How to get from Bukhara to Samarkand and from Samarkand to Bukhara. Fourth day in Uzbekistan. Bukhara How to get to Bukhara

As soon as we crossed the border, I received a message from my mobile operator that I had found myself in a land of delicious pilaf and azure mosques. First we came to the capital, but quickly realized that there was nothing for us to do in this city if we wanted to see the real one with its deserts, villages and ancient mosques. As the locals persistently advised us. If you travel beyond Tashkent in Uzbekistan further into the cotton fields and the Aral Desert, you will be rewarded with the beautiful ancient cities of Eastern civilization. Bukhara is one of these.

By the way, the population of the city is very friendly towards tourists. If you get lost, they will always show you the way and also give you advice along the way, where to look and what to see along the way.

Since Bukhara is a tourist and post-Soviet city, the adult local population speaks Russian and Uzbek, while young people speak more Uzbek and English. I have never had any difficulties with communication.

All the way to Bukhara, I did not take my eyes off the windows of the cars in which I was hitchhiking. The nature there is not very rich in diversity, but the hardworking Uzbeks make the vast territories of the steppes fertile and vibrant. Around every small house in a kishlak (village) there is a garden and fruit-bearing trees. And what has always amazed me in Uzbekistan: you can walk along a big city street or a village alley and pick a completely edible and even very tasty apricot. Fruit-bearing trees in the city are an incredible fact for me, who is used to buying packaged fruit in stores.

Short video about Bukhara

How to get there

Bukhara can be easily reached by all possible means of transport - plane, train, bus and car. True, most often you first need to get to Tashkent, where the largest railway station and airport are in the country.

By plane

If you have enough funds, then you can fly to Bukhara from almost anywhere in the world, but most likely through. And in the CIS, almost all flights have a transfer in Moscow. That is, it turns out to be a double transplant. You can fly from Tashkent to Bukhara on any day from 67 USD. Well, how much a flight to Moscow will cost you depends on your location.

Flights to Bukhara

From Moscow you can fly to Bukhara in 4 hours, starting from 150 USD for a direct one-way ticket to Uzbekistan Airways, which are better to buy in advance, because they are not available every day.

Other flights are more expensive and have transfers, and you can still fly by Air Astana, S7 Airlines And Aeroflot, and sometimes all of this at once, since flights are more expensive with two transfers.

From St. Petersburg You can fly on a direct flight from 195 USD in 5 hours, which also does not happen every day. But there are similar ones with transfers and waiting hours reaching up to 24 hours at airports. Therefore, you should take care of purchasing tickets in advance. You can view the current cost of tickets for your dates on the airline websites or.

From the airport to the city center

Airport in Tashkent is located almost within the city limits, 7 km from the center, and in Bukhara outside the city, but 5 km from the Center.

There are bus stops near both airports, where, after talking with the drivers, you can get to your desired point in the city. Taxis at airports are, of course, more expensive than usual, but still much cheaper than in other post-Soviet countries. If you go from the city to the airport by taxi, you can start bargaining with 2.5 USD. From the airport to the city, maybe a little more expensive. By bus and minibus, travel will cost about 0.2 USD.

By train

The train is one of the most convenient means of transportation here, apart from an air-conditioned car. And, since the railways in Uzbekistan were built in post-Soviet times and are regularly repaired, the cars are also new and quite comfortable, which is surprisingly very different from those trains that go beyond the borders of the republic. I would not advise you to travel by train to Tashkent from anywhere in Russia and Kazakhstan, where they come from, or throughout Russia itself on these trains. But on the territory of Uzbekistan - yes.

But, if you have sufficient reserves of patience, sleep and food, then you can get to Tashkent, and then with a transfer to Bukhara, by regular flights from major cities in Russia and Kazakhstan: Moscow, Samara, Volgograd, Novosibirsk, and others. Tickets are relatively cheap (reserved seat - from 175 USD, coupe from 250 USD), considering the very long journey of 3.5 days. But this explains the lack of comfort. These trains do not run every day, but several times a week.

Having reached Tashkent, from there you can leave on daily fast day or night trains to Bukhara, tickets for which can be purchased at the box office or online if you have documents (from 14 USDUSD for a seated one, from 18 USD for a parade ground and 25 USD for a compartment). And the fastest train is traveling faster than cars along this not very good road (less than 4 hours).

