Bukhara District Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in May)
Moschea Bolo-khauz Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in May)
Uzbekistan Bukhara solo female travel City walk landmark route
Bukhara is my favorite millennium-old city in Central Asia, and the one I explored the most in-depth, because I loved it so much that I visited twice, wandering around for half a month.
👉But if you only have one day, even if you're a special forces soldier, I still recommend checking out these essential landmark spots first, all within walking distance.
🏞Bolo Klaus Mosque~Ark Fortress~Kalin Mosque~Maghori Attari Mosque~Nadir Divan-Begi Madrasah
1⃣Bolo Klaus Mosque
This royal temple's most eye-catching features are the wooden columned porch at the entrance and the pool in front, along with the exquisite frescoes. It's also very pleasant to sit outside the door and listen to the chanting.
🚖It's right next to the old town, a 10-minute walk from the center of the old town
2⃣Ark Fortress
The most magnificent fortress in Bukhara, where you can overlook the entire city from the castle tower. Inside the fortress, there's a mosque and a museum. The ticket is a bit pricey, but it's still worth it.
🚖Just walk across the road from Bolo Klaus Mosque to get there
3⃣Kalin Mosque
The 47-meter-high minaret outside the Kalin Mosque is a true symbol of the city. I recommend coming in the evening when the night view is even more beautiful.
🚖After coming out of the Ark Fortress, just cross the road to get there
4⃣Maghori Attari Mosque
The oldest mosque in the whole city, located in the center of the old city of Bukhara, under a large area of ruins. The carvings on the entire building are exquisitely intricate, breathtaking.
🚖From Kalin Mosque, just walk through the commercial street to get there
5⃣Nadir Divan-Begi Madrasah
This madrasah has now become a craft shop, but the statue of Nasreddin Hodja outside the madrasah is a must-photograph landmark, and there's almost always a queue.
🚖Turn left from the mosque ruins and walk to the end, it's on the left
To Bukhara, this is the vast universe
If you want to talk about the most special mosque in Bukhara, it must be the Bolo-Khauz Mosque. Although the Islamic ancient buildings in Uzbekistan are very beautiful, after a few days of continuous viewing, it is actually easy to get aesthetic fatigue.
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When I came out of the Yak Castle, I was attracted by the Bolo-Khauz Mosque at first sight. Although it is not as huge as the Kalon Mosque, the exquisite details and different colors are indeed different from the other mosques I have seen before.
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Bolo Hauz originally means above the cistern, so Bolo Hauz Mosque is the mosque above the pond. In front of this mosque built in 1718, there is indeed a reservoir now, but the water quality is a bit worrying, reflecting the green tone, but it still reflects the reflection of the temple, which is a rare sight in Central Asia.
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The real special feature is the 20 huge wooden carved pillars at the entrance archway. You know, in Uzbekistan and even in Central Asia, wood is much more valuable than stone and bricks, let alone 20 such tall wooden pillars, which is as rare as the status of Phoebe in our country.
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If you look closely at these wooden pillars, although they have been eroded by hundreds of years, the exquisite carvings are still shocking, especially the stalactite-shaped arches, which are carved in colors other than traditional blue, which is very pleasing to the eye.
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What makes it impossible to move is the caisson, unlike the application of dragons in Chinese ancient buildings, the caisson in Uzbekistan is like the universe, looking up, it is star-like brilliance, rippling in the vastness.
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🏞️Name | Bolo-Khauz Mosque
🎫Ticket | Free
⛳Address | Bolo-Khauz Mosque, Bukhara, Bukhara Region, Uzbekistan
Bukhara 2-day route planning guide, a Silk Road gem more worth visiting than Samarkand
Going to Uzbekistan, you can't miss these three World Heritage ancient cities - Samarkand, Khiva, and Bukhara. If Samarkand symbolizes the peak of Central Asian ancient architecture, and Khiva is the real version of One Thousand and One Nights, then Bukhara, with a history of 2,500 years, is much more low-key, still retaining the life of thousands of years.
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Many people will say that the restored Samarkand is the Disneyland of Central Asia. Although it is extremely exquisite, the matching historical atmosphere is far away. Bukhara, also a gem of the Silk Road, is very restrained in restoration, without large-scale reconstruction, and the decoration of the building has not been repainted, only some preserved historical buildings have been converted into restaurants, hotels, still maintaining the state of the old city.
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Although Bukhara has 140 historical buildings, the area for tourists to explore is not large, almost all concentrated in the old city area, if you add the Emir's Summer Palace in the suburbs, the arrangement of 2 days and 1 night is very suitable, below is my itinerary in Bukhara, you can refer to.
