Bukhara Buxoro
Mir-i Arab madrasah
Bukhara Location in Uzbekistan
Coordinates: 39°46′N 64°26′E / 39.767, 64.433
Country	‎  Uzbekistan
Province	Bukhara Province
Population (1999)
- Total	237,900

Bukhara (Uzbek: Buxoro, Tajik: Бухоро, Persian: بُخارا, Russian: Бухара), also spelled as Bukhoro and Bokhara', from the Soghdian βuxārak ("lucky place"), is the capital of the Bukhara Province (viloyat) of Uzbekistan. Wikipedia talkFeatured lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below -->This list of countries, arranged alphabetically Uzbekistan, officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( Uzbek: O‘zbekiston Respublikasi or Ўзбекистон Республикаси is a doubly Uzbekistan is divided into 12 Provinces ( viloyatlar, singular Viloyat, viloyati in compound e Buxoro Province ( Bukhara Province) (Buxoro viloyati/Бухоро вилояти is a Viloyat (province of Uzbekistan located in the southwest of Uzbek ( O‘zbek tili or O'zbekcha in Latin script, Ўзбек тили in Cyrillic script; أۇزبېك ﺗﻴﻠی in Arabic The Tajik language, or Tajik Persian, or Tajiki, (sometimes written Tadjik or Tadzhik; тоҷикӣ, tg-Latn ''tojikí'') is a modern Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages The Sogdian language is a Middle Iranian language that was spoken in Sogdiana ( Zarafshan River Valley located in modern day Uzbekistan Buxoro Province ( Bukhara Province) (Buxoro viloyati/Бухоро вилояти is a Viloyat (province of Uzbekistan located in the southwest of A wilāyah (ولاية or vilâyet (in Persian and Ottoman Turkish) is an administrative division usually Uzbekistan, officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( Uzbek: O‘zbekiston Respublikasi or Ўзбекистон Республикаси is a doubly The nation's fifth-largest city, it has a population of 237,900 (1999 census estimate).

The region around Bukhara has been inhabited for at least five millennia and the city itself has existed for half that time. Located on the Silk Road, the city has long been a center of trade, scholarship, culture, and religion. The Silk Road, or Silk Routes, are an extensive interconnected network of Trade routes across the Asian continent connecting East South and Western Asia with the

Names

Bukhara was also known as Bokhara in 19th and early 20th century English publications and Buhe/Puhe（捕喝） in Tang Chinese. ^[1]

History

Bukhara has been one of the main centres of Turkic civilization during its history. Its architecture and archaeological sites form one of the pillars of the Central Asian history and art. The region of Bukhara was for a long period a part of the Persian Empire. The Persian Empire was a series of Iranian empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland and beyond in Western Asia The origin of its inhabitants goes back to the period of Aryan immigration into the region. Aryan is an English word derived from the Sanskrit " Ārya " meaning "noble" or "honorable"

Iranian Soghdians inhabited the area and some centuries later the Persian language became dominant among them. History Hellenistic period The Sogdian Rock or Rock of Ariamazes a fortress in Sogdiana was captured in 327 BC by the forces of Alexander the Great Encyclopedia Iranica mentions that the name Bukhara is possibly derived from the Soghdian βuxārak. Encyclopædia Iranica is a project whose goal is to create a comprehensive and authoritative English language Encyclopedia about the history culture and History Hellenistic period The Sogdian Rock or Rock of Ariamazes a fortress in Sogdiana was captured in 327 BC by the forces of Alexander the Great ^[2] Another possible source of the name Bukhara may be from "a Turkic (Uighur) transfer of the Sanskrit word 'Vihara'"^[3] (monastery), and may be linked to the pre-Islamic presence of Buddhism (especially strong at the time of the Kushan empire) originating from the Indian sub-continent, and to the presence of some Turkish rulers in the 6th Century. The Uyghur (also spelled Uygur, Uighur, Uigur, Uyghur: ئۇيغۇر) are a Turkic people of Central Asia. Sanskrit (sa संस्कृता वाक् saṃskṛtā vāk, for short sa संस्कृतम् saṃskṛtam) is a historical Vihara (विहार is Sanskrit or Pali for ( Buddhist) Monastery. Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices

