Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Hoja¨Nasruddin¨
MoNUMeNT
On the east side of Lyabi-Hauz is a statue of
Hoja Nasruddin, a semi-mythical 'wise fool'
who appears in Sufi teaching-tales around
the world.
Nadir¨Divanbegi¨Medressa¨
MeDReSSA
(Lyabi-hauz; admission 1000S, valid 3 days;
h
8am-6pm;
p
)
The Nadir Divanbegi Me-
dressa was built as a caravanserai, but the
khan thought it was a medressa and it duti-
fully became one in 1622. It's notable for its
stunning exterior tilework, which depicts
a pair of peacocks holding lambs either
side of a sun with a human face, in direct
contravention of the Islamic prohibition
against depicting living creatures. Inside
you'll find a few craft and carpet stalls.
Nadir¨Divanbegi¨Khanaka¨
hiSToRiC BUiLDiNg
(Lyabi-hauz;
h
9am-6pm)
F
On the west
side of the square, and built at the same
time, is the Nadir Divanbegi Khanaka,
a sufi cloister used for religious ceremo-
nies, debates and instruction. Both this
and the medressa opposite are named for
Abdul Aziz Khan's treasury minister, who
financed them in the 17th century. It's
the poor relation to the Nadir Divanbegi
Medressa it faces across Lyabi-Hauz, but
inside there's a worthwhile display of old
photos, paintings and a model of Bukhara.
Kukeldash¨Medressa¨
MeDReSSA
(Bakhowuddin Nakshabandi ko'chasi)
The Kukel-
dash Medressa, built in 1569 by Abdullah II,
was at the time the biggest Islamic school
in Central Asia. It now hosts an evening
puppet, wrestling and, disappointingly, a
cock fight show, that's aimed at tourists.
o
Maghoki-Attar¨
&¨Museum¨of¨Carpets¨
MUSeUM
(Pit of the herbalists; Arabon; admission 2300S;
h
museum 9am-5pm)
Between the two cov-
ered bazaars, in what was the old herb-
and-spice bazaar, is Central Asia's oldest
surviving mosque, the Maghoki-Attar, a
lovely mishmash of 9th-century facade and
16th-century reconstruction.
This is probably also the town's holiest
spot: under it in the 1930s archaeologists
found bits of a 5th-century Zoroastrian
temple ruined by the Arabs and an earlier
Buddhist temple. According to legend, the
mosque survived the Mongols by being bur-
ied by locals in sand. Indeed, only the top
of the mosque was visible when the digging
began in the 1930s; the present plaza sur-
rounding it is the 12th-century level of the
town.
A section of the excavations has been left
deliberately exposed inside. The building
today ostensibly functions as a
museum
ex-
hibiting Bukhara carpets and prayer mats.
Climb the stairs inside the mosque for a
view of the Zoroastrian remains.
The charming staff will tell you that until
the 16th century, Bukhara's Jews are said to
have used the mosque in the evenings as a
synagogue - a wonderful image of the cos-
mopolitan tolerance that was once such a
part of Bukhara's identity.
1
Taki
-
Zargaron Area
Ulugbek¨Medressa¨
MeDReSSA
(hoja Nurabad ko'chasi; medressa admission (for
both Ulugbek & Abdul Aziz Khan) 2000S, valid
three days; museum admission 1000S;
h
mu-
seum 9am-4.30pm)
Built in 1417, this is Cen-
tral Asia's oldest medressa, and may well
be familiar to you as it became a model
for many others. The blue-tiled medressa,
one of three built by Ulugbek (the others
are at Gijduvan, 45km away on the road to
Samarkand, and in Samarkand's Registan
complex), is unrestored and much in need
of conservation work - the central alcove in
the courtyard recently collapsed and work
is needed almost everywhere.
There are no stalls here, just some empty
cells and a small
museum
with some great
old photos, including one of the Kalon Min-
aret looking the worse for wear after the
Soviets bombed it in the 1920s.
1
Taki-Sarrafon & Taki-Telpak
Furushon Area
Covered¨Bazaars¨
MARKeT
(hakikat;
h
7am-8pm)
From Shaybanid times,
the area west and north from Lyabi-Hauz
was a vast warren of market lanes, arcades
and crossroad minibazaars whose multi-
domed roofs were designed to draw in cool
air. Three remaining domed bazaars, heavily
renovated in Soviet times, were among doz-
ens of specialised bazaars in the town -
Taki-
Sarrafon
(moneychangers),
Taki-Telpak¨
Furushon
(cap makers) and
Taki-Zargaron
(jewellers). They remain only loosely faithful
to those designations today.