Prices here are based on prices on Russian websites, taking into account the fact that you will buy a ticket in advance. If you go during the tourist season, then this is a well-founded precaution. But I noticed that in Central Asian countries, if you buy tickets within the country at the box office, then a ticket to a similar destination will cost much less than on Russian travel websites. And, if you have time, I would advise you to buy a ticket from Tashkent to Bukhara on the spot, checking the availability in advance on the Internet, of course.

From the station to the city center

Railway station in Tashkent is located close to the City Center, and if you have time between trains, you can easily take buses or taxis to the center and back in about 10 minutes.

Bukhara-1 station is located in the city of Kagan, neighboring Bukhara, and it will take 10 km (about 20 minutes) to get from there to our destination by regular buses or taxis.

Taxi fares start at about 4 USD, it all depends on the degree of comfort and how full the car is. You should check the bus route at the bus stop with the driver or conductor; the fare will be less than 3 USD.

By bus

From Moscow and St. Petersburg

There are no buses from Moscow and St. Petersburg to Bukhara from official carriers. But there are unofficial old and double-decker buses that transport illegal workers from Uzbekistan through and into Russia. I don’t recommend traveling in them at a speed of 60 km/h; imagine how many days you’ll have to spend in them.

From Uzbekistan

It is very easy to get to Bukhara from Tashkent or any other major city in Uzbekistan by bus. Buses depart from the bus station in Tashkent throughout the day. The schedule that you find on the Internet is still worth checking on the spot, and electronic tickets It won't be possible to buy. Several buses depart per day (most often when they are full), and if you are late for them, you can always leave the same bus station by taxi. They may drop you off not necessarily at the bus station in Bukhara, but also along the road in the city if you ask.

From the station to the city center

From the Bukhara bus station to the city center it takes about 10 minutes by car or city bus. I wrote about the cost of taxis and bus travel in the section above.

By car

It is very easy to get to Bukhara by taxi or by your own car and it is very difficult to get lost along the way. There is not a very large selection of routes, and if you choose the right direction when leaving the city, then you just don’t turn off the road anywhere to arrive at your destination. Since I hitchhiked around Uzbekistan, I knew this part of the route thoroughly.

Since Russia does not directly border Uzbekistan, to get to Bukhara from Moscow and St. Petersburg, you will also have to go through its notorious traffic police. Known for corruption, of course.

I stayed in a small house with a courtyard, a garden and a trestle bed, where you can lie down and drink tea and hide from the heat on sweltering days. If you travel with a company, then, it seems to me, this is the best option. And the cost is not much different from a hostel.

The most convenient area, as you already understood, City center, since it is small and all the interesting places are nearby. The city center outlined on the map has the largest concentration of hotels, hostels, restaurants, cafes and attractions. But this does not mean that there is nothing to see beyond it. It's just ordinary quiet Bukhara city life.

The Shahrud Canal flows through the City Center, but the Northern and Southern parts into which it divides the Center, frankly speaking, are no different in terms of housing.

As you can see, almost all offers from hotels and hostels are concentrated in the central region of Bukhara, close to all the attractions that will be literally in the yard, unless you live in an ancient building, which may well be the case.

In this area, a room in a four-star hotel will cost about 60 USD per night, and a bed in a hostel will cost 10 USD. They can ask for about 30 USD for a house, 3 USD per person for a room, even if you all sleep in one. You can book hotels on, and compare prices from different sites. Next, I will tell you more about prices for living in the city.

What are the prices for holidays?

Prices during the tourist season are, of course, higher than usual. If you only speak English and do not understand Russian and Uzbek, prices can be two to three times higher for everything. If you know Russian and don’t understand Uzbek, then only twice. Therefore, bargaining is one of the important parts of traveling around Asia in the culture of oriental bazaars.

Housing

If you're staying or eating in a place with a fixed fee, such as a hotel, hostel or restaurant, then you don't have to worry about overpricing. For the average Uzbek resident they will be high, but for you, as a tourist, they will be quite acceptable. From 60 USD in a four-star hotel in the very center of Bukhara to 6 USD per bed in a hostel per day per person. But if you rent a house or room directly from the owners of the house, then everything depends only on you. What conditions do you need and how much can you reduce the price? We were filming private house for four for 32 USD per day with all amenities, and the locals said that it was too expensive.