The last emir of Bukhara was Muhammad Alim Khan (1880-1944). Emir Mohammed Alim Khan ( January 3 1880 &ndash April 28 1944) was the last Emir of the Manghit Dynasty, The Trans-Caspian railway was built through the city in the late 19th century. The Trans-Caspian Railway (also called the Central Asian Railway, Russian Среднеазиатская железная дорога is a Railway that follows The historic center of Bukhara has been listed by UNESCO as one of the World Heritage Sites. United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on November 16 A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex It contains numerous mosques and madrassas. A "mosque" in English refers to all types of buildings dedicated for Islamic worship although there is a distinction in Arabic between the smaller privately owned mosque and the larger "Madrasa" and "Medrese" redirect here For the village in Azerbaijan see Mədrəsə.

Origin in Legends

According to the Iranian epic poem Shahnameh, the city was founded by King Siavash, son of Shah Kai Kavoos, one of the mythical Iranian Shahs of the Pishdak (Pishdādian) Dynasty. Shāhnāmé, or Shāhnāma ((alternative spellings are Shahnama Shahnameh Shahname Shah-Nama, etc Siavash or Syavash ( is a Persian male given name The following people have the given name Siavash: Siyâvash, a character in the As the legend goes Siāvash was accused by the Viziers of seducing his mother. A Vizier ( - wazīr) (sometimes also spelled Vazir Vizir Vasir Wazir Vesir, or Vezir - grammatical vowel changes are common in many western Asian To test his innocence he underwent trial by fire. After emerging unscathed from amidst the flames, he crossed the Oxus into Turan. Tūrān ( is the ancient Iranian name for Central Asia, literally meaning "the land of the Tur" The king of Samarkand, Afrasiab, wed his daughter, Ferganiza (Persian: فرنگيس Farangis), to Siavash and further granted him a vassal kingdom in the Bukhara Oasis. Samarkand (Samarqand Самарқанд سمرقند UniPers: "Samarqand" is the second-largest city in Uzbekistan and the capital of Afrasiab ( afrāsiyāb) (افراسياب Avestan: Fraŋrasyan; Pahlavi: Frāsiyāv, Frāsiyāk and Freangrāsyāk Farangis is a character in the Persian epic Shahnameh. She is the daughter of Afrasiab, king of Turan, and later marries prince Siyavash There he built the Ark (Persian Arg for citadel), and the surrounding city. Some years later Siavash was again accused of seducing his father-in-law's wife. Afrasiab killed Siavash, and buried his head under the Haysellers Gate. In retaliation Shah Kai Kavoos attacked Turan, killed Afrasiab, and took his son and daughter-in-law back to Iran (Persia).

Arq fortress panoramic

Origin

Officially the city was founded in 500 BC in the area now called the Arq. However, the Bukhara oasis had been inhabitated long before, since 3000 BC an advanced Bronze Age culture called the Sapalli Culture thrived at such sites as Varakhsha, Vardan, Paykend, and Ramitan. In 1500 BC a combination of factors; climatic drying, iron technology, and the arrival of Aryan nomads triggered a population shift to the oasis from outlying areas. Together both the Sapalli and Aryan people lived in villages along the shores of a dense lake and wetland area in the Zeravshan Fan (the Zeravshan River had ceased draining to the Oxus). Zeravshan River (also Zarafshan or Zarafshon, Дарёи Зарафшон Zarafshon from the Persian word زر افشان zar afshān, meaning By 1000 BC both groups had merged into a distinctive culture. Around 800 BC this new culture, called Sogdian, flourished in city-states along the Zeravshan Valley. By this time the lake had silted up and small three fortified settlements had been built. By 500 BC these settlements had grown together and were enclosed by a wall, thus Bukhara was born.

Persian and Sassanid Empires

Gold 20-stater of the Greco-Bactrian king Eucratides (170-145 BC), the largest gold coin ever minted in Antiquity. The stater was an ancient coin of Greek or Lydian origin which circulated from about 700 BCE to 50 CE The Gr(aeco-Bactrian Kingdom was the easternmost part of the Hellenistic world covering Bactria and Sogdiana in Central Asia from 250 Eucratides I (or Eukratides I)(reigned ca 170 BCE - 145 BCE was one of the most important Greco-Bactrian kings The coin weighs 169. 2 grams, and has a diameter of 58 millimeters. For other uses of the words gram or gramme see Gram (disambiguation. The Millimetre ( American spelling: millimeter, symbol mm) is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to It was originally found in Bukhara, and later acquired by Napoleon III. Napoléon III, also known as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte (full name Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte) (20 April 1808 9 January 1873 was the first President Cabinet des Médailles, Paris. The Cabinet des Médailles, or Cabinet de France, more formally known as Le département des Monnaies Médailles et Antiquités de la Bibliothèque Nationale, is Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city