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🚸About the itinerary
DAY1: Samarkand-Bukhara (Kalon Mosque→Ulugbek Medressa→Abdulaziz Khan Medressa→Divab-Beghi→Chor Minor Medressa→Nadir Divan-BegiMedressa)
DAY2: Bukhara (Sitorai Mohi Hosa Palace→Ark of Bukhara→Bolo KhauzMosque)-Tashkent
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🚗About transportation
The best way to visit Bukhara is Citywalk, most of the attractions are next to each other, the walking time is no more than 5 minutes, only Chor Minor Medressa is a bit far, but it's only 20 minutes to walk. Only the Emir's Summer Palace needs a taxi, but it's only a few kilometers, it's very convenient. For large transportation, Samarkand and Tashkent both have high-speed trains to Bukhara, but there are not many trains, so you need to buy tickets in advance during the peak season. There are also buses between cities, but it takes a long time, suitable for friends with plenty of time.
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🕌About attractions
✅Kalon Mosque: The landmark of Bukhara, especially the Kalon Minaret, is one of the few buildings in Uzbekistan before the Mongol period. But the mosque itself is not worth seeing, not worth buying a ticket to go in.
✅Ulugbek Medressa and Abdulaziz Khan Medressa: Two facing medressas, the former was built earlier, decorated simply, the latter's highlight is the colorful honeycomb-shaped arch on the door, representing the ancient architecture of Bukhara, there is a room in the medressa that requires a separate ticket, worth a visit, where you can see the complex original decoration and the mysterious figure under the decoration.
✅Chor Minor Medressa: The internet celebrity of Bukhara, the cover of the Central Asia edition of 'Lonely Planet', a medressa that doesn't look like a medressa.
✅Nadir Divan-BegiMedressa: Now a restaurant, the biggest highlight is the 'heretical' peacock, lamb and sun pattern on the front door. The statue of Afanti in front of the medressa is also the most checked-in place for Chinese people in Bukhara.
✅Sitorai Mohi Hosa Palace: The residence of the last Emir of Bukhara, and the only surviving palace of the Bukhara rule, a good medicine for treating aesthetic fatigue.
✅Ark of Bukhara: The west gate and attached castle of the Bukhara Khanate period, now transformed into a museum, although it looks big, there are not many places to visit.
✅Bolo KhauzMosque: The mosque is not big, but it has the highest carved wooden column in Uzbekistan and a super exquisite caisson.
Palace of Moon-like Stars (Sitorai-Mokhi-Khosa) Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in May)
Promise me, when you go to Bukhara, you must set aside 2h for this stunning summer palace
The Emir's Summer Palace is the only attraction in Bukhara that requires a taxi ride, but it's not far, just over 10 minutes by car. After getting tired of the monotonous style of Uzbekistan's mosques, coming here will feel like a breath of fresh air. However, at first glance, the courtyard of the summer palace still looks somewhat dilapidated, probably due to the lack of management funds, but this last Emir's summer palace still has a gorgeous exterior.
It is said that before building the palace, the Emir of Bukhara racked his brains over the choice of location. Following the advice of an elder, the Emir ordered the killing of four sheep and hung the meat in four different directions of the city. After a while, the meat in the other directions had rotted, but the meat hung in the north of the city remained fresh. The Emir believed that the air was fresher there, and thus chose the north of the city as the site for the palace.
The Emir's Summer Palace is divided into two parts, the old palace is called the Abdulla Khan Palace, built in 1892 in the traditional Bukhara architectural style. The new palace is called the Said Alim Khan Palace, which combines European and Central Asian styles, built in 1917, including some lavishly decorated living rooms and halls, built by the best craftsmen of Bukhara.
Overall, after visiting the Emir's Summer Palace, I still feel that both the old and new palaces are relatively small in scale, and not at all comparable to the Summer Palace in Saint Petersburg. The interior decoration blends traditional YSL religious patterns with European court decoration styles, with a lot of colorful glass decorations on the ceilings and walls, but it looks rather vulgar and is far from the splendor of Russia.
Apart from the palace building itself, the summer palace also includes a large garden with fountains and ponds, which I think is the best spot for taking photos at the Emir's Summer Palace.
Lastly, some details: inside the summer palace, I also found some 19th-century porcelain from China and Japan, along with peacocks strolling around the garden, which is quite a mix. But it also highlights Bukhara's once important position on the Silk Road, a shining pearl on the trade route that connected Eastern and Western civilizations.
🏞️Name | Emir's Summer Palace Sitorai Mahi Khosa
🎫Ticket | 40000 Sum
⛳Address | Buxoro shahri, Moxi Xosa daxasi, shifokorlar ko’chasi 1-uy, Bukhara, Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan Bukhara Solo Female Travel Online Car Hire for Off-the-Beaten-Path Tours
After lounging in the old town of Bukhara for a few days, I decided to visit the surrounding attractions. There are quite a few sights outside of Bukhara city, and after screening, I found these to be the most quintessential and worthwhile.
