Bukhara
Overview
Bukhara must be one of the most beautiful towns in the world, at least it is the most beautiful town in Central Asia for sure, in my opinion even overtaking Samarkand. It is exactly what you expect from a Silk Road town to be: Medressas, blue-tiled mosques, Persian buildings, narrow streets, covered bazaars and a laid down atmosphere, at least in wintertime. Bukhara has it all and it is small enough to walk everywhere and to see it in a couple of days or even in one day as, in our case, you only have a 3-day transit visa in Uzbekistan.
Sightseeing
The old town of Bukhara is the place where you are
going to spend most of your time. The centre of it is the lovely Labi Hovuz
square, featuring two medressas, a pool and a relaxed atmophere. Starting from
here you can walk to all the sights.
-Chor Minor: A beautiful small mosque hidden in a small square east of the square. It has four round-shape minarets and although you cannot get inside the mosque is really beautiful from the outside. Don’t miss it!
-Maghoki Attar Mosque: Right next to the square it id the oldest mosque in Central Asia. It’s not working anymore but really worth a visit.
-Covered Bazar: Going north from the square tou enter this nice bazar where to shop for some Bukhara souvenirs.
-Ulugbek Medressa and Abdul Aziz Khan Medressa: Coming along the lovely street from the bazaar these two medressas are simply beautiful, especially with the evening light. Not posible to get inside, but fully enjoyables from outside.
-Kalyan Minaret square: The landmark of Bukhara is this tall minaret which unfortunately at the time we visited it was not posible to climb. It is set in a beautiful square with a mosque and a medressa in it. One of the most beautiful squares you’ll see in Central Asia! It is posible to get inside the mosque but inside the medressa only till the entrance, at it is working and students are there.
-The Ark: This is the fortress of Bukhara. You can get inside although pretty much everything is in ruins, so we just had a look from outside, and the main gate is especially worth.
-Bolo Hauz Mosque: Opposite the Ark, this is a beautiful mosque, especially from the outside, as it is standing on wooden columns. You can get inside, although there’s nothing really special there.
-Water Tower: between the Ark and the Mosque, it was closed at the time we visited bt it must be nice to climb if it ever opens again.
-Chor Minor: A beautiful small mosque hidden in a small square east of the square. It has four round-shape minarets and although you cannot get inside the mosque is really beautiful from the outside. Don’t miss it!
-Maghoki Attar Mosque: Right next to the square it id the oldest mosque in Central Asia. It’s not working anymore but really worth a visit.
-Covered Bazar: Going north from the square tou enter this nice bazar where to shop for some Bukhara souvenirs.
-Ulugbek Medressa and Abdul Aziz Khan Medressa: Coming along the lovely street from the bazaar these two medressas are simply beautiful, especially with the evening light. Not posible to get inside, but fully enjoyables from outside.
-Kalyan Minaret square: The landmark of Bukhara is this tall minaret which unfortunately at the time we visited it was not posible to climb. It is set in a beautiful square with a mosque and a medressa in it. One of the most beautiful squares you’ll see in Central Asia! It is posible to get inside the mosque but inside the medressa only till the entrance, at it is working and students are there.
-The Ark: This is the fortress of Bukhara. You can get inside although pretty much everything is in ruins, so we just had a look from outside, and the main gate is especially worth.
-Bolo Hauz Mosque: Opposite the Ark, this is a beautiful mosque, especially from the outside, as it is standing on wooden columns. You can get inside, although there’s nothing really special there.
-Water Tower: between the Ark and the Mosque, it was closed at the time we visited bt it must be nice to climb if it ever opens again.
Accomodation
Plenty of accomodation in Bukhara, and we opted for Ilyios & Madina guesthouse. At 75000 som per night with free wifi and clean and nice rooms, it was a good bet only 5 minutes walk from the square. Reccomendable.
Food & Drink
On Eastern side of the square, behind the medressa, there’s a small square with a round small restaurant in the midle. They offer cheap and good traditional Uzbek food and beer. Plov, Laghman and soups are reccomendable.
If you want to go for a beer, you can do it at a pub on a street on the southern side of the square.
If you want to go for a beer, you can do it at a pub on a street on the southern side of the square.
Transportation
We got to Bukhara from the Turkmen border. A total rip-off paying 15 USD per person for a one hour taxi ride, but there was no other option. We shared the taxi with local people and after arguing with the thieves taxi drivers, they ended up paying 15 USD. Really no other option, not even hitch-hiking as there were no cars.
From Bukhara, we headed to Samarkand by train at 8:45 arriving there 4 hours later. Book your ticket at least the day before from an office in town, this way you secure the journey and you avoid having to go to the tran station, which is 12 km away from the old town (you can get there by marshrutka from the restaurant mentioned above).
From Bukhara, we headed to Samarkand by train at 8:45 arriving there 4 hours later. Book your ticket at least the day before from an office in town, this way you secure the journey and you avoid having to go to the tran station, which is 12 km away from the old town (you can get there by marshrutka from the restaurant mentioned above).
Safety
Totally safe place. No issues at all and people are nice and friendly.
 |
|
|
|
|
|