Bukhara entered history in 500 BC as vassal state in the Persian Empire. Later it passed into the hands of the Alexander the Great, the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire, the Greco-Bactrians, and the Kushan Empire. Alexander the Great ( or, Mégas Aléxandros; July 20 356 BC June 10 or June 11 323 BC also known as Alexander III of Macedon (el Ἀλέξανδρος Γ' The Seleucid Empire /sə'lusɪd/ ( 312 - 63 BC) was a Hellenistic empire i The Gr(aeco-Bactrian Kingdom was the easternmost part of the Hellenistic world covering Bactria and Sogdiana in Central Asia from 250 The Kushan Empire (c 1st &ndash 3rd centuries) was a Bactrian state that at its cultural zenith Circa 105 &ndash 250 During this time Bukhara functioned as a cult center for the worship of Anahita, and her associated temple economy. ae Aredvi Sura Anahita ( ae Arədvī Sūrā Anāhitā) is the Avestan language name of an Indo-Iranian Cosmological figure venerated as the divinity Approximately once a lunar cycle, the inhabitants of the Zeravshan Fan exchanged their old idols of the goddess for new ones. The trade festival took place in front of the Mokh Temple. This festival was important in assuring the fertility of land on which all inhabitants of the delta depended. As a result of the trade festivals, Bukhara became a center of commerce. As trade accelerated along the silk road after the Han Dynasty pushed back the northern tribes to secure this key trading route,^[4] the already prosperous city of Bukhara then became the logical choice for a market. The Silk Road, or Silk Routes, are an extensive interconnected network of Trade routes across the Asian continent connecting East South and Western Asia with the The Han Dynasty ( 206 BC–220 AD followed the Qin Dynasty and preceded the Three Kingdoms in China. The silk trade itself created a growth boom in the city which ended around 350 BC. After the fall of the Kushan Empire, Bukhara passed into the hands of Hua tribes from Mongolia and entered a steep decline. The Kushan Empire (c 1st &ndash 3rd centuries) was a Bactrian state that at its cultural zenith Circa 105 &ndash 250 Uar, (for Chinese etymology see Huá (滑) was the self designation used by the dominant ethnicity in a confederation known to the Chinese as the Yanda (嚈噠 Mongolia (mɒŋˈɡoʊliə, literally Mongol country/nation,) is a Landlocked Country in East

Prior to the Arab invasion, Bukhara was a stronghold for followers of two persecuted religious movements within the theocratic Sassanian Empire, Manicheanism and Nestorian Christianity. The Sassanid Empire or Sassanian Dynasty or Sassanian Dynasty (ساسانیان) is the name used for the third Iranian dynasty and the second Persian empire Manichaeism (in Modern Persian fa-Arab آیین مانی Āyin e Māni; Chinese zh 摩尼教 was one of the major Gnostic Religions originating The Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East (ܥܕܬܐ ܩܕܝܫܬܐ ܘܫܠܝܚܝܬܐ ܩܬܘܠܝܩܝ ܕܡܕܢܚܐ ܕܐܬܘܪ̈ܝܐ ‘Ittā Qaddishtā wa-Shlikhāitā Qattoliqi ^[5] When the Islamic armies arrived in 650 AD, they found a multiethnic, multireligious and decentralized collection of peoples; nevertheless, after a century many of the subjects of the Caliphate had not converted to Islam, but retained their previous religion. ^[6] The lack of any central power meant that while the Arabs could gain an easy victory in battle or raiding, they could never hold territory in Central Asia. In fact, Bukhara, along with other cities in the Sogdian federation, played the Caliphate against the Tang Empire. The Arabs did not truly conquer Bukhara until after the Battle of Talas in 751 AD. The Battle of Talas in 751 CE was a conflict between the Arab Abbasid Caliphate and the Chinese Tang Dynasty for control Islam became the dominant religion at this time and remains the dominant religion to the present day. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation.

