More Bukhara



The Capmakers' Bazaar

The Bazaars in Bukhara, as mentioned before, don't really compare to those in Turkey. But they do have some nice covered archways, and the prices are quite reasonable.





You can get silverwork...



carpets (I even saw one with the face of Lenin woven into it, but my wife refused to let me buy it)...


Shopping for textiles

In addition to goods, there are also services available.


Shoes repair

Musical instruments...



Hats and suzani (a sort of tablecloth)




Another textile hall


Saddle near the Lyub-i-Hauz

I put off buying anything for a few reasons. The first is that I still had a ways to go, and lugging a carpet can be heavy work. The second is that I wanted to wait until the great bazaar that I expected at Samarqand.

The Shakristan

The Religious center of Bukhara is the Kalan Complex, which includes a Mosque, impressive minaret, and Madrassah. Every town has such an urban core, and it is known as the Shakristan. The Shakristan is a neigborhood that usually contains the principal market, minaret, and mosques.


Bukhara's "main bazaar"- not touristy, but they sell everything one might need

The Madrassah at the Kalan complex is still active, so women can't enter while men are studying there. In fact, it is pretty much the most important Madrassah in Central Asia. Students go there from all over the stans. As I have a policy of not going anywhere where my wife is not also allowed in, instead we settled for the defunct Ulug Beg Madrassah nearby.

The entrance is a "museum" that's actually something of a hopped up gift shop, but there isn't much of a hard sell. Once you navigate that, you can enter the courtyard with the hujra cells. Students used to live and study there.


Ulug Beg Madrassah courtyard, Bukhara

Ulug Beg the Astronomer Khan of Transoxania, who was one of the timurids, also built an impressive Madrassah in Samarqand (the capitol at the time). This structure was built in 1417. It is less well kept than some others, but everything is original, including the tile. Given the evidence of cranes and scaffolding lying in wait, this will likely soon change.


A view from inside one of the Hujra cells


Between the Ulug Beg Madrassah and the Kalan Complex

The Mosque and Madrassah at the Kalan Complex are relatively recent to Bukhara, built in 1514. The site has hosted a mosque since at least the 10th century, but they kept suffering repeated calamaties.


Kalan Mosque entrance and Kalan Minaret


courtyard of the kalan mosque


ablutory fountain (I think)




the Mosque and Minaret in better light

Kalan Minaret

The Kalan Minaret is one of the oldest surviving structures of the city, built by the Karakhanids in 1127. It rises to 150 ft (46 meters) tall.

The greatest tragedy to befall the city was the arrival of Genghiz Khan and his mongol hordes in 1220. I read a recent laudatory biography of him that was quite interesting, but apart from the pax mongolica that he imposed, there was a lot of awfulness associated with him. The mongols were very dangerous people.

They would ride into a town, and if any resistance was offered, (and there almost always was, as every prince was slain regardless and so had no incentive to surrender) they would engage in an orgy of murdurous violence, pillage, and destruction, slaughtering the inhabitants to a man (those that is, that they did not enslave to use as arrow fodder and human shields for the next seige), and tear down all the buildings, leaving only piles of bodies and bricks. Then they would ride off over the horizon.

This, however, was only a ruse. After a little time had passed, and the survivors they hadn't managed to find emerged from the wreckage, they would ride back and kill them too. Very thorough folks.

The Kalan Minaret was the only building in the city that was spared. Apparently for Ghengis, accustomed only to the flatness of the steppe, this building opened the possibility of vertical dimensions he had never conceived of before. He thought it the most fascinating construction he had ever seen, and ordered it not to be destroyed. He did, however, throw the Emir and the Friday Mosque's Koran from the top of it, and order the city's sack.

After the Mongols departure, this was the only structure visible for miles.

A few views of the Kalan Minaret







The Ark

Every city of any size in Transoxania has, or had, an Ark- the local word for a citadel or fortress.


the South, or main gate, of the Ark

The Ark in Bukhara is the most notorious in Central Asia. The was the seat of "The Butcher of Bukhara"-Nasrullah the Mad.

As Ármin Vámbéry wrote about him in 1873:

"One must be able to form to oneself an idea of the society of the Bukhara of the day, crippled by boundless hipocrosy, crass ignorance, and unscrupulous tyranny, and sunk in the swamp of immorality in order to imagine the mixture of cunning and stupidiy, of pride, of vain-glory and profligacy, of blind fanaticism and loathsome vices which make up the character of Nasrullah Khan"

He was principally known for cruelty; for cleaving his closest advisor in half with an axe, for abducting, ravishing (boys and girls, he was broadminded), and killing the Khan of Kokand's entire family and, on his deathbed, ordering and observing the execution of his wife and daughters to insure their continued chastity after he shuffled off this mortal coil. They were simply the last of a long line of folks that he had executed, including the unfortunate Conolly and Stoddart.

Stoddart was sent to Bukhara to fend of Russian influence in one of the early rounds of the great Game (a term, ironically, invented by Conolly, who became one of its victims). He made a number of critical errors while approaching (quite literally) the Emir .

1st- he accosted him upon his return from Friday Mosque, a particularly bad time to speak to infidels, particularly when they address a walking Emir and do not dismount from horseback, which Stoddart did not.

2nd- he bore a letter, not from the Queen, but from the viceroy of India- indicating that Nasrullah was beneath the royal dignity.

3rd- He later barged into a royal audiance without invitation and took his leave of Nasrullah by turning his back and walking away.

