Blog
Useful articles about trips, tips and service updates
The Fayzulla Khodjaev House: How Bukhara's Wealthy Merchants Lived
A late 19th-century merchant's home with carved reception rooms and quiet courtyards, the story of its owner, and why visitors love dressing up for photos here.
Bukhara's Trading Domes: Toki Zargaron, Telpak Furushon, Sarrafon
What was sold under the domes four hundred years ago and what is sold today, how to bargain without friction, and where to watch craftspeople at work.
Chor-Bakr Necropolis: The Quiet City of the Dead near Bukhara
The family necropolis of the Juybari sheikhs, with courtyard 'streets', a mosque and a khanaka: why it is worth seeing and how to get there from Bukhara.
Bahauddin Naqshband Complex near Bukhara: History and Etiquette
The holiest site of the Naqshbandi Sufi order: who the sheikh was, what rituals pilgrims perform, how a visitor should behave and how to get there from Bukhara.
Sitorai Mohi-Hosa: The Country Palace of Bukhara's Last Emir
East and West under one roof: the White Hall, peacocks in the garden, a suzani collection, and how to combine the palace with other Bukhara suburbs in a day.
Chor-Minor: Bukhara's Gatehouse with Four Towers
How to find Chor-Minor in the maze of a Bukhara neighbourhood, what its four towers are said to mean, and whether you can climb to the roof for the view.
The Samanid Mausoleum: A Thousand-Year-Old Masterpiece in Fired Brick
Why a small 10th-century cube of a tomb is considered a gem of Central Asian architecture, how it seems to change through the day, and what is nearby in the park.
Ulugh Beg Observatory: what remains of the great sextant
What a visitor sees at the observatory and museum, how Ulugh Beg compiled his star catalogue and how to combine the visit with Afrasiab in one day.
The Bibi-Khanym Mosque: Timur's grand project and its legends
The story of a huge congregational mosque, its ruin and restoration, and what Samarkand locals say about it, from a queen's love to the marble Quran stand.
Shah-i-Zinda: the street of mausoleums in Samarkand
How to walk the necropolis from entrance to summit, which tiles to look at and how to behave in a living shrine so your visit is calm and respectful.
Gur-Emir: Timur's mausoleum and its secrets
The history of the Timurid burial place, what to see inside, visiting rules and the famous legend about the opening of the tomb in June 1941.
The Registan: history, tickets and the best time for photos
Everything about Samarkand's main square: three madrasas, visiting hours, evening lighting and how to avoid the crowds and see the ensemble without rushing.