Stand in the middle of Lyab-i Hauz in the late afternoon and the old city arranges itself around you: the pool, the mulberry trees, the madrassah walls on three sides, and the tea tables filling the gaps between them. It is a plaza built, in legend, out of a dispute between a khan and a widow who owned the land, and it still works as the living room of Bukhara.
Bukhara suits travellers who want their history at street level and within walking distance. The historic core is compact, most of what you will want to see sits inside a single neighbourhood, and the rhythm of the day is set by the pool and the bazaars rather than by a coach schedule.
This guide covers the sights and experiences in and around the old city, with a one-day route at the end for anyone passing through quickly.
Top things to do in Bukhara
1. Lyab-i Hauz
The grand plaza and pool at the heart of the Old City, laid out in the 16th century. "Hauz" means a pool, and the city once had several for its water supply; they degenerated into cesspools and the Soviets filled them in during the 1920s and 30s, but this one survived. Ranged around it are the Kukeldash Madrassah on the north side, built in 1568 and in its day the largest in the Islamic world, now a hotel; the Nadir Devan-begi Madrassah on the east side, built in 1622 as a caravansarai and hurriedly converted into a madrassah when the local grandee deemed it so; and the Nadir Devan-begi Khanaka on the west side, built in 1620 as lodging for itinerant Sufi priests.
Come in the late afternoon, when the light softens and the plaza fills up, and treat the surrounding buildings as one stop rather than three separate ones.
2. Po-i-Kalyan
A magnificent religious complex laid out in the 16th century. The Kalyan Minaret was built in 1127 and is the only survivor of an earlier complex wrecked by Genghis Khan; it is baked brick, 45.6 m tall, and as late as 1920 was used to hurl criminals to their deaths. The Kalan Mosque, completed in 1515, is arranged around a large courtyard with a blue dome over the grand mihrab, and the Mir-i Arab Madrassah, built in 1535, has remarkable blue tilework.
Entrance into the minaret is closed for tourists, so plan to admire it from the courtyard. The Hoja Zayniddin Mosque is 200 m west of Kalan Mosque, from 1550 but in disrepair, if you want to add a short detour.
3. Ark Citadel
A citadel or kremlin that contained palaces, temples, barracks, offices, the mint, warehouses, workshops, stables and an arsenal. It is a heptagonal enclosure, said to be patterned on the constellation of Ursa Major, with earth brick walls up to 20 m tall, built and re-built for millennia and taking its present form under the Shaybhanid dynasty around 1500. You enter through the grand west gate and see the museum, throne room, royal courts and mosque; the eastern half has not been restored.
It is open daily 09:00-18:00. The Shukhov Tower just west of the citadel, built in 1929 as the city water tank, has been fitted with a restaurant and observation deck, and the Bolo Hauz Mosque sits opposite the citadel, so the three fit naturally into one outing.
4. Ismail Samani Mausoleum
The Samanids were a Persian dynasty in power from 819 to 945, and in 892 Ismail Samani united its four petty kingdoms, broke from Abbasid influence and moved the capital from Samarkand to Bukhara. He built this mausoleum for his father and lay here himself from 907. It is the oldest Muslim monument in Bukhara, with elements of Zoroastrian design such as the sun motif.
It is open daily 08:00-18:00 and stands in Samonids Recreation Park, which makes it an easy pairing with a walk rather than a separate trip.
5. Chor Minor (Madrasah of Khalif Niyaz-kul)
The name means "four minarets", and this building of 1807 was once part of a religious complex that has disappeared. Although it remains a mosque, the four towers are not minarets. One tower collapsed in 1995 but was re-constructed.
It is open Mon-Sat 08:00-20:00 and sits on Mehtar Ambar, the same street as the Magok-i-Attari Mosque, so the two are best combined on one walk.
6. Magok-i-Attari Mosque
The oldest surviving mosque building in Central Asia, dating back to the 800s, reconstructed in the 1500s and now a carpet museum. "Magoki" means a pit, and it was in a dip in the ground when built over a former Zoroastrian temple, and has sunk further: it is now 6 metres below ground level, and its domes barely reach the street. "Attar" means perfume, as there once was a perfume market nearby, and the 12th-century main facade is very impressive.