Consequently, he was thrown into the bug pit. A 21 foot deep hole in the jail, where he was later joined by the unfortunate Arthur Conolly, who had been attempting to rescue him. After spending three years in captivity, they were hauled to the surface, brought in front of the Ark, and beheaded in a public festivity.


the square where Stoddart and Conolly met their grisly fate

If one is brave enough, there is a rickety abandoned watertower that had an old tea house at the top of it across from the Ark. You can get great shots of the citadel if you ascend it. Best to do it one at a time, however, as the stairs can sway a bit.


the elevator, unfortunately, has been out of service for some time


you can still take the stairs


The Aark Gate

The Emir and his wives would watch ceremonies (such as the quite common public execution) from the paranja section of the Ark's South Gate. It is now a curio shop that sells, in addition to kitsch, a few ancient Fed knockoffs of Leica cameras.


The best sea in the house


From inside, the women could see out, but no one could see them. Latticework for this purpose is not uncommon in central asia.





The Ark's defensive walls


One of the last chapters of the Ark's history took place in the 1920's, when it was the seat of the Czarist educated puppet ruler, Alim Khan, grandson of the notorious Nasrullah. He wasn't too keen on the idea of the inclusion of Bukhara into the greater Union of Soviets, so the Bolsheviks responded by bombing 80% the Ark into rubble by introducing air warfare to Central Asia for the first time. The destroyed section of the Ark is still rubble.


80% of the Ark looks like this



Two cute little girls near the Ark, not relevant to the story, just cute

#34

Just south of the Ark is the very nice Bolo Hauz mosque, with a fetid pool, as well as a lovely Chaikana where, after surviving the rickety tower, one can calm one's nerves with a cup of green tea. A dressed up couple heading for the Chaikana Samanid Mausoleum Another structure to survive the Mongol assualt of 1220 is the Samanid Mausoleum, which dates from the 10th century (it was partially buried, which spared it from mognol notice). Before it was "dug out" by the soviets, it windows were in a sort of well, and people would whisper questions to an imam hidden inside, who would then hand out written answers on the other side. Samanid Mausoleum and pool There is a lovely park near the mausoleum, where one can occasionally see grazing sheep. Also, about 15 minutes walk to the west, one will find the "Chasma Ayub" (spring of Job) where, according to legend, the prophet struck the earth with a rock and brought forth fresh water. Ladies outside the Chasma Ayub The next morning we made arrangements with a local guide to take us to a number of sites outside of Bukhara. I woke up a few hours before we were to meet Ilker (he's an English speaking guide who hangs around the ark) and Fahreddin, from the Hotel, asked me if I would like to go get some bread with him (it was quite early in the morning). I agreed to do so, and we walked out into the pre-dawn darkness of Bukhara's winding streets. After about 10 minutes we arrived at a small bakery, led which announced itself not with a sign, but with a mouth watering aroma of freshly baking non. ISO 3200 on a kit lens, take that, Nikonians! They basically mold out the non into a disc and slap it up into the inside of a beehive shaped oven, where it sticks until it is done. Then you collect your fresh hot bread! Chor Bakr Ilker is available for $20 per half day, which inludes car and gas, as well as tour guiding in very good english. the first place that he took us was Chor Bakr, a 16th century mausoleum complex built for an important Bukharan sufi family, the Jubayris. Chor Bakr Courtyard the Chor Bakr is currently being restored Minaret reflection The sky was incredibly blue that day. Great light for photographs. Chor Bakr dome Nakshibandi Mausoleum Entrance to the Nakshbandi Complex Baha-ud-Din Naqshband Bukhari (1318-1389), founder of one of Sufism's most influential and largest orders. This is probably the most important religious structures in present day Uzbekistan, as Sufism is very influential there and this is the home "turf" of the Imam of Bukhara, who is technically second to the imam of Tashkent (in the eyes of the government), but Tashkent is an upstart, whereas Bukhara is an ancient city long renowned for religious learning. The imam of Bukhara can be seen on the grounds fequently. the imam of Bukhara (in the white turban) Nakshbandi Minaret This is an important place of pilgremage for muslims all over the world, particularly Sufis. Imbedded in the mausoleum of Nakshbandi is a piece of the black stone of the Ka'baa of Mecca. The Black Stone The Nakshbandi call this place, "the second Mecca", but I think that may be a bit of hype. I'm not sure. praying at the tomb of the Sufi Master fountain next to mausoleum. According to our guide, the Emir of Bukhara had this filled with sweetoned lemon drink (basically lemonade) which worhsippers exiting the mosque could drink. Detail of roof on "Iwan" (outdoor section of mosque for summer praying) The Palace of Alim Khan A few miles down the road from the Nakshbandi complex is the palace of the unlucky Alim Khan, last Emir of Bukahra. By the time he took over Bukhara was run under a protectorate system, and was about as independent as the princely states of India under the British Raj. Nevertheless, until chased off by the Soviets, whereupon he fled south to Afghanistan literally dropping off, one by one, his favorite dancing boys in order to slow his pursuers (he did, after all, retain some of Nasrullah's tastes.) But, Czarist pawn or not, the man knew how to live well. So we visited his palace. entrance to the Summer Palace, Alil Khan's "Versailles" Ilker, our guide Courtyard and Iwan Maintenance being done on the dining room museum worker parlour game room detail of gold painted wall panelling Uzbek cradle on display in the folk art museum that is currently housed in the palace detail of door latch colored glass window Exterior pool of Alim Khan's Palace Alim Khan's harem had 40 women in it so one can imagine (particularly when one takes into consideration the ever present dancing boys) that he did not chafe much under the czars thumb. His harem often bathed unclothed in the Khan's pool, and when he had taken his fancy to one of them, he would toss her an apple. Alim Khan fled Bukhara in 1920 after the establishment of the Bukharan People's Republic, and died in Kabul in 1944.