Bukhara

A living old town of minarets, madrasas and trading domes, where the spirit of the scholars of Bukhara still fills the lanes.

Bukhara is one of Central Asia’s great centres of Islamic learning, with a walkable historic centre listed by UNESCO. Highlights include Poi-Kalyan, the Ark fortress, Lyab-i Hauz and the Samanid Mausoleum. Allow two to three days. The Afrosiyob train reaches Bukhara from Samarkand in about 1.5 hours, with onward connections to Tashkent.

Bukhara was for centuries a beacon of scholarship, the home of great madrasas and the birthplace of Imam al-Bukhari, compiler of the Sahih. Today its historic centre is remarkably intact: more than a thousand years of architecture stand within a short, pleasant walk of one another.

The day often begins at Poi-Kalyan, where the Kalyan Minaret rises over the mosque and the Mir-i-Arab Madrasa, and ends beside the pool of Lyab-i Hauz under old mulberry trees. In between lie the Ark fortress, the delicate brickwork of the Samanid Mausoleum and the covered trading domes, where carpet weavers, coppersmiths and ceramic artists still work.

We match Bukhara with boutique hotels in the old town, so the monuments are on your doorstep, and with relaxed evenings of halal dining and traditional music in restored courtyards.

Good to know

Distance from Tashkent: About 600 km
Getting there: Afrosiyob train from Samarkand, about 1.5 h; direct trains and flights from Tashkent
Days to spend: 2–3 days
Best season: April–May and September–October
UNESCO: Historic Centre of Bukhara, World Heritage site