It is open Mon-Sat 09:00-17:00 at Mehtar Ambar 55. Toqi Sarrafon, a short block south, is a "trading dome" covering a bazaar that traditionally hosted the moneychangers; the dome is open 24 hours, though individual traders follow their own hours.
7. Ulugbek Madrassah and Abdulaziz Khan Madrassah
The Ulugbek Madrassah was built in 1417 and is a rare survival from the Timurid dynasty. The Abdulaziz Khan Madrassah immediately south was built at the same time as a twin and is now a craft market.
Toqi Zaragon, just west of the Ulugbek Madrassah, was another trading dome, traditionally for the jewellers. See the two madrassahs together and allow time for the market inside the second.
8. Synagogue, Sarrafon
There has been a substantial Jewish community in Bukhara since the 8th century. This synagogue was built around 1640, in legend as part of the peace deal with the widow who owned the Lyab-i Hauz site. It was closed down by the Soviets in 1940; eventually it was returned, but the Jews had emigrated to Israel and the US, so it was never again in use. It is now a small museum.
It is open Sun-Fri 09:00-18:00 and entry is by donation. It sits close to Lyab-i Hauz, so it slots easily into a circuit of the plaza.
9. Bolo Hauz Mosque
The mosque opposite the Ark Citadel was built in 1712, with a free-standing minaret and painted wooden pillars added in 1917. In front is a small hauz.
Entry is free, and the position directly opposite the citadel gate makes it a natural stop before or after your visit there.
10. Chashma-Ayub Mausoleum
The name means "spring of Ayub" — Job — who in legend struck the ground with his staff and out gushed a spring. Bukhara was one of several cities where he performed this feat and was subsequently buried; the oldest authenticated burial here was of Khwaja Hafiz Gunjari in 1022 AD. The entrance portal is from 1208, but the mausoleum is from 1380 in the reign of Timur, with a Khwarazm-style conical dome. The site was extended in the 15th century and has a small museum about the Sunni Islamic scholar Muhammad al-Bukhari (810-870), whose tomb is in Samarkand.
It is open daily 09:00-20:00. Note that Bukhara Zoo, 200 m west, is a sad, cramped, dirty place, and the Talipach Gate 200 m west of the zoo, one of the medieval gates in the city walls, sits in a grubby and tumbledown area — worth knowing before you set off in that direction.
11. Toqi Telpak Furushon and Hammam Borzi Kord
Toqi Telpak Furushon is another trading dome, this one the bazaar of the cap-makers. Within it is Hammam Borzi Kord, a traditional bath house at Mehtar Ambar 55.
The hammam is open daily 06:00-23:00, with mornings only for local men and after 14:00 for tourists of mixed gender. Plan your visit around that split.
12. Namozgoh Mosque
Built from 1119, with modifications through the 16th century, and richly decorated within.
It is open Mon-Sat 08:00-19:00. The Baland Mosque, built in the 16th century with beautiful interior decorations, is nearby, but you will be lucky to find it open — worshippers now use the modern mosque next to it.
13. Qosh Madrassah
The name means "double madrassah": the Modari Khan and the larger Abdullah Khan, built together in 1566. They look neglected.
They are at Mirdustim, open daily 08:00-20:00, and entry is free. Go if you want to see a pair of madrassahs without the crowds of the centre.
14. Fayzulla Xoʻjayev House
Xoʻjayev (1896-1938) was from a wealthy Bukhara family. He sought to free his country from both hidebound clerical tradition and Czarist rule, which pleased the Soviets, and he was leader of Uzbekistan from 1924. However he opposed the heavy-handed excesses of Stalin, such as cotton monoculture, so he was purged, given a show trial and shot. He has a mixed reputation today, and this museum, his father's house, depicts life of a merchant family but says little about the man.
It is at Tukai Alley 70, open Mon-Sat 09:00-17:00. Treat it as a look at domestic merchant life rather than a biography.