Nutrition

Food in Bukhara is very cheap because everything is available and grows almost nearby. Lunch in an expensive restaurant can cost up to 20 USD, and in a regular cafe for 7 USD.

Taxi

Taxi prices are almost the same as what a bus ride would cost for a group. Therefore, if you are not traveling alone, then taking a taxi will be much more profitable. You can hail a taxi with your hand anywhere on the street and, when stopping, confidently name your destination and the amount for which you are willing to travel (from 1 USD). You can call it smaller (don’t forget about bargaining).

Cultural program

Tickets and excursions are perhaps the biggest expense on this trip. For you, as a tourist from the CIS, the price will be the same as for tourists from Europe, while for local residents and citizens of the country it is ten times less. Therefore, in Bukhara, you can introduce yourself as local residents who came from Tashkent, if you do not look like a typical tourist.

On average, a ticket to the museum and mosque costs about 4 USD, with a tour - 7 USD.

Main attractions. What to see

The whole city literally consists of historical and cultural monuments that you want to look into. But not all historical buildings are museums, and not all are open. Many have tourist shops, but you can go in for free and see the internal structure of mosques and madrassas, which seem to have not changed in hundreds of years. True, in this case you have to listen to sellers praising their goods, because the culture of trade is very developed here.

Most often, I asked them about various historical facts and received much more information than I had previously read on the Internet. Almost every seller in a tourist area could tell me the whole history of the building in which he sells, answer my questions, and at the same time advise me to buy something from him as a souvenir. Very often, in response to my excuses that there was no money, the price was reduced by three or even four times.

When purchasing tickets, pay attention to the prices and, if you do not outwardly stand out from the local population, you will be able to get in at a price that will be tens of times less than the cost of a ticket for a tourist from the CIS. To do this, you will need to say at least “Assalomu alaikum” at the checkout.

Almost everything worth visiting is located in the historical center of the city, so it is worth planning a walking route. When I was tired, I simply sat down to rest on some historical ruins, benches, or on sun-warmed slabs around the houses - ponds with clean water, recruited to create coolness in the city.

Top 5

Ark

The center of the Old City, the citadel palace, the home of the emirs (city rulers). Now it is a fairly large museum complex, where you can walk for a long time, entering various former administrative buildings, courtyards, mosques, reception rooms, a harem and living quarters. You can also climb the brick wall, from the height of which you can still see almost the entire city. At that moment I imagined lively battles under the walls and pouring cauldrons of boiling tar.

By the way, if you go around the Ark along the wall, you can get to another museum, Zindan, which means “prison”. It presents in great detail all the ancient devices with the help of which they oppressed the spirit and body in order to obtain the necessary confessions from the captives of the Emir of Bukhara.

Poi Kalyan

An architectural ensemble in the very center of the city on Registan Square. It is impossible to come to Bukhara and not visit there; literally all roads in the city lead to the Kalyan Mosque, Kalyan Minaret and Miri Arab Madrasah. Only the madrasah is closed to the public, as it is still an educational institution.

If you don't want to go into the mosque, you may miss the opportunity to climb the minaret, from which you can see the entire city. As I climbed the narrow round stone staircase, I imagined a muezzin (a clergyman whose duties include singing loudly from a minaret) who overcame this test five times a day, calling the entire city to prayer. This is truly a severe test for both tired legs and spirit: a dark staircase that goes up and tiny windows in thick walls. But the view from above is worth all the effort. It's breathtaking.

Sitorai Mohi-khosa

I wanted to look at the emir’s life from the inside and went to the emir’s summer palace. It turned out to be not just one building, but a whole complex with gardens and peacocks walking through them - just all the oriental fairy tales came to life before my eyes. The emir's summer residence is located quite far from the city center, we had to endure a bus ride, but the splendor we saw was worth it. The living quarters of the emir and his wives have now become exhibition pavilions, where you can see household items and luxury items of the Uzbek nobility, Bukhara clothing, and religious attributes.

