Bukhara

In Sanskrit word, Bukhara signifies "monastery" and this city was once a large commercial center on the Great Silk Road.

Bukhara was first mentioned in Chinese chronicles in the early 5th century. It is one of the oldest trade and cultural centers in Central Asia. The city itself was founded by Persian Prince who built a citadel there after he had married Afrosiab's daughter in Samarkand. But the growth of the city mostly depended on its strategic location. It is situated on the crossroads leading to the main important centers of Asia. The history of this city is very astonishing. The Bukhara oasis of Soghdiana was conquered by Alexander the Great, also it was once ruled by the Kushan empire and later became a part of the Eftalist Rein. When the Arabs arrived they found already prosperous trading center. It was the capital of Samanid State during the 9-10th centuries. During that period Bukhara - "the Pillar of Islam" became Central Asia's religious and cultural heart, brightened with the Persian love of arts. In 1220 Bukhara was conquered by Genghiz-Khan and in 1370 it fell under protection of Timur's Samarkand.

Bukhara attained its greatest importance in the late 16th century, when the Shaybanids' possessions included most of present-day Central Asia as well as northern Persia and Afghanistan. The emir Mohammed Rahim freed himself from Persian vassalage in the mid-18th century and founded the Mangit dynasty. In 1868 the khanate was made a Russian protectorate, and in 1920 the emir was overthrown by Red Army troops. Bukhara remained the capital of the Bukharan People's Soviet Republic, which replaced the khanate, until the republic was absorbed into the Uzbek S.S.R. in 1924. It remained the capital when Uzbekistan gained independence in 1991. The city grew rapidly after the discovery in the late 1950s of natural gas nearby.

In Central Asia this city has always been referred to as "Bukhara the noble". The old town with its narrow streets, ancient buildings and dominating massive walls of the Ark fortress still retains the atmosphere of a medieval city. The old town still retains much of its former aspect, with its mosques, madaris (Muslim theological schools), flat-roofed houses of sun-dried bricks, and remains of covered bazaars. Among important buildings are the Ismail Samani Mausoleum (9th-10th century); the Kalyan minaret (1127) and mosque; the Ulugh Beg (1417), Poi-Kalon (1127), Kukeldash (16th century), Abdulaziz-Khan (1652), and Miri-Arab (1536) madaris; and the Ark, the city fortress, which is the oldest structure in Bukhara. The city's economy is based on a number of food and light-industrial undertakings, including a large works processing Karakul lambs' fleece. Bukhara is also growing in importance as the largest city in a natural gas region. Certain traditional handicrafts, such as gold embroidery and metalworking, are still practiced. Cultural amenities include a teacher-training institute, a theatre, and a museum