Islamic era

Many prominent people lived in Bukhara during the Islamic era. For a century after the Battle of Talas, Islam slowly took root in Bukhara. In 850 AD Bukhara became the capital of the Samanid Empire, which brought about a revival of Iranian language and culture after the period of Arab domination. The Samanids (819–999 ( Sāmāniyān) were a Persian dynasty in Central Asia and Greater Khorasan, named after its founder Saman During the golden age of the Samanids, Bukhara became the intellectual center of the Islamic world and therefore, at that time, of the world itself. Many illustrious scholars penned their treaties here. The most prominent Islamic scholar known as Imam al-Bukhari, who gathered most authentic sayings (hadiths) of Prophet Muhammad was born in this city. Al-Bukhari (البخاري or just Bukhari is an Arabic Nesbat, meaning "from Bukhara " the old Transoxiana location of Hadith ( ar الحديث, pl aḥadīth; lit. "narrative" are oral Traditions relating to the words and deeds of the Islamic The city was also a center of Sufi Islam, most notably the Naqshbandi Order. Sufism ( تصوّف - taṣawwuf, Persian: صوفی‌گری sufigari, Turkish: tasavvuf, Urdu: تصوف Naqshbandi ( Naqshbandiyya) is one of the major Tasawwuf orders ( Tariqa) of Islam. In 999 AD the Samanids were toppled by the Karakhanid Uyghurs. This article refers to the Turkic state Kara-Khanid Khanate (also designated as Qarakhanids The Uyghur (also spelled Uygur, Uighur, Uigur, Uyghur: ئۇيغۇر) are a Turkic people of Central Asia. Later, Bukhara became part of the kingdom of Khwarezm Shahs, who incurred the wrath of the Mongols by killing their ambassador, and in 1220 the city was leveled by Genghis Khan. The Khwarezmian Empire, more commonly known as the empire of the Khwarezm Shahs ( Khwārezmšhāḥīān, "Kings of Khwarezmia " Genghis Khan ( or;, Chinggis Khaan, ʧiŋgɪs χaːŋ Činggis Qaɣan; 1162–1227 born (meaning "ironworker" was the Mongol founder The city slowly recovered, and was part of first the Chaghatay Khanate, then the Timurid Empire. The Chagatai Khanate was a Mongol and later more Turko-Islamic in language and culture Khanate that comprised the lands ruled by Chagatai Khan The Timurids, self-designated Gurkānī ( were a Persianate Central Asian Sunni Muslim dynasty It next became the capital of the Khanate of Bukhara and later the Emirate of Bukhara, which lasted until 1920, though it was a Russian protectorate for much of this time. Khanate of Bukhara (Buxoro Xonligi was a feudal state in Central Asia during the 16th–18th centuries The Emirate of Bukhara ( Buxoro Amirligi; Аморати Бухоро was a Central Asian state that existed from 1785 to 1920

Bukhara – the center of enlightenment in the East

Historic Centre of Bukhara*
UNESCO World Heritage Site
State Party	Uzbekistan
Type	Cultural
Criteria	ii, iv, vi
Reference	602
Region†	Asia-Pacific
Inscription history
Inscription	1993  (17th Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. † Region as classified by UNESCO.

Many prominent people lived in Bukhara in the past. A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex As of 2008 there are a total of 878 World Heritage Sites located in 145 "State Parties" Uzbekistan, officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( Uzbek: O‘zbekiston Respublikasi or Ўзбекистон Республикаси is a doubly A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex This is a list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Asia, Australia and the Pacific ( Australia) A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex Most famous of them are: Muhammad Ibn Ismail Ibn Ibrahim Ibn al-Mughirah Ibn Bardiziyeh al-Bukhari (810-870); Abu Ali ibn Sina (980-1037) - physician and person of encyclopedic knowledge; Balyami and Narshakhi (10th century) - the outstanding historians; al-Utobi (11th century); Ismatallah Bukhari (1365-1426) - the illustrious poet; Mualan Abd al-Khakim (16th century) - the renowned physician; Karri Rakhmatallah Bukhari (died in 1893) - the specialist in study of literature; Mirza Abd al-Aziz Bukhari (the end the 18th century - the beginning of the 19th century) - the calligrapher. Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Bukhari, popularly known as Al-Bukhari ( البخاري) or Imam Bukhari (810-870 was a famous Sunni TemplateInfobox Muslim scholars --> ( Persian /ابو علی الحسین ابن عبدالله ابن سینا (born Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Jafar Narshakhi (or Narshaki (ca 899–959 from the village of Narshak in the Bukhara oasis can be considered the first historian in Central Asia