Everyone living in the palace was saved from the summer heat by the gardens and the pond, in front of which there is a huge throne. I was told a legend that the emir loved to watch his concubines bathe and sometimes threw a gift into the water for his most beloved wife. Considering the very hot climate, I understood why almost no residential complex of wealthy Bukharians could do without a huge swimming pool with an adjacent garden.

There are several bus routes from the city center to the palace gates, so you can get there by public transport or by taxi.

Trade domes

It is impossible to pass by them if you walk around the city on foot. You can hear them even in the evening, there are always a lot of people there and there is lively trade, laughter and conversation. Under the domes you can find postcards, souvenirs, national clothes, drawings, dishes and everything you want to buy as a souvenir of this city or country. Bukharians know how to trade, so if you stop among their goods, it will be for a long time. To see the domes themselves, I came in the evening, when there were few people there.

Lyabi-Khauz

And finally, the very center of Bukhara. This is a huge complex of three buildings: Kukeldash madrasah, Divan-Begi and Divan-Begi khanakas (the building is slightly smaller than the mosque, but no less beautiful), in the center of which there is a large reservoir called hauz. Around it there are tables of roadside cafes, street musicians are playing. In the courtyards of neighboring houses, music is played and home-cooked food is prepared.

Here you can just sit and look at the life of the city, which seems to have not changed at all for thousands of years. Here people eat, pray and trade in one place. They enjoy life, in general. And here there is a monument to the most famous Bukharian Khoja Nasreddin on a donkey.

The hero of funny folk stories grins slyly and looks at the tourists who are rubbing the donkey’s nose for good luck.

Churches and temples. Which ones are worth visiting?

Almost every mosque I passed in the city is worthy of attention. But there are also the most important ones that are definitely worth getting into. But you should hurry, almost all museums are open from 9:00 to 17:00, but they may be allowed into the mosque a little later. So:

Museums. Which ones are worth visiting?

Bukhara is one big open-air museum. I described the museums that are worth visiting above, since they are all located in historical, ancient buildings, which make up a large part of the exhibitions. Or rather, even most of it.

But here are a few more museums:

• Avicenna Museum, a world famous doctor. It is located about 30 km from the city, so it is better to get there by taxi. Located on the territory of the medical center in a modern building, the exhibition contains many ancient medicinal devices and instruments. Open from 9:00 to 16:30
• Museum of Art. Kamoliddin Bekhzoda- you can get acquainted with the fine and jewelry art of Bukhara artists and craftsmen over the past 100 years. Located in the city center. The coolness inside the building saves you from the heat of the day. Open from 09:00 to 17:00.
• House-Museum of Fayzulla Khojaev, the first head of the Bukhara People's Soviet Republic. Here you can try on national clothes and walk around the museum in them, the exhibition of which exactly replicates the interior of an ordinary house of a wealthy Bukhara merchant. There is also an ethnographic exhibition and peacocks roaming freely in the garden. Open from 09:00 to 17:00

Entrance tickets to all listed places cost up to 2 USD.

Parks

There is only one park in Bukhara - Samanid Park, built on the site of an ancient cemetery.

It's worth going there because it's the only place in the city, where there is a lot of shade and coolness from the trees, and to look at the ditch irrigation system. An aryk is a ditch through which water flows along footpaths and supplies lawns throughout the park.

On the territory of the park there is the Samanid Mausoleum, a very beautiful building, a monument of early medieval culture, one of the oldest in Bukhara, in which there are three burials.

Tourist streets

It is very difficult to describe any one main tourist street in Bukhara, since the city is not replete with long, level streets located at right angles to each other. Therefore, I would note the city center, surrounded by the largest streets, inside which the most active tourist life is in full swing.

What to see in 1 day

I would advise walking around Bukhara for one day only in the center and only on foot. Then you can get a feel for this city in such a short time:

• the route can be built from Ark to Registan Square to the Kalyan Minaret, which is visible from almost anywhere in the city;
• then go through the trading domes, Lyabi-khauz and go to all the buildings you like along the way. These will be either museums, or mosques, or shops or restaurants in no longer functioning mosques;
• then, if you have time, you can simply walk around the city without leaving the cobbled streets of the ancient center, look at the recently excavated remains of ancient baths, go to an inn for caravans of the Great Silk Road;
• and when fatigue takes its toll, allow yourself to relax in the Uzbek way: order not a table at a cafe, but a trestle bed, lie down on it and enjoy tea with flat cakes, pilaf and life.

