Bukhara

Bukhara, Uzbekistan
Coordinates: 39 ° 46'29 "N 64 ° 25'43" E
Area: 39.4 sq. Km
Population: 273.5 thousand (2015)
Time Zone: UTC + 5
Phone Code: 8 365
Car Code: 80-84

  "Noble, sacred, priceless. The city is a museum, a city of poetry and fairy tales." And this is all about Bukhara. As a magnet attracts her romantic appearance of tourists from around the globe, despite the sharply continental climate. Summer in Bukhara is hot, dry, the average July temperature reaches + 30 ° С. Winter is relatively warm: the average January temperature is 0 ° C to - 4 ° C. The average annual temperature exceeds 15 ° C.

   Historical background of Bukhara and the Bukhara region

• The traditional date of Bukhara according to Narshakhi is 3000 years.
• The oldest materials of the shahristan of the city of Bukho are 2500 years old.
• The oldest materials of the Arch "Numi" - IV-III centuries. BC. The earliest mention in Chinese sources is the 5th century AD.
• The capture of Bukhara by the Arabs - 707
• The coming to power in Bukhara Samanid Ismail - 874
• Bukhara is the capital of the Samanid state of 829-999.
• Bukhara as part of the Karakhanid state of the XI-XII centuries.
• Bukhara in the state of Khorezmshahs - 1212-1220
• Bukhara as part of the Mongol-Tatar Chagataid ulus - 1220-1370.
• Entry into the power of Amir Temur - 1370
• The capital of the state of Sheybanikhan and Ashtarkhanids - XVI-XVII centuries.
• Separation from the Bukhara Khanate of the Ferghana Valley - beg. XVIII century
• Establishment of the protectorate of Russia - 1873
• Establishment of the Bukhara People's Republic - 1920
• Entry into the Uzbek SSR - 1925
• Bukhara region as part of the independent Republic of Uzbekistan 1991

   The ancient settlement of Bukhara arose in the first centuries A.D. In the VI century. it becomes the capital of the early feudal possession of the Bukhara oasis. The city of Bukhara (Shakhristan) was formed near an artificial hill on which an ancient citadel (arch) towered. But as the settlements of artisans (rabads) grew outside the city, they, together with Shakhristan, were surrounded by a defensive wall. Until now, its remains dating back to the 16th century have been preserved. The centuries-old history of Bukhara left traces on the territory of the city that are clearly visible to this day. The main ancient streets and their intersections are marked by monumental buildings. Their colorful portals and domes rise majestically over the city. Trade constructions on the market squares are spread with multi-domed ceilings. There is a quiet and powerful stronghold of the citadel. And over the whole city the Kalyan minaret (XII century) rises majestically. Bukhara preserves, although few, but genuine treasures of the architecture of the pre-Mongol period. These include, first of all, the mausoleum of the Samanids, erected in the IX-X centuries.