👉 Although there are minibuses to each attraction, they are not in the same direction, so hiring an online car is the most convenient.
🏞Route:
Chor Minor Medressa~Amir's summer palace~Nakshbandi Bukhari Mausoleum
1⃣Chor Minor Medressa
This madrasah, which graced the cover of 'Lonely Planet', has now been turned into shops, but its unique architectural facade still attracts many tourists. The highlights are the four small towers and bird nests on top of the madrasah.
🚖About two kilometers outside the old town, it is walkable or you can hire an online car.
2⃣Amir's summer palace
This was the summer palace of the last Emir, Alim Khan, and has now been turned into a museum. The palace displays royal furnishings and Alim Khan's personal belongings. The highlight is the star and moon garden outside the palace, which is particularly beautiful, and they even have peacocks. The ticket price is 40,000 som, and I can confirm that it's possible to bargain.
🚖It's over 10 kilometers from the old town, and the online car fare is less than 10 RMB.
3⃣Nakshbandi Bukhari Mausoleum
It is said that the Sufi saint Baha-ud-Din Naqshbandi and the Bukhara khans and nobles are buried here. In the hearts of the locals, this place is second only to Mecca. The star and moon corridor and the Khoz pool inside the mausoleum are very beautiful, and next to the mosque, there is a place to receive holy water. The ticket price is 10,000 som, about 6 RMB.
🚖It's over 20 kilometers from the old town, and the online car fare is 25,000 som, about 15 RMB.
Bukhara 2-day route planning guide, a Silk Road gem more worth visiting than Samarkand
Going to Uzbekistan, you can't miss these three World Heritage ancient cities - Samarkand, Khiva, and Bukhara. If Samarkand symbolizes the peak of Central Asian ancient architecture, and Khiva is the real version of One Thousand and One Nights, then Bukhara, with a history of 2,500 years, is much more low-key, still retaining the life of thousands of years.
·
Many people will say that the restored Samarkand is the Disneyland of Central Asia. Although it is extremely exquisite, the matching historical atmosphere is far away. Bukhara, also a gem of the Silk Road, is very restrained in restoration, without large-scale reconstruction, and the decoration of the building has not been repainted, only some preserved historical buildings have been converted into restaurants, hotels, still maintaining the state of the old city.
·
Although Bukhara has 140 historical buildings, the area for tourists to explore is not large, almost all concentrated in the old city area, if you add the Emir's Summer Palace in the suburbs, the arrangement of 2 days and 1 night is very suitable, below is my itinerary in Bukhara, you can refer to.
·
🚸About the itinerary
DAY1: Samarkand-Bukhara (Kalon Mosque→Ulugbek Medressa→Abdulaziz Khan Medressa→Divab-Beghi→Chor Minor Medressa→Nadir Divan-BegiMedressa)
DAY2: Bukhara (Sitorai Mohi Hosa Palace→Ark of Bukhara→Bolo KhauzMosque)-Tashkent
·
🚗About transportation
The best way to visit Bukhara is Citywalk, most of the attractions are next to each other, the walking time is no more than 5 minutes, only Chor Minor Medressa is a bit far, but it's only 20 minutes to walk. Only the Emir's Summer Palace needs a taxi, but it's only a few kilometers, it's very convenient. For large transportation, Samarkand and Tashkent both have high-speed trains to Bukhara, but there are not many trains, so you need to buy tickets in advance during the peak season. There are also buses between cities, but it takes a long time, suitable for friends with plenty of time.
·
🕌About attractions
✅Kalon Mosque: The landmark of Bukhara, especially the Kalon Minaret, is one of the few buildings in Uzbekistan before the Mongol period. But the mosque itself is not worth seeing, not worth buying a ticket to go in.
✅Ulugbek Medressa and Abdulaziz Khan Medressa: Two facing medressas, the former was built earlier, decorated simply, the latter's highlight is the colorful honeycomb-shaped arch on the door, representing the ancient architecture of Bukhara, there is a room in the medressa that requires a separate ticket, worth a visit, where you can see the complex original decoration and the mysterious figure under the decoration.
✅Chor Minor Medressa: The internet celebrity of Bukhara, the cover of the Central Asia edition of 'Lonely Planet', a medressa that doesn't look like a medressa.
✅Nadir Divan-BegiMedressa: Now a restaurant, the biggest highlight is the 'heretical' peacock, lamb and sun pattern on the front door. The statue of Afanti in front of the medressa is also the most checked-in place for Chinese people in Bukhara.
✅Sitorai Mohi Hosa Palace: The residence of the last Emir of Bukhara, and the only surviving palace of the Bukhara rule, a good medicine for treating aesthetic fatigue.
✅Ark of Bukhara: The west gate and attached castle of the Bukhara Khanate period, now transformed into a museum, although it looks big, there are not many places to visit.