Food. What to try

It is difficult to die of hunger in Bukhara, even if you have little money. In the city center there are tourist restaurants, the average bill of which is very high for locals, but quite low for tourists, as I already wrote about above.

So finding a place to eat depends on what you want to try. If national cuisine has a folk flavor, then you need to go to a restaurant, preferably one where food is served on trestle beds. The trestle bed is truly an invention for hedonists, on which you can eat lying down and in the shade (very important on a hot day). This is a covered gazebo, in the center of which there is a table for eating, and around there are many soft blankets and pillows for sitting and lying after and during meals. Although, of course, there are also ordinary coffee shops, bars and cafes that can be found in any city in any country with a standard Europeanized menu.

The average check in a restaurant can be up to 30 USD, and in a simple cafe or canteen not in the center - 7 USD.

What to order:

If you like to cook at home, then I will immediately note that in Bukhara it is difficult to find supermarkets with a large selection of products. And most likely your favorite products will cost much more here due to the lack customs unions Uzbekistan has relations with almost all countries of the world. Therefore, you will have to buy everything you need in small shops, but not fruits and vegetables. For them you only need to go to the bazaars, where everything is fresh and you can try it.

If you adhere to the ideas of vegetarianism or veganism, then I advise you to be more careful when choosing a restaurant, since not in every place you can easily find a meat-free dish. And the further the place is from the city center, the more difficult it will be for you to explain what exactly you need on the menu. By the way, we wrote in more detail about Uzbek cuisine.

Budget

• Wishbone Bukhara Cafe;
• Chor Bakhr restaurant.

Mid-level

• teahouse Bolo Hauz;
• Minor Cafe House.

Dear

• "Badreddin"
• national house "Rustam"
• Chasmai-Mirob restaurant.

Holidays

In addition to the international holidays that we all already know, in Bukhara you can catch the celebration of the following:

• Nowruz- this is a New Year holiday according to the solar calendar among the Turkic peoples, in the celebration of which everyone participates, not only at home, but also on the streets and squares. Therefore, from March 21 to 23, there will be mass celebrations, concerts and people having fun in the city. Festive dishes can be prepared right on the street and distributed and sold to everyone. I advise you to try sumalak: it is cooked all night before the holiday, turning cooking into a kind of ritual, and you can try it only once a year on these days in March.
• Eid al-Adha And Eid al-Adha- Islamic holidays, and since the majority of Bukharians are Muslims, these dates acquire great significance in city life. Since these are the dates of the end of ritual asceticism (fasting or hajj pilgrimage), it is customary to have fun and eat delicious food on these days. It's worth noting that sometimes holiday rituals, even on the street, include the slaughter of sheep, so if you don't want to see this, check the calendar before your trip. These holidays do not have exact celebration dates; they change every year.

Safety. What to watch out for

Since there are many tourists during the season, the townspeople who are accustomed to them find various ways increasing the profits of your business due to them. Once, my friends and I were faced with a situation when, at the entrance to a dilapidated mosque, a girl selling souvenirs and national clothes there demanded an entrance fee from us, which we naturally did not give to her. There were no “box office” signs or ticket prices anywhere, which means they just wanted to deceive us. So, when entering the territory of any building or what remains of it, always check such little things. And when you buy tickets, see if the price includes the services of a guide that you do not need.

Girls, to my surprise, were allowed into all buildings that in the past were only for men. But in the city you will not find Bukhara residents dressed in short shorts or skirts. Therefore, if you want to avoid too close attention On the male side, I would advise you to dress in slightly less revealing clothes. Especially when visiting ancient temples.

In some places that are considered sacred, there are signs with prohibitory inscriptions, pay attention to them if you do not want to violate local laws.

A few more important facts, which are described in more detail on our website in the article about. You won’t be able to pay anywhere with a card, nor will you be able to withdraw money from it. It is better to exchange dollars for sums, not rubles, and, of course, on the black market, and not at the official rate at a bank in Uzbekistan. In many places it is prohibited to take photographs (stations, bazaars, metro and main streets), so you need to do it carefully if you really want to.

