Bukhara, Uzbekistan
The first stop on my tour of Uzbekistan’s ancient silk road cities is Bukhara. Like most of the region it has a long (2500yo) history of hosting numerous civilizations, most of which had rulers fond of chopping off heads. Their is no one more passionate about Bukhara than guesthouse owner Mubijon, an old retired Olympic sprinter who is slowly restoring his 240 year old courtyard house. He doesn’t speak much English but his eyes and playful chuckle communicate plenty.
“How many days? Two, three, on week? Ah Bukhara fantastique!” I tell him two or three nights and he seems satisfied, but my friend Rie can only stay one night and he seems disappointed. It’s only 7:30am but he glances at his watch as if to say, “why aren’t you out sightseeing already?” He’s that proud of his town.
The old town is a maze of mud brick houses great for wandering and soaking up all the friendly hellos. Scattered all over town are restored medressas; old Islamic schools, and a few minarets; towers used for calls to prayer and in some cases lookouts for defense. A huge fortress, the Ark, sits half restored on the north side of old town and like many of the old buildings it is overrun with curiosity shops and hawkers. The town feels very touristy.
Tags: Eurasia: Marco Polo-in' it, Uzbekistan
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