✅Bolo KhauzMosque: The mosque is not big, but it has the highest carved wooden column in Uzbekistan and a super exquisite caisson.
Kalon Minaret Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in May)
Enchanting Bukhara: The iconic Kalon Minaret
#2024wish
One of the most mesmerizing trips of 2023 unfolded in the ancient city of Bukhara, Uzbekistan. Long harboring the desire to explore this Arabian gem adorned with impressive buildings and intricate mosaics, I found myself captivated by the timeless beauty that Bukhara exuded.
At the heart of the city, the iconic Kalon Minaret majestically towered over the surroundings, serving as a testament to the rich history that unfolded within its walls. The minaret's intricate design and historical significance made it a focal point, casting a spell that transported me to a bygone era.
Adjacent to the minaret, a bustling bazaar offered a lively atmosphere where one could savor tea in the shade while marveling at the architectural wonders. The vibrant scenes and the aroma of spices in the air created an immersive experience, making the visit to Bukhara truly unforgettable.
Though ascending the Kalon Minaret was unfortunately not an option for tourists, the mere sight of this architectural masterpiece was more than compensatory. The city's ambiance, coupled with the minaret's grandeur, evoked a sense of being transported into the pages of the Arabian Nights – a fairy tale come to life.
In 2024, my deepest wish is to embark on a journey to Phuket.
#2024wish
One Thousand and One Nights - The hometown of Afanti
Bukhara·Bukhara District
Bukhara is the birthplace of the legendary One Thousand and One Nights, the hometown of Afanti, and the Bukhara Khanate in ancient Chinese books..... It is said that two-thirds of the stories in the more than 400-year history of the Bukhara Khanate took place in Bukhara. Here are distributed nearly 170 various styles of Islamic buildings since the Middle Ages, known as the 'living fossil of the Silk Road'.
The entire ancient city of Bukhara is not very large, and it can basically be visited in one day. The exteriors of these Islamic buildings are very gorgeous. But without exception, the interiors of these buildings are basically shops selling small commodities, and the small commodities are very similar, and it will be a bit boring after a long time.
There are various different Islamic buildings in the ancient city, among which the most famous are the Kalon Mosque and the Mir-i-Arab Seminary, and the three-piece set composed of the Kalon Minaret, which is basically the iconic building of Bukhara. In addition, there are more than a hundred large and small mosques in the ancient city, which can also be very stunning when photographed. Here I share with you other buildings in the ancient city of Bukhara.
Ark of Bukhara Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in May)
#thingstodo
it was an amazing experience visiting Uzbekistan, the most famous cities are Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara.
Don't miss these 3 cities when visiting Uzbekistan.
Direct fly from Kuala Lumpur
A Fortress of Tranquility
#2024wish
Nestled in the heart of Uzbekistan, the Ark in Bukhara emerged as a hidden gem during my travels. This majestic fortress, enveloped by a colossal undulating wall, stood as a testament to the strategic brilliance of its architects – a refuge designed to withstand the onslaught of enemy armies.
The simplicity of the design, reminiscent of the gentle curves of desert sand dunes, added a dreamlike quality to the Ark. The palace within the protective embrace of the walls exuded an air of tranquility, creating a stark yet enchanting contrast to the historical purpose of the fortress.
As I explored the Ark, its unassuming charm and historical significance unfolded like pages from a fairy tale. The well-preserved architecture and the immersive atmosphere transported me to the magical world of Arabian Nights, where tales of sultans and palaces echoed in the wind.
A particularly underestimated aspect of the Ark was its status as a photo hotspot. The interplay of light and shadow on the fortress walls, coupled with the unique design, made for captivating images. It was an unexpected highlight, urging fellow travelers to capture the essence of this overlooked gem.
In 2024, my heart yearns for a new wish – a journey to the tropical paradise of Phuket.
#2024wish
Old city of Bukhara Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in May)
The Old Town of Bukhara.
When she entered the old town, she traversed the narrow, winding alleys surrounded by old buildings with blue roofs and stained glass. She enjoyed walking on the cobblestone paths and taking in the traditional Islamic architecture.
I visited many of the old town's important landmarks, from the medieval Royal Ark Palace to the Almir Arab Mosque and the 19th-century Kalonji Islamic School. These landmarks were telling the story of the town's rich history and culture.
One of the places that particularly impressed me was the traditional workshops and markets. A visit to the old town is not complete without going to the Chorsu Market, where local products such as handicrafts, carpets, and spices are sold. I enjoyed buying souvenirs and learning about the local culture.
My journey in the old town lasted for several days, and every moment was a magical experience. I relished the beauty of the architecture, the historical ambiance, and the town's rich cultural heritage. I will forever cherish the memories of this wonderful trip and look forward to returning to explore more of what the Old Town of Bukhara has to offer.
Recommended Attractions at Popular Destinations
Popular Restaurants in Bukhara District