   The small building of the mausoleum by the strength of the artistic image and the logic of its constructive embodiment is a monumental work. A clear cuboid volume is completed by a dome on an octagonal drum, surrounded on the outside by a narrow gallery with arched openings. The mausoleum was erected from small light yellow bricks. Patterned relief masonry is made with unsurpassed craftsmanship. The play of chiaroscuro on the facades gives the impression of lightness and delicacy. Construction art, the virtuoso use of burnt bricks in the decor, the composition of the building put it in a number of masterpieces of world architecture.
   The architecture of the following time (XI-XII centuries., The reign of the Karakhanids) was marked by the construction of the Kalyan minaret. It was built in 1127 at the same time as the Friday Mosque, which has not been preserved to date. The powerful trunk of the minaret, having a lower diameter of 9 m, slightly tapers up and reaches a 46-meter height. The outer layer of masonry is laid out of polished brick with belts of geometric patterns. On one of them is the date of construction. In the upper part, the trunk of the minaret is surrounded by a platform - an open arcade for the proclamation of the "azan" - a call to prayer. This site was also used to monitor enemy troops, and, as legend has it, to drop criminals from its height. The minaret admires not only its majesty and ornamental masonry, but also the building art with which it was erected. He stood for 800 years and during this time did not need repair.
   Behind the walls of Bukhara and currently stands built in 1119-1120, on the site of abandoned parks and palaces of the rulers of the Karakhanids, the Namazg mosque. Here the city residents gathered for prayer on the great holidays of Kurban and Fitr. In the XII century, only one wall was erected with a prayer niche (mihrab), richly decorated with geometric and epigraphic ornaments made of small polished bricks and carved terracotta tiles. In the XVI century. an open gallery was attached to the mihrab. Very characteristic of the rich decor of the architecture of the XII century. the southern portal of the Magoki-Attari mosque, whose decoration is distinguished by the sophistication of decorative techniques. The few Bukhara monuments of the XI-XII centuries. testify to the brilliant building skills of architects of that time and their subtle art of decorating buildings. In the post-Mongol period (13th century), there was no major construction in Bukhara. It is renewed only in the next century and especially in the XV-XVI centuries. Under Ulugbek, Bukhara was enriched with the building of a new madrassah (1417). Everything here is typical for the architecture of that time: clarity of the general concept, excellent proportions, restraint of decor. In the decoration of the madrasah, a mosaic of glazed bricks is used. As already noted, in the 16th century, after the establishment of the power of the Uzbek Sheibanid dynasty, Bukhara again became the capital of a large Central Asian state. The political and economic situation of the country contributes to the development of construction. Civil buildings, as never before, saturate the city. New city walls are being erected, the remains of which now outline the border of slave that has grown in the sixteenth century.
   Intensive development of Bukhara begins with a Friday mosque. It was erected in the XV-XVI centuries. on the site of an old mosque of the XII century., near the Kalyan minaret, and became one of the largest structures in Central Asia. A high blank wall encloses its territory. The courtyard is surrounded by a gallery with many powerful pillars connected by arches supporting about 300 domes. In its western side is the building of the mosque itself, facing the courtyard with a slender portal. The artistic effect focuses on the ornamentation of the portal and the mihrab of the mosque.The blue dome of the mosque rises high above the city buildings. On the other side of the square where the minaret stands, in 1535-1536. Miri-Arab Madrasah was built. Madrasah has a traditional layout for this type of building with a courtyard and hujras. In the corners of the building along the main facade there is a tomb and a mosque. Overlapping the tomb with a light and stucco stalactites gives the impression of unusual lightness. The Miri-Arab Madrasah, together with a mosque and a minaret, creates one of the significant ensembles of Bukhara.
    In a similar trick, "kosh", i.e. paired buildings, the Kosh Madrasahs were erected - Modari Khan Madrasah (1566-1567) and Abdullah Khan Madrasah (1588-1590). The first of them has the usual layout for this type of building, a modest decoration in the interiors, unoriented courtyard facades. The main facade is decorated with patterns of irrigation bricks and majolica. The decor of the more complex plan of the Abdullah Khan Madrasah used glazed brick and majolica tiles with a dull, light green tone characteristic of the time of Abdullah Khan.The design of the domes is affected by the inherent 16th century technical progress. The interior decor of many of them creates a vivid and impressive picture.
    In addition to monumental religious buildings, the city had numerous small mosques with light aivans and often flat ceilings. Near them were small minarets and ponds, surrounded by shady trees. The architecture of such buildings combined the techniques of monumental architecture with folk traditions, which gave them special harmony among the same type of development of residential neighborhoods. An example of such buildings is the Balyand and Khoja-Zayneddin mosques (XVI century). Aivans with wooden ceilings and columns give the resemblance of these mosques to residential buildings. The reservoir located near the Khoja-Zayneddin Mosque with a stone step descent to the water, weirs in the form of heads of fantastic animals, green spaces combined with a light aivan - further enhances this impression.
    A large place in the construction of Bukhara of the XVI century was occupied by civil buildings: trade, caravanserais, baths. Not being the subject of a special artistic design, they are expressive with clear volumes and their constructive embodiment. From the XVI century in Bukhara several trading buildings have survived, which have not lost their original purpose to the present. This is the same - domed buildings at the intersections of streets. Such are Taki-Zargaron (dome of jewelers), Taki-Tilpak-Furson (dome of sellers of hats), Taki-Sarrafon (dome changed). The rational layout of the passage ("tim") of Abdullah Khan, in which there are no driveways, and all the internal space is reserved for commercial premises.
    The weakening of the state in the XVII century. in connection with feudal disputes and the loss of world trade relations, it led to a reduction in construction. However, monumental architecture still preserves the traditions of the previous century. One of the most significant ensembles of Bukhara - the buildings near Lyabi-house - dates to this time. The earliest of them is Kukeldash madrasah (1568-1569) - the largest building of this purpose in Central Asia. In 1620, the Lyabi Hauz pond was dug in front of it, lined with large limestone slabs and surrounded by trees. At the same time, a khanaka mosque (a mosque with cells for pilgrims) and a Nadir sofa-run madrasah were built on both sides of the pool.Thus, an ensemble of three buildings was created, united by a pond. The kosh reception was also repeated during the construction of the last significant building in Bukhara - the Abdulazis Khan Madrasah (1652), which was set opposite the Ulugbek Madrasah. Despite the fact that both buildings are separated by more than two centuries at the time of their construction, they make up a single, rigorous architectural ensemble by the commonality of composition.
    The madrasah of Abdulazis Khan has a traditional, but somewhat complicated layout. In its architectural decoration, tiled mosaics are widely used, in the interiors - various forms of stalactites, and in the decoration of the walls - marble panels and Kundal painting. The abundance of decor reduces the artistic value of the building, especially in comparison with the restrained decoration and strict forms of the Ulugbek madrasah, which is opposite.
   In the XVIII century, construction in the country loses its former creative scope and no longer rises to the level of outstanding architectural structures. br>     However, the buildings and ensembles of Bukhara played a significant role in the formation of the city and retain it to this day. Restored and protected by the state, architectural monuments gain a second life and are an integral part of the look of the modern city.

Twin cities of Bukhara:
Cordoba, Spain
Rueil Malmaison
Lahore, Pakistan
Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
Malatia, Turkey