Bukhara, Uzbekistan

Bukhara is a much bigger city than Khiva, containing in turn a much larger walled city—this one about 750 acres, featuring an old wall (10^th C?) with 11 gates.  There’s a lot inside those gates:  more madrassahs and mosques and minarets than I can count, in addition to the amir’s palace.  Outside the old city walls is a decent-sized city, maybe the third-largest in Uzbekistan.  But you’d never need to go out, because the old city is stuffed full of shops, restaurants, lodging, etc.

Bukhara is vibrant, with locals taking strolls in the evening; it’s also much more touristy than Khiva.  Nearly every alcove or bend in the pavement or passageway holds at least one kiosk or shop selling something, from silks to tablecloths to knives to metal art to magnets.  A lot of hard-sell energy, if genteel.  Those people really want me to carry a carpet around in my backpack for the next several months.

Gatehouse to Chor Minor Madrassa, completed 1807

Kaylan Mosque, 15th C

 Ismail Samoni Mausoleum, 10th C, 

buried completely intact in sand until excavation in 1920s.