Sights of Bukhara. Historical monuments of Bukhara

Who does not like to travel and discover new beautiful places? Of course, the sea, the sun and the beach are the main rest of people who are tired of gray people, but you will agree that it is not less interesting and exciting to learn the world and the historical values of different countries. The reader in our excursion is waiting for Mr. Bukhara (Uzbekistan). It is offered to learn about all the sights of this beautiful corner of our planet.

The Legend of Uzbekistan

Bukhara is a city, literally enveloped in secrets and legends. Historians argue that it was founded by the great Siyavush, who, according to legend, was the son of the Iranian king Kay-Kavus and a beautiful turanka that fled from a cruel father. It was Siyavush - a brave and valiant warrior - who built the first Bukhara citadel of Ark, at the eastern gate of which he was buried after death by the hands of Afrasiab, the king of Turan. All grief for the killed warrior Bukhara residents splashed in the song cycle called "Lamentations of the Muggies", and the admirers of Siyavush and still on the first day of the New Year stab the cock at the surviving walls of the Bukhara citadel in memory of the founder of the city. By the way, through the cities of Uzbekistan, namely through Bukhara, passed the legendary Great Silk Road - the road that connects the East and the West.

Faith and Modernity

Today Bukhara is a city that is not only the center of culture of modern Uzbekistan, but also the regional center of this country. Uzbeks call this city the backbone of Islam. If you believe one of the many legends, all the cities inhabited by Muslims envelop the sacred light shining from the sky, and only above Bukhara it rushes skywards.

And indeed, not all cities of Uzbekistan can boast of so many different mosques and tombs of great Muslims elevated to the rank of saints. However, the sights of Bukhara are not only places for prayers to Allah. In this city, a lot of places, impregnated with history and fairy tales. It was here, in Bukhara, such great people as Avicenna and Omar Khayyam created poetry and scientific works.

Places for inspiration

Finding yourself in this city, you immediately understand that the old Bukhara with its stories is closely intertwined with the new, modern Bukhara. Its streets are mysterious and winding, and the walls of the new-fashioned buildings peacefully coexist with the walls of buildings with centuries-old history. It is a city of contrasts, impregnated with the spirit of antiquity and Eastern wisdom.

It is simply impossible to see Bukhara's sights in one day - they are so numerous. Neglect the same visit to one of them - it's like being in Paris and not seeing the Eiffel Tower. In order to absorb the charm of this city with every cell of the body, one can study tours to Bukhara, offered by many tourist operators. And if you do not have an opportunity to see all the nooks of this pearl of Uzbekistan, we recommend to visit the Samandinov Mausoleum, Ark Citadel, Miri Arab Madrassah, Kalyan Mosque, Chor-Minor Madras and Trading Domes. These are the most interesting sights of Bukhara, which invariably make an indelible impression on tourists.

The legacy of the dynasty

One of the most ancient Muslim historical buildings erected in the 10th century is the Samandin Mausoleum. Since it was built from a brick with a scratched pattern, it can rightfully be considered a kind of monument of brick production of those times. The mausoleum was not destroyed during the invasion of the Mongols by Bukhara and was perfectly preserved to our times, due to the fact that it was covered with sand and fragments of destroyed buildings. In addition, the ancient legend says that the beautiful grandeur of the Mausoleum made such a grand impression on the invaders that they, bowing before the beauty of the building, did not burn it, leaving it untouched. The opening of the building belongs to the Soviet archaeologist Vasily Afanasevich Shishkin, who discovered him in 1934 during excavations.

The Samandin Mausoleum is the last refuge in which the members of the Samandin dynasty, Ismail Samani (the ruler of Bukhara and the last representative of the Persian dynasty), and his son Ahmad ibn Ismail found eternal rest.

The Samandin Mausoleum is not just a monument of an ancient building culture, it is a whole story of the resurrection of the city after endless wars with the Arabs.

Temple of knowledge

Looking at the sights of Bukhara, it is impossible not to visit the Miri Arab Madrassah. This is not only an awesome place, but also one of the first educational institutions, which in the era of the USSR was the only one of its kind for people professing Islam.

It is claimed that the founder of this educational institution, Sheikh Miri Arab, persuaded the Bukhara ruler to sell 3,000 captive Iranians in order to build Madrasah on the proceeds. Until the middle of the 20th century it was the most prestigious educational institution.

In 1941, before the Great Patriotic War, the Bolsheviks arranged a military registration and enlistment office in this building, during the military operations under the domes of the Madrasah, the refugees survived.

Nowadays, despite the huge number of different universities, the Miri Arab Madrassah is still considered one of the best, and the entry competition is impressive - about 14 people per seat.

The building itself is richly decorated with colored mosaics, which magically turned into ornaments and flowers. The most beautiful place is the Miri Arab Madrassah, the tomb in which Sheikh Abdullah Yamani, the mudarris Muhammad Qasim and Ubaidullah Khan are buried.

A place for prayers

Kalyan Mosque is the oldest building for praying in the territory of Central Asia, which was built in the 15th century. The area of the building can accommodate up to 12,000 people during religious holidays .

Galleries Mosques of Kalyan, installed on 208 columns, consist of 288 domes, and blue domes are a kind of visiting card of Bukhara.

Four sides

Madrassah Chor-Minor is a magnificent combination of beauty and greatness. The name Chor-Minor in translation means "four minarets", which form a refined form of madrasah and are symbols of the South, North, West and East. Historians say that once a wealthy merchant of silk carpets and thoroughbred horses Niyazkul-bek traveled through India and visited the Taj Mahal. He was so impressed with this structure that on his return to his homeland he decided to build a no less magnificent building. At the same time, he put forward several prerequisites for the architect.

First, the building must be erected on the Silk Road so that traders and travelers can not pass by.

Secondly, the appearance of the madrasah should symbolize the four directions of the world and show everyone that all the peoples of the world are equal in the same way as they are.

A place for curiosities

Since Bukhara was located on the Silk Road, it has always been a huge trading ground for centuries. It was here that merchants from the remotest countries arrived with merchandise.

To order the places for conducting trade transactions, erected impressive Trading Domes. It was under them that the bazaar was arranged, where different goods were sold and bought - from banal food products to overseas wonders.

A few dozen years ago, each dome was designed for each type of goods. Today, this approach has become irrelevant, and only three of them are used for trade.