Uzbekistan 2: Bukhara

We arrived late in Bukhara and checked into this old palace hjotel.  The rooms were decorated like a 19th century Ottoman home, full of fancy plaster and carving.  The beds were so comfortable!  The next day we set out early to see the sites.  Bukhara has preserved or restored much of its trading history.  We entered the city through a trade gate, walking past caravan sarais that onced houses horses and camela.  The domed trade gates are still trader centers but now thwy sell souvenirs. 

We saw some of the madrasses on that end of town, then rode across town ro one of the oldeat buildings, a place with simple terra cotta decor, no color.  It was a mausoleum from the 11th century.  Then we walked across a park to a mosque and the old palace.  This was once the capital of the city.  It's now mostly a museum.   Only part of the palace is restored from the Bolshevik era destruction.  I loved seeing the old clothing on display there, and the photos of what it looked like with a  huge market outside in the past.  We heard a lot about early European contacts that occurred here.  

Next we walked to the grand madrassas nearby.  They faced each other  imposingly, with the towering minaret in between.   It was breathtaking.  Inside the tiles just kept getting more and more beautiful.  I leaned about the different Arabic scripts used and started being able to spot the difference.   I can inky read two words in Arabic-Muhammad and Allah- so finding them in the decor made a fun game.   Inside there was still an active school,  which was pretty cool.  I want to go to school in a half millenia old building!

After a lunch of shashik (meat on skewers), we went to another trade dome to see local crafts in a historical setting.  The embroidered fabrics were beautiful, as were the scissors that looked like storks.  In the afternoon we saw the Jewish synagogue near our hotel,  a reminder of the city's diverse past.  In the evening we saw some traditional dancing.  

Day two began at the Chor Minor mosque (the cover of Lonely Planet Central Asia) and continued to the Summer Palace, a 19th century residence of the Khan. It was still being restored but the plasterwork was beautifully detailed.  They used mirrors to reflect light in the rooms.  

That was the end of our time in Bukhara.  Off to Samarkand!