At the third decade of 16th century Bukhara became a capital of the Bukhara khanate, under the government of Shaybanid dynasty. Khanate of Bukhara (Buxoro Xonligi was a feudal state in Central Asia during the 16th–18th centuries The Shaybanid dynasty was a 16th-century Uzbek dynasty founded by Muhammad Shaybani. The whole period when this dynasty was in power is about one century since the beginning of 16-th century. The Shaybanid carried out many reforms during this time. In particular they instituted a number of measures to better system of the public education. Each neighborhood - "mahalla" unit of local self-government - of Bukhara had a hedge-school. Prosperous families provided home education to their children. Children started elementary education from six years. After two years they could be taken to madrasah. "Madrasa" and "Medrese" redirect here For the village in Azerbaijan see Mədrəsə. The course of education in madrasah consisted of three steps in sevens years. Hence, whole course of education in madrasah lasted 21 years. The pupils studied theological sciences, arithmetic, jurisprudence, logic, music and poetry. Such way of education had a positive influence upon development and wide circulation of the Persian and Uzbek languages, and also on development of literature, science, art and skills.

To that period of Bukhara history belong the new books on history and geography - such as "Haft iqlīm" - "Seven Climates" by Amin Akhmed Razi, a native of Iran. was a 16th century Persian geographer and author of an encyclopedia called Haft iqlīm ("seven climes" For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. Bukhara of 16-th century was the centre of attraction for skilled craftsman of calligraphy and miniature-paintings, such experts were Sultan Ah Maskhadi, Makhmud ibn Iskhak ash-Shakhibi, the theoretician in calligraphy dervish Mukhammad Buklian, Maulyan Makhmud Muzakhkhib, Jelaleddin Yusuf. Among famous poets and theologians who worked in Bukara of that time were Mushfiki, Nizami Muamaya, Muhammad Amin Zakhid. Maulan Abd-al Khakim was the most famous of many physicians who practiced in Bikhara and Khanate in 16-th century.

At the time of government of Abd al-Aziz-khan (1533-1550) he established the library "having no equal" the world over. The prominent scholar Sultan Mirak Munshi worked there since 1540. The gifted calligrapher, Mir Abid Khusaini, well-wielded mast-a liq and raikham handwritings, who was also brilliant miniature-painter and master of encrustation was the librarian (kitabdar) of Bukhara library. This information is contained in the anthology "Muzakhir al-Akhbab" of Khasan Nisari.

In 19th century, Bukhara still played a significant part in regional cultural and religious life, as Demezon testified in 1833-34. He wrote, "The madrasahs in Bukhara are famed throughout Turkestan. Students come here from Khiva, Kokand, Gissar and even from Samarkand and also from many Tatar regions . Khiva ( Uzbek: Xiva, Хива; Хива Khiva; Persian: خیوه Khiveh) Alternative or historical names include Kokand (alternative spellings Khokand, Khoqand; Uzbek: Quqon; Russian: Коканд:Куканд/کوکند; Chagatai See also Gissar Valley, Gissar Range Hisor (Ҳисор also Hissar or Gissar from Гиссар is a city in western . . There are about 60 madrasahs in Bukhara that are more or less successful. "

Russian Revolution

Alim Khan (1880-1944), last emir of Bukhara, deposed in 1920

Bukhara entered the modern period as a colonial acquisition of the Russian Empire. Emir Mohammed Alim Khan ( January 3 1880 &ndash April 28 1944) was the last Emir of the Manghit Dynasty, It became a chess piece in the "Great Game" between Russia and Britain. For the film see The Great Game (film The Great Game was a term used for the strategic rivalry and conflict between the British Empire The Bukharan People's Soviet Republic existed from 1920 to 1925. The Bukharan People's Soviet Republic (Бухарская Народная Советская Республика was the name of Uzbekistan from 1920 to 1925 Year 1920 ( MCMXX) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display 1920 of the Gregorian calendar Year 1925 ( MCMXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Then city was integrated into the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic. The Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic (Ўзбекистон Совет Социалистик Республикаси O`zbekiston Sovet Sotsialistik Respublikasi; Узбекская

