Who doesn't love to travel and discover beautiful new places? Of course, the sea, the sun and the beach are the main rest for people tired of the gray everyday life, but you must admit that it is no less interesting and exciting to get to know the world and the historical values of different countries. The reader in our excursion is waiting for the city of Bukhara (Uzbekistan). It is proposed to learn about all the sights of this beautiful corner of our planet.
Legend of Uzbekistan
Bukhara is a city literally shrouded in secrets and legends. Historians claim that it was founded by the great Siyavush, who, according to legend, was the son of the Iranian king Kay-Kavus and a beautiful Turan who fled from a cruel father. It was Siyavush - a brave and valiant warrior - who built the first Bukhara citadel Ark, at the eastern gate of which he was buried after his death at the hands of Afrasiab, the king of Turan. The inhabitants of Bukhara poured out all their sorrow for the killed warrior into a song cycle called "The Cry of the Mugs", and the admirers of Siyavush still slaughter a rooster on the first day of the New Year near the surviving walls of the Bukhara citadel inmemory of the founder of the city. By the way, the legendary Great Silk Road, the road connecting East and West, passed through the cities of Uzbekistan, namely through Bukhara.
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. The Uzbeks themselves call this city the pillar of Islam. According to one of the many legends, all the cities inhabited by Muslims are enveloped in a sacred light shining from the sky, and only above Bukhara it rushes up to heaven.
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 offering prayers to Allah. This city has many places steeped in history and fairy tales. It was here, in Bukhara, that such great people as Avicenna and Omar Khayyam created poetry and scientific works.
Places for inspiration
When you find yourself in this city, you immediately understand that the old Bukhara with its legends is closely intertwined with the new, modern Bukhara. Its streets are mysterious and winding, and the walls of newfangled buildings peacefully coexist with the walls of buildings with a long history. This is a city of contrasts, saturated with the spirit of antiquity and oriental wisdom.
Sightseeing of Bukhara in one day is simply impossible - they are so numerous. Neglecting to visit one of them is like being in Paris and not seeingEiffel Tower. To absorb the charm of this city with every cell of the body, you can explore tours to Bukhara offered by many tour operators. And, if it is not possible to explore all the nooks and crannies of this pearl of Uzbekistan, we recommend that you definitely visit the Mausoleum of the Samandins, the Ark Citadel, the Miri Arab Madrasah, the Kalyan Mosque, the Chor-Minor Madrasah and the Trading Domes. These are the most interesting sights of Bukhara, which invariably make an indelible impression on tourists.
Dynasty Legacy
One of the most ancient Muslim historical buildings erected in the 10th century is the Mausoleum of the Samandins. Since it was built of brick with a scratched pattern, it can rightfully be considered a kind of monument to the brick production of those times. The mausoleum was not destroyed during the Mongol invasion of Bukhara and has been perfectly preserved to our times, due to the fact that it was covered with sand and fragments of destroyed buildings. In addition, an ancient legend says that the beautiful grandeur of the Mausoleum made such a grandiose impression on the invaders that, bowing to the beauty of the building, they did not burn it, leaving it untouched. The discovery of the building belongs to the Soviet archaeologist Vasily Afanasyevich Shishkin, who discovered it in 1934 during excavations.
The Mausoleum of the Samandins is the last refuge in which members of the Samandins dynasty - Ismail Samani (the ruler of Bukhara and the last representative of the Persian dynasty) and his son Ahmad ibn Ismail found eternal rest.
MausoleumSamandinov is not just a monument of ancient building culture, it is a whole story of the resurrection of the city after endless wars with the Arabs.
Temple of Knowledge
Seeing the sights of Bukhara, it is impossible not to visit the Miri Arab Madrassah. This is not just an awe inspiring 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 who profess Islam.
They say that the founder of this educational institution, Sheikh Miri Arab, convinced the ruler of Bukhara to sell 3,000 captured Iranians in order to build a Madrasah with 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 set up a military enlistment office in this building, during the period of hostilities, refugees survived under the domes of the Madrasah.
In our time, despite the huge number of different universities, Miri Arab Madrasah is still considered one of the best, and the competition for applicants is impressive - approximately 14 people per place.
The building itself is richly decorated with colorful mosaics that have magically turned into ornaments and flowers. The most beautiful place of the Miri Arab Madrasah is the tomb in which Sheikh Abdullah Yamani, the mudarris Muhammad Kasym and Ubaydullah Khan are buried.
Prayer place
Kalyan Mosque is the oldest building for offering prayers in Central Asia, which was built in the 15th century. The area of the building can accommodateduring religious holidays up to 12,000 people.
The galleries of the Kalyan Mosque, installed on 208 columns, consist of 288 domes, and the blue domes are a kind of hallmark of Bukhara.
Four-sided
Chor-Minor Madrasah is a magnificent combination of beauty and grandeur. The name Chor-Minor in translation means "four minarets", which form a refined form of a madrasah and are symbols of the South, North, West and East. Historians claim that once a we althy trader in silk carpets and thoroughbred horses Niyazkul-bek traveled around India and visited the Taj Mahal. He was so impressed with this structure that upon returning to his homeland he decided to build an equally magnificent building. At the same time, he put forward several mandatory conditions for the architects.
First, the building must be erected on the Silk Road so that merchants and travelers cannot pass by.
Second - the appearance of the madrasah should symbolize the four cardinal points and show everyone that all the peoples of the world are equal just like they are.
A place for curiosities
Because Bukhara was located on the Silk Road, it has been a huge trading platform for centuries. It was here that merchants from the most distant countries arrived with goods.
In order to streamline the places for conducting trade transactions, impressive Trade Domes were erected. It was under them that a bazaar was arranged, where various goods were sold and bought - from banal foodstuffs to overseas curiosities.
Severaldecades ago, each type of goods had its own dome. Nowadays, this approach has become irrelevant, and only three of them are used for trading.