At night, Bukhara is a fairly calm city. I often walked there among the dilapidated mosques, sat on the steps of the ancient madrasah and admired the Kalyan minaret alone, without a noisy crowd of people around.

Things to do

The most interesting activities after visiting cultural attractions in Asian countries are bazaars, craft exhibitions and, in general, the culture of trade.

Therefore, I advise you to plunge headlong and completely into the variety of bazaars in the squares, where the cries of sellers praising their goods mix with the smells of spices, fruits, the clinking of dishes and conversations in all languages ​​of the world.

Shopping and shops

Everything you want to buy can be found at the market, at a street stand, or right in the museum.

There are no large shopping centers or supermarkets in Bukhara. Here the most expensive things are made by hand: woven or fired, and then sold in their own shop next to some attraction. These include clothing, fabrics (silk and cotton, especially), and household items (pottery, ceramics and jewelry), dishes and books.

The main feature of shopping in Bukhara is bargaining. Polite and enjoyable for both sides of the purchase.

Bars. Where to go

The nightlife of Bukhara is very poor. This can probably be explained by the high religiosity of the townspeople and the fairly small town. And also the quiet hour policy, when at 23:00 all noisy establishments in the city must close.

While walking along the streets, I never once caught my eye on a “Bar” or “Nightclub” sign, but, probably, I was just looking poorly. It is quite possible that if you ask the indigenous people, they will tell you about nightlife of this city and they will give appearances and passwords.

Souvenirs. What to bring as a gift

In general, you probably already know what to bring from Uzbekistan. But every city here, as I understand it, is valued for its artisans, and in Bukhara these are potters and ceramists.

I have never seen such beautiful handmade dishes and jugs anywhere, it’s a pity that transporting them is not always convenient. Although, oddly enough, they are very durable after firing in a kiln. In my presence, a huge lyagan (pilaf dish) was thrown onto the floor, and it remained unharmed - this is the secret of the skill!

So, if you want to bring a piece of clay Bukhara with you, it could be lyagans, mosaic tiles, a tea set of bowls (cups) and a teapot, or even small clay toys and whistles. All this is hand-painted by masters and craftswomen, the compositions of clay and paints of which are kept in the strictest confidence to this day.

When buying such souvenirs in tourist places, you cannot be sure of their quality, only of their beauty. Therefore, if you want really high-quality ceramics, then you should consult with locals who can take you to ceramists’ workshops, where you can not only choose and buy a gift for yourself, but also watch the process of drawing, sculpting and firing. On the market you can buy a lyagan from 5 USD, but if you buy it in a real workshop, where it will be handmade and in a single copy, then you need to prepare from 20 to 200 USD. Masters usually sell their works themselves, and not through intermediaries on the market.

This is an example of market ceramics, where the bright and stamped designs are very symmetrical and uniform.

And another small, but very memorable and fragrant souvenir from Bukhara - seasonings and spices from the oriental bazaar. Can't compare to prepackaged store bought ones! A glass of spices costs at least 0.7 USD.

How to get around the city

Getting around the city is easier and more beautiful on foot, especially in the center, but to explore the beauty of the countryside, you will have to board a taxi or bus.

Taxi. What features exist

Taxi is the most convenient and, oddly enough, cheapest way to get around Bukhara. A trip from the airport to the city center will cost approximately 2 USD, and around the city it is even cheaper. You can start trading with 1 USD.

In the city, it is customary to hail a taxi with a wave of your hand on the side of the road anywhere on the road, and when stopping, state your destination and the amount you are willing to pay. Payment is not made according to the meter, but according to this agreement and only in cash. Calling a taxi by phone is not popular, as it is more expensive.

Buses

You can travel around the city by buses on not very hot days, otherwise you simply can’t breathe there. The fare is very cheap, about 0.2 USD, but if you are not traveling alone, then you can add up the amount of your fare and get to the same place by taxi faster and more easily.

Transport rental

If you want to drive a rented car throughout Uzbekistan, then this is a completely justified waste of money. But for Bukhara alone, this is completely unnecessary: ​​you can get around the historical center on foot, and you can go to distant areas for a couple of museums by taxi or bus a couple of times.