Major sights

Po-i Kalyan Complex

The Kalyan minaret

The title Po-i-Kalyan (also Poi Kalyan), which means "The foot of the Great", belongs to the architectural complex located at the foot of the great minaret Kalyan. For the mountain formation see Minarets (California. Minarets ( Arabic manara (lighthouse منارة but more usually مئذنة

• Kalyan minaret. The Kalyan minaret is a Minaret of the Po-i-Kalyan Mosque complex in Bukhara, Uzbekistan and one of the most prominent The minaret made in the form of a circular-pillar brick tower, narrowing upwards, of 9 meters (29. 53 feet) diameter at the bottom, 6 meters (19. 69 feet) overhead and 45. 6 meters (149. 61 feet) high.
• Kalyan Mosque (Maedjid-i kalyan), arguably completed in 1514, is equal with Bibi-Khanym Mosque in Samarkand in size. Bibi-Khanym Mosque (مسجد بی بی خانم is a famous historical Mosque in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, whose name comes from the wife of 14th-century Although they are of the same type of building, they are absolutely different in terms of art of building.
• Mir-i Arab Madrassah. There is little known about the Mir-i Arab Madrasah origin. The construction of Mir-i-Arab Madrasah is ascribed to Sheikh Abdullah Yamani of Yemen, the spiritual mentor of early Shaybanids. Abu 'I-Fath Muhammad, known in later centuries as Shaybani Khan (c He was in charge of donations of UbaidUllah-khan (gov. 1533-1539), devoted to construction of madrasah.

Samanids mausoleum (between 892 and 943)

Ismail Samani mausoleum

The Ismail Samani mausoleum (9th-10th century), one of the most esteemed sights of Central Asian architecture, was built in the 9th century (between 892 and 943) as the resting-place of Ismail Samani - the founder of the Samanid dynasty, the last Persian dynasty to rule in Central Asia, which held the city in the 9th and 10th centuries. The Samanids (819–999 ( Sāmāniyān) were a Persian dynasty in Central Asia and Greater Khorasan, named after its founder Saman The Samanid mausoleum is located in the historical urban nucleus of the city of Bukhara, in a park laid out on the site of an ancient cemetery Central Asia is a region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the west to central China in the east and from southern Russia in the north to northern Pakistan in the south Isma'il ibn Ahmad (d November 907 was the Samanid amir of Transoxiana (892-907 and Khorasan (900-907 The Samanids (819–999 ( Sāmāniyān) were a Persian dynasty in Central Asia and Greater Khorasan, named after its founder Saman The Persian Empire was a series of Iranian empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland and beyond in Western Asia Although in the first instance the Samanids were Governors of Khorasan and Ma wara'u'n-nahr under the suzerainty of the Abbasid Caliphate, the dynasty soon established virtual independence from Baghdad. Baghdad (بغداد) is the Capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate, with which it is also coterminous

Chashma-Ayub

Chashma-Ayub is located near the Samani mausoleum. Its name means Job's well due to the legend according to which Job (Ayub) visited this place and made a well by the blow of his staff. Jobe (/'dʒoʊb/; Arabic: أَيُّوبٌ,) is a character in the Book of Job in the Hebrew Bible, as well as a prophet The water of this well is still pure and is considered healing. The current building was constructed during the reign of Timur and features a Khwarezm-style conical dome uncommon in Bukhara. Timur also written Emir Timur or Amir Temur ( Chagatai: تیمور - Tēmōr " Iron " (1336 – 19 February 1405 among

Lyab-i Hauz

Phoenix on the portal of Nadir Divan-Beghi madrasah (part of Lyab-i Hauz complex)

