Uzbekistan - Bukhara

Uzbekistan - Bukhara 

So today upon checking in to my guesthouse, the 11 year old grandkid of the owner was at the reception as he happens to be who replies to bookings and any question in English. And because the school year only starts in two days I asked the grandad if he can come along to the tour of the city as the kid never been to some of the places. So there we go. 

Bahouddin Naqshband complex and memorial. Pretty cool place. Great gardens, a madrassa, two mosques and a small minaret but besides the entrance not the most picturesque

Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa or Palace like the stars and moons was the country residence of the Emir of Bukhara. Built in the late 19th century has a museum of decorative arts and cool wardrobes of the times. 

Chor Bakr is the largest necropolis in central Asia. The locals call it city of the dead. Let's just say it's an old cemetery. Not really my cup of tea. 

The good thing about having my 11 yr old guide is that the driver happens to be his grandad brother so it was decided I needed some food so they took me to some place with no name on the side of the road for some shashlik skewers and some meat. And it was delicious. Just plain good food.  

Then on to the actual Bukhara city

As with most places in this side of the world it was part of silk road and was also mostly destroyed by Gengis khan. Only 3 buildings survived. 

As a side note on the silk road, contrary to what most people think it wasn't one road or route from west to east but more of a network of connections between cities and hence trade. 

The Atari mosque is one of the old buildings who survived Genghis Khan. 

Behind it there used to be a synagogue as The Jews of Bukhara had a community until the Soviet times when the government forbid religion but also kind of kicked out most Jews from the city.

In Bukhara there were around 4 to 8 domes under which the different trades and trading happened (Currency exchange, hat trading, gold, silk, carpet, etc). Of the domes only 4 remain today and in good spirits they are still doing trade but for souvenirs for tourists. 

Hats were very important in central Asia as they showed status. Depending on the hat you wore it was your status in society. 

E.g seeing someone without a hat meant he has lost his place in society. 

In the oldest madrassa in Bukhara there's an engraving in the door which is one of the tenets of islam which says all men and woman should study in their lives. 

As part the religion, women are not only allowed to study but should study. So one might wonder how many places under extremism Muslim then place such crazy rules on woman. Well…all these rules are actually culturally based and not religious based. (Disclaimer - if this isn't the case I can pass on my guide details for any complaint). E.g. Sharia law is more of a cultural thing than religious. This is how Islam has been. Twisted into all the nonsense of extremism that permates all over the world. 

The 40 pillars mosque has actually 20 pillars but during sunrise the other 20 get reflected on the water pond and hence 40 pillars. 

Another cool place to take a break during the day is the silk road tea house which been operating for many centuries and which create their own blends of teas. Definitely a good place to take a break from the heat and have a refreshing tea and some sweets. 

As a side story of Bukhara, there's a story that prophet Job came to Bukhara and found a well and lived here and died here but it's not confirmed. Part of the reason why they think there was a Jewish community here. Who knows! Funny enough in one shop they had a collection of old books some of which were old Jewish prayer books. 

Some more beautiful images from this beautiful place

The city is also beautiful at night to walk around and explore with plenty of cute restaurants, shops, dessert places and I found a wine tasting bar. The best wine I tasted were the peanuts and snacks they offered with the tasting.