Bukhara Old Town

The last emir of Bukhara came to power in 1911, when Uzbekistan was under the Russian empire. The Uzbek emir couldn’t show the public that he was essentially a puppet of the czar, because it was important to show his strength as an independent ruler to the people. So, when “auditing” delegations from Russia would come to Bukhara, they would be hosted at the Summer Palace of the emir built outside of the city limits. Now the palace is a museum complex exhibiting textiles, period costumes and ceramic vases given as gifts to the emir. There are a lot of European architectural details meant to appeal to the Russians.

Other highlights from the day include:

- A Sufi shrine, the mausoleum of Bakhaudin Nakshbandi, who lived in the 1300s.

- Lunch at a local restaurant featuring a hand-pulled noodle dish (originally from the Uighur).

- A visit to some craft shops, including: knotted rug-making; “miniature” painting, which refers to the size of the brush, not the size of the art piece—very fine detail; and a puppet making shop.

We ended the day with a “fashion show,” of costumes of fabrics in traditional patterns accompanied by a traditional music ensemble.Read more