visitBukhara — "the Noble", "the Dome of Islam" — preserves more than two thousand years of history within a remarkably intact medieval core, protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For centuries it was one of the great centres of Islamic learning, with hundreds of madrasas and mosques.
Poi Kalyan & the Ark
The Poi Kalyan complex is dominated by the 47-metre Kalyan Minaret (1127), so magnificent that Genghis Khan reputedly spared it. The massive Ark Fortress was the residence of the emirs of Bukhara.
Lyab-i Hauz & Naqshband
Life still gathers around the Lyab-i Hauz pool, shaded by ancient mulberry trees. Just outside the city, the shrine of Khwaja Bahauddin Naqshband is one of the most revered pilgrimage sites in the Muslim world.
Must-Visit Landmarks
Poi Kalyan & Kalyan Minaret
The 47-metre minaret (1127) and its mosque and madrasa — the spiritual centre of old Bukhara.
The Ark Fortress
A colossal royal citadel occupied for over a millennium, once the seat of Bukhara's emirs.
Lyab-i Hauz
A tranquil medieval pool framed by madrasas and shaded by centuries-old mulberry trees.
Bahauddin Naqshband Shrine
The revered shrine of the founder of the Naqshbandi Sufi order, a major place of ziarat.
Chor Minor
A charming gatehouse crowned by four distinctive blue-capped towers.