Bukhara

Bukhara is a city in western Uzbekistan and the administrative center of Bukhara Region, situated along the Zeravshan River. It is one of Central Asia’s oldest continuously inhabited cities and a major historic trading hub on the Silk Road. The city’s well-preserved historic center contains many mosques, madrasas, caravanserais, and mausoleums that reflect its long-cultural tradition.

Historically, Bukhara rose to prominence in late antiquity and flourished under the Samanid Dynasty in the 9th and 10th centuries as a center of Persian culture, learning, and religious scholarship. It remained an influential political and religious capital through the medieval era and into the early modern period, attracting scholars, merchants, and pilgrims. Imam Bukhari, the compiler of hadith collections, was born there.

Key sights include the Ark fortress, the Kalon Ensemble with the Kalon Minaret and the Kalon Mosque, and the Mir-i-Arab Madrasa. The Rabati Malik caravanserai and the Lyab-i-Hauz square with its historic houses surround a central pool. The Chor Minor, a late 18th- or early 19th-century madrasa with four distinctive minarets, is another notable landmark.

In 1993 the Historic Centre of Bukhara was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today the city remains a regional cultural and economic center, with tourism, crafts, and textile production playing prominent roles. It continues to preserve a rich architectural heritage and a living tradition of crafts, music, and religious scholarship.