The Lyab-i Hauz (or Lyab-i Khauz) Ensemble (1568-1622) is the name of the area surrounding one of the few remaining hauz (ponds) in the city of Bukhara. Lyab-i Hauz (from Persian: لب حوض meaning by the pond) or Lyab-i Khauz, is the name of the area surrounding one of the few remaining hauz Lyab-i Hauz (from Persian: لب حوض meaning by the pond) or Lyab-i Khauz, is the name of the area surrounding one of the few remaining hauz Until the Soviet period there were many such ponds, which were the city's principal source of water, but they were notorious for spreading disease and were mostly filled in during the 1920s and 1930s. A soviet (сове́т, "council" originally was a workers' local council in late Imperial Russia. The Lyab-i Hauz survived because it is the centrepiece of a magnificent architectural ensemble, created during the 16th and 17th centuries, which has not been significantly changed since. The Lyab-i Hauz ensemble, surrounding the pond on three sides, consists of the Kukeldash Madrasah^[7] (1568-1569), the largest in the city (on the north side of the pont), and of two religious edifices built by Nadir Divan-Beghi: a khanaka^[8] (1620), or lodging-house for itinerant Sufis, and a madrasah^[9] (1622) that stand on the west and east sides of the pond respectively. A khanqah, khaniqah (also transliterated as khanqa, and khaneqa Persian خانگاه khanegah and خانقاه khaneghah ribat, zawiya Sufism ( تصوّف - taṣawwuf, Persian: صوفی‌گری sufigari, Turkish: tasavvuf, Urdu: تصوف "Madrasa" and "Medrese" redirect here For the village in Azerbaijan see Mədrəsə.

Bukhara Old City: street map with historical monuments

Transportation

Bukhara Airport

Demographics

Bukhara (along with Samarkand) is one of the two major centres of Uzbekistan's Tajik minority. Bukhara International Airport is an airport located in Bukhara, Uzbekistan. Samarkand (Samarqand Самарқанд سمرقند UniPers: "Samarqand" is the second-largest city in Uzbekistan and the capital of Tajik ( - Tādjīk; UniPers: Tâjik; Cyrillic: Тоҷик is a term generally applied to Persian-speaking people of Bukhara was also home to the Bukharian Jews, whose ancestors settled in the city during Roman times. Bukharan Jews, also Bukharian Jews or Bukhari Jews, ( בוכרים, Bukharim) are Jews from Central Asia who speak Most Bukharian Jews left Bukhara between 1925 and 2000.

Bukhara in poetry and literature

Being a cultural magnet, Bukhara has long appeared in much local and Persian literature. Persian literature ( spans two and a half millennia though much of the pre- Islamic material has been lost Many examples can be sought.

ای بخارا شاد باش و دیر زی
Oh Bukhara! Be joyous and live long!
شاه زی تو میهمان آید همی
Your King comes to you in ceremony.
---Rudaki

Dehkhoda defines the name Bukhara itself as meaning "full of knowledge", referring to the fact that in antiquity, Bukhara was a scientific and scholarship powerhouse. Abdullah Jafar Ibn Mohammad Rudaki, (ابوعبدالله جعفر ابن محمد رودکی entitledآدم الشعرا Ādam ul-Shoara or Adam of Poets also written Note In some Wikipedia articles the word "Dehkhoda" can refer to "Dehkhoda's Dictionary" or Dehkhoda himself Rumi verifies this when he praises the city as such:

آن بخارا معدن دانش بود
"Bukhara was a mine of knowledge,
پس بخاراییست هرک آنش بود
Of Bukhara is he who possesses knowledge. "

Notable people born or lived in Bukhara

• Baha-ud-Din Naqshband Bukhari
• Ibn Sina
• Zamakhshari
• Bukhari
• Kiromi Bukhoroi
• An Lushan
• Oksana Chusovitina

Sister cities

These cities were major cities of Greater Khorasan:

• Balkh, Afghanistan
• Merv, Turkmenistan
• Neyshabur, Iran
• Samarqand, Uzbekistan

Other cities:

• Lahore, Pakistan
• Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
• Rueil-Malmaison, France
• Cordoba, Spain
• Malatya, Turkey

References

Further reading

• Moorcroft, William and Trebeck, George. George Trebeck (1800-1825 was born in Middlesex England in the year 1800 1841. Travels in the Himalayan Provinces of Hindustan and the Panjab; in Ladakh and Kashmir, in Peshawar, Kabul, Kunduz, and Bokhara. . . from 1819 to 1825, Vol. II. Reprint: New Delhi, Sagar Publications, 1971.
• Books about Bukhara

External links

• Dmitriy Page. Bukhara - the center of enlightenment in the East
• Bukhara Information & Culture Center
• Bukhara Travel Guide
• Uzbek Visa
• Bukhara museums