15. Mausoleum of Saif ed-Din Bokharzi & Bayan-Quli Khan
Sayf al-Din was a 13th-century poet, sheik and mystical theologian who settled in Bukhara as a tutor. He died in 1261 and his tomb became a Sufi shrine. Bayan Qulï was a local ruler much influenced by Sayf al-Din and was buried alongside in 1358. Mausoleums were then built to both, and a large religious complex developed in what was then the separate village of Fathabad; the rest of the complex has disappeared.
The Khanaka of Faizabad, built in 1588/9 and still used as a mosque, is in the same part of town if you are already out this way.
16. Sitori-i-Mokhi Khosa
The lavish summer palace of the last emir of Bukhara, Sayyid Mir Muhammad Alim Khan. It was completed in 1918, but he was overthrown by the Soviets in 1920 and fled into exile.
It is 6 km north at Shifokorlar, open daily 09:00-18:00, with adult tickets at 60,000 Som. This is one of the further-out sights, so give it its own slot rather than trying to fold it into a walking day.
17. Baha' al-Din Naqshband Mausoleum
A religious complex with museum and mosque, grouped around the tomb of Baha' al-Din Naqshband (1318-1389), who founded the Naqshbandi order of Sufi Sunni Islam. He was a central figure in the development of the order, significantly influencing the mystical Sufi approach to spirituality, theology and Islamic practice.
It is 10 km northeast of the centre, open Sat-Thu 08:00-18:00, and entry is free. Allow a half day for the round trip.
18. Chor-Bakr
A large necropolis from the 16th century, heavily restored.
It is 10 km west of the centre and open daily 08:00-17:30. Pair it with the Baha' al-Din Naqshband Mausoleum only if you have a vehicle and a full day to spare.
If you only have one day
Morning. Start at the Ark Citadel when it opens at 09:00, working through the museum, throne room, royal courts and mosque, and note that the eastern half has not been restored. Cross to the Bolo Hauz Mosque opposite, with its painted wooden pillars and small hauz in front, then walk to Po-i-Kalyan to see the Kalyan Minaret, the Kalan Mosque and the Mir-i Arab Madrassah. Entrance into the minaret is closed for tourists, so view it from the courtyard.
Afternoon. Head to Lyab-i Hauz and take in the three buildings around the pool: the Kukeldash Madrassah, the Nadir Devan-begi Madrassah and the Nadir Devan-begi Khanaka. Walk the short distance to the Synagogue, Sarrafon, open Sun-Fri 09:00-18:00 by donation, then continue to the Magok-i-Attari Mosque on Mehtar Ambar, open Mon-Sat 09:00-17:00, and the Toqi Sarrafon trading dome a short block south. If time allows, see the Ulugbek Madrassah and the Abdulaziz Khan Madrassah, with its craft market, and the Toqi Zaragon just west.
Evening. Return to Lyab-i Hauz as the light softens and the plaza fills with tea tables, and finish the day there. If you still have energy, the Hammam Borzi Kord within Toqi Telpak Furushon admits tourists of mixed gender after 14:00 and stays open until 23:00.
Frequently asked questions
Can I climb the Kalyan Minaret?
No. Entrance into the minaret is closed for tourists as of 2025, so plan to see it from the courtyard of the Po-i-Kalyan complex instead.
When can I visit the Hammam Borzi Kord?
It is open daily 06:00-23:00, but mornings are reserved for local men and tourists of mixed gender are admitted after 14:00.
Which sights lie outside the centre?
The Sitori-i-Mokhi Khosa is 6 km north at Shifokorlar, the Baha' al-Din Naqshband Mausoleum is 10 km northeast, and Chor-Bakr is 10 km west. Each needs its own transport and slot in the day.
Is the Khoja Gaukushan complex open?
No. It is closed for restoration, though you can see the exterior of the mosque, medressah and hauz.
Decide how many days you can give the old city, check the opening days for the sights that matter most to you, and start laying out your route around Lyab-i Hauz.