasant place just west of Lyab-i Hauz, often accommodates tour groups. B&B double US$140. (updated Sep 2024)
• Rustam & Zukhra, Nakshbandi 110 (next to Lyab-i Hauz), ☏ +998 90 511 0550. Pleasant friendly central place around a courtyard. B&B double $80. (updated Sep 2024)
• 1 Hotel Amulet, Nakshbandi 73, ☏ +998 90 511 2500, amulet-hotel@bk.ru. Small hotel just east of Lyab-i Hauz, built in the early 19th century as a madrasah. Rooms are small and catering limited. B&B double US$100, cash only. (updated Sep 2024)
• 2 Komil Hotel, Arabon 40, ☏ +998 90 715 0305. Charming place with 8 richly decorated double rooms. B&B double US$80. (updated Sep 2024)
• 3 Wyndham Bukhara, Alisher Navoi 8, ☏ +998 55 305 0000. Boxy efficient modern hotel 1 km south of Lyab-i Hauz. Small rooms and tiny bathrooms, air-con erratic. B&B double US$150. (updated Sep 2024)
• Grand Bukhara is next to the Wyndham at Ibrokhim Muminov 8, similar architecture, price and quality.
• 4 Mercure Bukhara Old Town, Samarkand 206, ☏ +998 55 305 0707. Clean modern Accor chain hotel 1.5 km north of Lyab-i Hauz. B&B double US$100. (updated Sep 2024)

Connect

Bukhara and its approach highways have 4G from all Uzbek carriers. As of Sep 2024, 5G has not reached town.

OVIR, the Office for Visas and Registration, is 2 km south of Old Town centre at Murtazaev 10/3, a block east of Alisher Navoi. It nowadays seldom sees tourists and lacks a phone number or website, as registration is usually central online eg via Emehmon, so coming here is your last resort.

Go next

• Khiva is another old town 5 hrs northwest.
• Samarkand is a must-see 3 hours east. With a taxi or your own wheels you can get there via Shahrisabz, the birth and burial place of Timur.
• Qarshi is 2 hours southeast on the route towards Tajikistan.
• Termez is further southeast via Qarshi, on the border with Afghanistan.