Lovely picture Gardyloo! Those are storks there on top of the minaret? Cool picture! When did you visit the city - it was still in Soviet times?

And yeap, I have heard (and read!) many of such stories of cruelty by the Emirs of Bukhara (as well as those about the Khanate of Khiva, which by all means was perhaps even more ruthless) and his famous bug pit. Remarkable bits of history, while now you can access the town in ease and comfort with a high speed train, back in those days it must have been grueling rides on horseback or camel and always a feeling of danger lurking at every corner, whether it was in the city itself or by nomadic brigands lurking in the desert.

Thanks glennaa11! It's indeed quite a bit of work to compile such trip reports - besides writing it's also picture editing and looking up some details which I forgot since. It's especially hard for Bukhara and Samarkand as so many of the buildings look alike but it's well worth it as it's something I anyway always try to do for my own archives.

I can highly recommend visiting this part of the world - especially as now seems to be quite the time to visit with (visa) liberalisation and increasing ease of access/going around, but at the same time it being delightfully off the beaten track. I hope to get back this year in Spring or Autumn (Kazakhstan/Kyrgyzstan) in a trip a bit more focused on the amazing natural beauty the region has as well.

Glad you like it, stmaus. Thanks for taking the time to read it!