Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Uzbekistan's most striking medressas. Mir-i-
Arab was a 16th-century Naqshbandi sheikh
from Yemen who had a strong influence on
the Shaybanid ruler Ubaidullah Khan. Tour-
ists can technically only go as far as the foy-
er. However, if you ask permission you may
be allowed to view the tombs of Mir-i-Arab
and Ubaidullah Khan in a room under the
northern dome. From there you get a decent
view of the courtyard, where you might see
students playing ping-pong.
tains the emir's throne as well as portraits
of the ill-fated British officers Stoddart and
Conolly, who were eventually executed in
front of the fortress on medieval Bukhara's
main square, the
Registan
.
Behind the Ark is the
Zindon
(admission
2300S;
h
9am-5pm Wed-Mon)
, the jail, now
euphemistically called the
Museum¨of¨Law¨
&¨Legislation
. Cheerful attractions include
a torture chamber complete with shackles
used on prisoners and several dungeons, in-
cluding the gruesome fourth cell, the 6.5m
deep
kanakhona
(bug pit), where Stoddart
and Conolly languished in a dark chamber
filled with lice, scorpions and vermin. There
are also some fascinating early 20th century
photographs of pre-Soviet Bukhara taken
by Russian photographer Sergey Prokudin-
Gorsky.
Beside a pool opposite the Ark's gate is
the
Bolo-Hauz¨Mosque
, the emirs' official
place of worship, built in 1718. Beside it is a
now-disused 33m
water¨tower
, built by the
Russians in 1927.
1
The Ark & Around
o
Ark¨
FoRTReSS
(
%
224 38 53; Registan Sq; admission 4500S,
admission with guide 7500S;
h
9am-5pm)
The
spectacular-looking Ark, a royal town-with-
in-a-town, is Bukhara's oldest structure, oc-
cupied from the 5th century right up until
1920, when it was bombed by the Red Army.
It's about 80% ruins inside now, except for
some remaining royal quarters, now hous-
ing several
museums
.
At the top of the entrance ramp is the
17th-century
Juma¨(Friday)¨Mosque
. Turn
right into a corridor with courtyards off both
sides. First on the left are the former living
quarters of the emir's
kushbegi
(prime min-
ister), now housing an archaeological muse-
um and a nature museum where you can see
what healthy cotton looks like (in contrast to
the forlorn, stunted variety you'll see grow-
ing in central Uzbekistan).
Second on the left is the oldest surviving
part of the Ark, the vast
Reception¨&¨Coro-
nation¨Court
, whose roof fell in during the
1920 bombardment. The last coronation to
take place here was Alim Khan's in 1910. The
submerged chamber on the right wall was
the treasury, and behind this room was the
harem.
To the right of the corridor were the open-
air royal stables and the
noghorahona
(a
room for drums and musical instruments
used during public spectacles in the square
below).
Around the Salamhona (Protocol Court)
at the end of the corridor are what remain of
the royal apartments. These apparently fell
into such disrepair that the last two emirs
preferred full-time residence at the sum-
mer palace. Now there are several museums
here, the most interesting of which covers
Bukhara's history from the Shaybanids to
the tsars. Displays include items imported to
Bukhara, including an enormous
samovar
made in Tula, Russia. Another room con-
1
Ismail Samani Mausoleum
& Around
Ismail¨Samani¨Mausoleum¨
MAUSoLeUM
(Samani Park)
This mausoleum in Samani
Park, completed in 905, is the town's oldest
Muslim monument and probably its sturdi-
est architecturally. Built for Ismail Samani
(the Samanid dynasty's founder), his father
and grandson, its intricate baked terracotta
brickwork - which gradually changes 'per-
sonality' through the day as the shadows
shift - disguises walls almost 2m thick,
helping it survive without restoration (ex-
cept of the spiked dome) for 11 centuries.
Behind the park is one of the few remain-
ing, eroded sections (a total of 2km out of
an original 12km) of the Shaybanid
town¨
walls
; another big section is about 500m
west of the
Namozgokh¨Mosque
.
Chashma¨Ayub¨Mausoleum¨
MAUSoLeUM
(Samani Park; admission 2000S;
h
9am-5pm
Tue-Sun)
The peculiar Chashma Ayub mauso-
leum was built from the 12th to 16th centu-
ries over a spring. The name means 'Spring
of Job'; legend has it the spring appeared
after Job struck his staff on the ground here.
Inside is a small water museum where you
can drink from the spring. Next door is a
glistening glass-walled memorial to Imam
Ismail al-Bukhari.
