We took a train from Khiva to Bukhara and of all of the vehicles we have been in and out of the whole trip, this, by far, was the most challenging.  The train left at 3:30pm and when we got to the train station it turned out that all of the cars were sleeper cars- most unexpected. (I found out later that the train, which is a new line, goes all the way to Tashkent which is an overnight trip, so that explained it.) In addition, the cars were an old Russian design such that the so-called air conditioning only worked when the train was at speed.  As we had two stops to make before really reaching the proper speed for the air conditioning to function, the first hour or so of the trip was downright miserable; the outside temperature was around 100 so inside the train it felt much higher.  We were all on the verge of rebellion but managed to pull through and survive. I am pretty much a lizard- super heat tolerant- and I was uncomfortable and sweating the whole time, even when the “air conditioning” came on after our two stops. It was a five and a half hour journey through a scrub desert landscape that reminded me of the Mojave Desert in California minus the joshua trees. I chalk the whole experience up to “type 2” fun (fun that was not fun when you were experiencing it, but it become fun retro-actively).

Our hotel from the street.

Our hotel from the inside. This is the first of a few courtyards. There were also other gathering rooms tucked away here and there.

We arrived at our hotel, right on the edge of the old town around 9:30pm.  I was exhausted, hot and more than ready for a shower so I did not explore further although like other parts of Uzbekistan, there were a lot of people and families out and about, emerging at night to escape the heat of the day.  Our hotel was illustrative of all the construction we have encountered in the country, a small unremarkable entrance that led to an amazing and byzantine inner space, much bigger than you might expect.  Getting to my room, I wasted no time jumping into the shower, fully clothed, already prepared to clean my clothes too, after sweating so much. I fell asleep immediately.

Bukhara has a long history as a central stop on the Silk Road which made it a very desirable piece of property. At any given time the area has been overrun by the Romans, Persians, Mongols, Arabs and Russians, let along the various tribes in the general neighborhood.  Influences remain from each incursion and Umid mentioned they have even changed the alphabet they use for written Uzbek four times in the last century and a half- Arabic, Old Cyrillic, New Cyrillic and now Latin.  Each change was driven by a changing political reality.  Arabic to Old Cyrillic when the Kingdom of Bukhara become subject to the Russian Empire under the Tzars, Old Cyrillic to New Cyrillic when the Communists took over and created the Soviet Union, and Latin when the Uzbekistan became independent after the Soviet Union broke apart.  That is a LOT of change!

Oldest structure in Bukhara- the mausoleum for the Saminid rulers. Three generations were buried here.

An example of the interior construction and design. It escaped destruction by the Mongols because the building was covered by sand/dirt until later renovations discovered it.

Because of the city’s long history, even with waves of invasion and the accompanying destruction, several historical structures and buildings still remain.  Some survived up until the early 20th century but were destroyed only recently by the Soviets bombs in their efforts to subdue and intimidate the Kingdom of Bukhara during the transition from Tzarist Russia. The earliest structure was from the 9th century, a mausoleum housing members of the Samanid Empire that was centered in Bukhara. Most of the structure is original and the engineering is incredible, including elements to ensure that the change in moisture in the environment did not damage the walls.  Because the use of color (glazing) was not used in brick making until the 12th century, the building is monochrome, but that did not stop the builders from intricate designs on the inside.

Structure protecting the Well of Job.

Nearby to the mausoleum is the Well of Job, with a surrounding structure to protect it, that dates back to the 12th century. The well, a spring believed to have healing powers, was reportedly created by the prophet Job when he struck his staff on the site.  Water still flows from the spring and locals still attend to it for healing.  Inside the building surrounding the well was explanations about how Bukhara, which is surrounded by desert, historically and today capture enough water to support the town.  Two rivers have provided Bukhara with water over the centuries, one flowing out of the Aral Sea and through via what is now Turkmenistan and another originating in what is now Afghanistan. The two rivers, along with a series of springs, reservoirs and catch basins for snow melt and rain, have been enough to make Bukhara an important stop on the Silk Road and today support a city of a little over a quarter million people.  However, the Aral Sea has almost dried up and the Afghanistan water source is threatened so the Uzbek government has gone big into water conservation across all aspects of life.  Also, apparently, the “-Stan” governments work extremely closely on water issues, recognizing that it is a big concern for all of them.

Under the “money exchange” dome where traders came to, well, exchange money. Now used by vendors hawking wares to tourists.

In the old city there were still three of the five “domes” that marked major trading centers for caravans traveling the Silk Road. The domes were large enclosed arches consisting of a series of smaller domes and arches, open at multiple points for entry but protected from the sun, were vendors could (and still do) set up stalls for trading.  The three domes that still exist in ancient times were for money exchange, hats, and gold respectively.  The two that are no longer in existence were for weaponry and sweets.  The domes are still being used for mercantile exchanges today, as craftsmen and small business have stalls and shops threaded throughout the space.  Adjacent to the domes are remnants of some of the caravanseri where traders would stay overnight and rest their animals as well as use for a base to conduct business.  Umid mentioned that each group, Arabs, Persians, Chinese etc.. had their own caravanseri that they stayed in. It was via this network that business was conducted, gossip passed and connections were made.  We had a delightful lunch in one of the caravanseri structures that was turned into a restaurant.

The “hat dome” from a distance. Unlike the money exchange dome, which had blue decorative tiles around the outside, the “hat” dome was fairly plain. Also had modern day vendors inside with stalls set up.

A remnant of a caravanseri. Some now house restaurants or multiple shops. Some are being renovated. Some are just facades, the remaining structure gone.

We also visited the great mosque (see picture at top of post) which was part of a complex of buildings that included a minaret and a madras. If you look closely at the minaret you will notice its similarity to Burana tower we had visited earlier in Kyrgyzstan.  (Burana is all that remains of a similar complex.)  The mosque, in its current form, was built in the 11th century and can hold thousands of people on Ramadan.  The madras opposite the mosque is still active and Umid said that entrance exams for the boys will be held later this summer.

The front facade of the Great Mosque.

There was a lot to see in the old city- 15th and 16th madras had been repurposed as shopping centers and restaurants.  The city center, defined by a reservoir that had been around for centuries, was a popular spot for both tourists and locals.  The Khan’s of Bukhara built a large fortress and palace adjacent the city center but unfortunately 80% of it was destroyed by Soviet bombs. We were able to visit the 20% that still stands, however.  There were intriguing side streets that we explored on our way to dinner, where we had homemade plov at a local’s house.

Bukhara is rich in history and rich in areas to explore!

The entrance to the fortress/palace built by the last Khans of Bukhara. 20% remains intact, the rest destroyed by Soviet bombs.

We stopped by a handmade silk carpet store and watched the women working on the carpets. The carpets were amazing and very detailed and colorful (and no, I did not bother to ask how expensive they were!)

Door at the house in the old town where we had dinner. Note that there are two knockers, one at the top and one at the bottom. One was for men and the other was for woman— so that the door could be opened by the appropriate gender.

A side street of the old town off of the renovated streets that visitors use.