Part 12: A second day in Bukhara

The morning began with breakfast at the Golden Bukhara boutique hotel, which was good and reminded me about my hotel in Samarkand as there was plenty of fresh produce. No buffet, but instead the staff would put a few dozen things on your table, including eggs and pancakes.



The main sight I would visit today was the Ark, the large fortress in the city where in the past the Emir of Bukhara held court. It was a leisurely 40-50 minute walk to the Ark which took me along many of the sights I visited the day before.







I just love how the old Soviet cars blend in with the buildings.





With its imposing walls, the ark towers above the rest of the old town of Bukhara and indeed feels like it was the place of power in the past.





The royal fortress was functioning from about the 5th Century all the way up to 1920 when the Red Army bombed it. It used to be a sort of town within a town, as the royal courts of the Emir of Bukhara were housed inside, including of course plenty of servants and soldiers.

Even though the Ark has been nicely restored there is not too much to see inside as it feels a bit empty and lifeless, although some of the old artefacts on show such as centuries old Qurans are beautiful.











There is quite a bit of intriguing British-Russian history in this part of Central Asia. In the 19th Century, British spies and diplomats tried to outmatch the Russian Empire in a secret battle for influence and control over Central Asia called 'the Great Game'.

When British Colonel Charles Stoddart visited Bukhara, he was tossed in a rodent-filled jail after the local Emir was displeased he only brought a letter from the Indian Governor-General from where most of the missions were masterminded, and not one from Queen Victoria, whom he considered as a royal equal.

When Captain Arthur Conolly arrived to ask for Stoddart's release, the Emir also threw Conolly in jail thinking the British were secretly plotting with a rival Khanate. Both men were executed in 1842 in front of the citadel.

Outraged British relatives of both men sent a priest named Joseph Wolff to Bukhara to verify the news. He was in the end lucky to escape the same faith as the Emir thought he was a joke in his clerical robes and could not stop laughing. Back in the days, these places were definitely not the friendliest ones in the world to visit!



Opposite the ark is the Bolo-Haus Mosque located next to a pool. It was the Emir's official place of worship and is quite a beautiful building with the wooden poles and frescoes.



A bit out of the city centre towards the west are two other old madrassas. One of them is the Modari Khan madrassa.



Directly opposite you can find the Abdullah Khan madrassa. While all perfectly beautiful in their own right, they are definitely less impressive when compared to those in Samarkand.



Nearby is a large park, which I thought would be perfect for a relaxed stroll on this clouded but still warm enough autumn day.



The main sight in the park is the Ismail Samani mausoleum from the 10th Century. It is the last resting place of a powerful emir of the Samanid dynasty, and one of the last Persian rulers of this part of Central Asia before the Turkic peoples took over.



The park also has some fun fair rides, which might be nice if you are travelling with children. As an adult child, I couldn't resist a ride on the Ferris Wheel in the hope of some nice views over Bukhara.







The ride was very rickety but good fun.









From the park I headed back to my favourite dining spot along the Lyabi-Hauz pool.









For dinner I ordered some shashlyk, which was mouthwatering succulent. Highly recommended if you are a carnivore. Did I say I just love the autumn view as well?



Again I had some cute company during my dinner.





Overall, I really liked my stay in Bukhara. While not as pretty and mind-blowing as Samarkand, there are some beautiful sights to see in town. Best of all is how uniform everything feels. With all the pedestrian alleyways, dirt streets and bit of decay it really feels like you are stepping back in time. Even though the sighs of Samarkand are far prettier, this aspect makes the overall atmosphere of Bukhara for sure more unique. It's the perfect place to just linger a bit around or walk off randomly and get lost.

Next up: By overnight train to the walled desert outpost of Khiva