My hotel room is huge, faces out to the charming courtyard and has a tiny balcony. I would be perfectly content to stay here al day and read, but Bukhara calls. The amount of good photo opportunities, along with the history and charm of this very old city make it irresistible. Little alleys and shop keepers beckon.
"Senora, please!"
"Madam, good price, almost free!"
"Bonjour! Good carpets, flying carpets!"
I'm pretty sure that the guy trying to sell flying carpets is guilty of false advertising.
The first stop of the day is the Ismael Samani Mausoleum. A near perfect cube, it was built it the beginning of the tenth century for the founder of the Samanid dynasty, Ismael. The intricate basket weaving look that archived with bricks is subtly intriguing. There are little nods to Zoroastrian temples in the little triangles on the top, and the cubist design is a deliberate homage to the sacred Kaaba stone at Mecca. This mausoleum (and the surrounding graveyard which was relocated) were discovered by a Soviet archaeologist in 1934 under mounds of dirt - which had saved it from the invading Mongols destruction.
The Museum of Water Supply commemorates the spring of Job. Legend has it that the prophet came to the Zerafshan Valley, saw the drought, and stuck his staff in the dusty earth and a spring emerged. Just like in Iran, water in this part of the world is the one thing that ensures survival.
In the museum, they provide cups and funnels for those who wish to partake directly from the spring.
Across the Memorial complex of Al-Bukhari. The giant book in the middle of a crescent, represents the collection of hadith (the sayings of Mohammed) compiled by Al-Bukhari.
The Bolo-Hauz Mosque, built in 1718 is called "Mosque Near the Pool." It is where the emir would come to worship. One can imagine a path of deep red Bukharan rugs guiding the emir to the mosque. The Soviets used this place as a proletarian club.
The Ark Fortress has been a presence in Bukhara since the beginning, in one form or another. The Arabs built the first mosque here on top of the ashes of a Zoroastrian temple. It was built up and destroyed over and over again. The Mongols razed it in 1220 - but spared the minaret - and it took until around the 16th century for it to take its present shape. It grew to house government buildings, the emir and his family and his harem, treasury and slave quarters.
The most notorious ruler here was Nasrullah. Two British "Great Game" players, Stoddart and Conolly were imprisoned here. Stoddart had arrived first, but things had not gone well and he was thrown into a dank, bug infested pit. Then Conolly arrived to secure Stoddart's release and ended up joining him the in dungeon. On June 24, 1842, they were marched out in front of the Ark and in front of a huge audience, were made to dig their own graves and were then beheaded.
Callum MacLeod wrote this about Nasrullah in the book "Uzbekistan: The Golden Road to Samarkand":
"Nasrullah has attained notoriety in the West as the ultimate bogeyman of Bukhara. Described by Conolly as 'mad' (with the world underlined twice) and affectionately referred to by his subjects as 'The Butcher', Nasrullah's official title was the only marginally less spine-tingling 'The Shadow of God Upon Earth'. As an ambitious young man, he initiated a bloody scramble for succession, ordering 28 of his close relatives murdered in cold blood and three younger brothers beheaded on the banks of the Oxus. When, 20 years later, in a moment of blind rage he reputedly cut his closest adviser in half with an axe, it seemed that middle age had failed to mellow the emir. Not even on his deathbed did the monster relent, only content to pass away after he had witnessed the bloody execution of his wife and three daughters in front of his fading eyes, in order it seems to ensure their continued chastity in his absence."
However, today, the Ark is crawling with schoolchildren, eager to have their pictures taken, and taking surreptitious cell phone pictures of the exotic tourists.
The Kalon Minuret was the only thing that stopped Genghis Khan in his tracks. Apparently, he bowed at the bottom of the minaret to pick up his fallen hat and then ordered that minaret be spared. It is 48 meters high, and has served many purposes, including as a kind of lighthouse to nomadic traders coming in from the desert. It also served as an execution device. Criminals were led to the top, tied into a sack and ceremoniously thrown off the top.
Just outside the Kalon Mosque was an old man selling bread stamps. These are the stamps used to mark the centers of the bread we see (and eat!) everywhere.
The Mir-I-Arab Madrasah is across the square and mirrors the mosque.
Late in the afternoon, a few of us decided to visit one of Bukhara's two synagogues. The door off the little street was partially open, so I poked my head in and saw two men playing backgammon. One of them jumped up and welcomed us. I asked if it was all right to come in and see the synagogue, and he said, "Of course! of course!" I asked if he wanted me to cover my hair, and he said, "No, only Jews have to do that." I replied that I was indeed Jewish and the tone of everything changed immediately. First, I had to cover my hair, which was fine. But then we got the royal tour. They showed us the Torah, and let us take pictures.
One of the men showed me the empty mezuzah space. He said it had been ripped off of the wall - so the one on the outside of the synagogue had been drawn on. He even took us to see the small school, and to meet some of the children. He said the community numbers just under 300 people or so now. I asked if it was hard here for Jews. He looked at me and said that yes, it could be. "Everything is 'Salaam, salaam' which can be difficult." He also made a motion about zipping his lips, but said that I would understand because I was Jewish. It was enlightening and something different.
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