Uzbekistan - Central Asia - page 188

A well inside the mosque contains holy
water that locals drink from a cooler near
the complex entrance. Have the chatty
mullah show you the sections of original
10th-century Arabic script on the mosque's
doors, allegedly inscribed by Turki Jandi
himself.
o Char¨Minar¨ hiSToRiC BUiLDiNg
Photogenic little Char Minar, in a maze of
alleys between Pushkin and Hoja Nura-
bad, bears more relation to Indian styles
than to anything Bukharan. This was the
gatehouse of a long-gone medressa built in
1807. The name means 'Four Minarets' in
Tajik, although they aren't strictly speaking
minarets but rather decorative towers.
Gaukushan¨Medressa¨ MeDReSSA
At the intersection of Jubar and Ba-
khowuddin Nakshabandi ko'chasi is the
interesting 16th-century Gaukushan
Medressa, with chipped majolica on its
unrestored facade.
Museum¨of¨Art¨ MUSeUM
(Bakhowuddin Nakshabandi ko'chasi; admission
1200S; h 9am-5pm Wed-Mon) The Museum of
Art has a worthy collection of mostly 20th-
century paintings by Bukharan artists. It's
in the former headquarters of the Russian
Central Asian Bank (1912). Look out for
works by Zelim Saidjuddin, the Bukharan
artist featured in Colin Thubron's Lost
Heart of Asia and Shadow of the Silk Road .

1 Fayzulla Khojaev House
& Around
Fayzulla¨Khojaev¨House¨ MUSeUM
( % 224 41 88; Tukaev; admission 3500S, camera
2300S; h 9am-5pm) The Fayzulla Khojaev
House was once home to one of Bukhara's
many infamous personalities, the man who
plotted with the Bolsheviks to dump Emir
Alim Khan. Fayzulla Khojaev was rewarded
with the presidency of the Bukhara People's
Republic, chairmanship of the Council of
People's Commissars of the Uzbek SSR, and
finally liquidation by Stalin.
The house was built in 1891 by his father,
Ubaidullah, a wealthy merchant. Fayzulla
lived here until 1925, when the Soviets con-
verted it into a school. Meticulous restora-
tion of the elegant frescoes, ghanch, lat-
ticework and Bukhara-style ceiling beams
(carved, unpainted elm) has returned it
to its former glory. If there's a tour group
present you may be treated to a fashion
show, but it's well worth visiting for the
gorgeous interiors.
Turki¨Jandi¨Mausoleum¨ MAUSoLeUM
(Namozgokh ko'chasi; h 7am-7pm) Deep in the
old town is the tiny, decrepit Turki Jandi
mausoleum, favoured for getting one's
prayers answered. Its importance is sig-
nalled by the hundreds of other graves
around it - allegedly in stacks 30m deep!
Turki Jandi's tomb is accessed through the
mosque under the taller, second cupola.

BUKHARA'S¨JEWS
South of Lyabi-Hauz is what's left of the old town's unique Jewish¨Quarter . There have
been Jews in Bukhara (Buxoro) since perhaps the 12th or 13th century. They developed
their own unique culture with its own language - Bukhori, which is related to Persian but
uses the Hebrew alphabet. Bukhara's Jews till speak it, as do about 10,000 Bukhara
Jews who now live elsewhere, mainly in Israel.
The Bukhara Jews managed to become major players in Bukharan commerce, in
spite of deep-rooted, intitutionalised discrimination. Bukhara Jews made up 7% of
Bukhara's population at the time of the Soviet Union's collapse, but today only a few
hundred remain.
The Jewish¨community¨centre¨&¨synagogue ( % 510 18 33, 224 23 80; Sarrafon
20), roughly across from Salom Inn, holds regular services and also sponsors a func-
tioning Jewish school jut around the corner. A century ago there were at leat seven
synagogues here, reduced after 1920 to two. The second synagogue is located south
of Kukluk Bazaar - from the ruined mosque on Namozgokh, take a left onto Gulzor
ko'chasi, then turn right at the red garage door (number 3) and you'll ind the syna-
gogue on the right a little further down the treet.
The Jewish¨Cemetery (Muminov; h 8am-6pm), jut south of the Old Town, is per-
haps the mot impressive evidence of the previous size of the local Jewish community.
It's a very well maintained and huge space, with centuries of tombs on display.