Rules traffic in Uzbekistan are observed only in Tashkent. Further, on highways and in cities, drivers miraculously understand when to drive and when to let pedestrians pass, since although there are traffic lights, they don’t always pay attention to them. There are no security cameras, and there are no traffic cops hiding in the bushes either.

Hotels- don’t forget to check prices from booking sites! Don't overpay. This !

Car rental- also an aggregation of prices from all rental companies, all in one place, let's go!

Anything to add?

The most convenient means of transportation between Uzbek cities is the locally produced Nexia. They usually stand at the exit from the city, next to bus stations, waiting for four passengers and, after filling, rush them to the neighboring (or not quite neighboring) city - all guidebooks and LiveJournal posts provide approximately this information. Therefore, the last thing we worried about was how to get from Samarkand to Bukhara. The road seemed to us to be a one (maximum one and a half) hour long series of picturesque landscapes from the window of a white Nexia.
The situation turned out to be more complicated. As soon as we approached the UzNexiy parking lot, “chauffeurs” attacked us, pushing each other, interrupting and randomly shouting names at us settlements and figures that are 2-3 times higher than the tariff we know from the locals. We politely refused all offers, and the crowd of taxi drivers quickly thinned out and switched to someone else. As a result, we got a break to calmly understand the situation. It turned out to be the following: there is a regular bus between Samarkand and Bukhara - the old Ikarus, but you couldn’t count on it, because it didn’t leave according to a schedule, but when it was full. According to the driver, he promised that it would be filled no earlier than the next morning. The Nexia drivers wanted a lot of money and for some reason persistently suggested that we go not to Bukhara, but to Tashkent or Navoi. We rather absurdly stood at a dusty bus stop for about 15 minutes, looking around. The Nexia drivers looked at us searchingly, until one came up and asked:
- How much will you give until Bukhara, brother?
- So much.
- Get in the car.
- How long does it take to travel?
- An hour.
It took 5 hours to get to Bukhara. First, the car stupidly stalled in the middle of the steppe, we waited for an hour for some Uzbek from a neighboring village, he fixed the car, then we gave him a lift home (six of us were driving through a traffic police checkpoint). Then we stood at the gas station for two hours - in Uzbekistan everyone refuels with propane (or methane, I don’t remember) - in a queue of 10 cars, each refueled for 10-15 minutes. On the road, the driver chewed nasvay (this is chicken droppings mixed with lime) and stopped his nexia every 10 minutes to spit out the chewed cake and put a new portion under his tongue.
In general, we reached Bukhara late at night, unsuccessfully searched for our guesthouse, and not finding it, we stopped at the first bug house we came across, which, as it turned out, was called “Gan-Jerusalem” and belonged to a Bukharian Jew.
We woke up around noon to a Bukharan Jew breaking into our room and demanding to pay more or get out. We evacuated in a hurry and went to the heart of Bukhara - Lyabi House.
Lyabi House (“house” in Uzbek (or Tajik) means not a house, but a “pond”) is a large artificial reservoir surrounded (like the Registan in Samarkand) by three beautifully painted madrassas. Now it is held there major renovation and at the site of the “pearl of Central Asia” we saw the following:

And here is the Lyabi House itself, drained and repaired

In general, despite the major renovations carried out in Bukhara, the city itself seemed more comfortable and homely to us than Samarkand. For example, on the main square, instead of Tamerlane, there is a monument to Khoja Nasreddin on a donkey.

All historical buildings are located in the center of residential areas. That's why you can see old people sitting at the gates of the old fort.

and children play football under the walls of the Ark citadel, using homemade markers to mark the gates on the fortress walls

Ark is the winter residence of the Bukhara Emir (the summer residence is 4 kilometers from Bukhara, and we did not have time to get to it).

Before the advent of Soviet power, the Emir of Bukhara was a fairly influential dude (although from a certain point he was a vassal Russian Empire). He fought with ours twice - first under Alexander II (many of Vereshchagin’s paintings hanging in the Tretyakov Gallery are dedicated to this war), then - in 1920 - with Frunze, who came to liberate the working masses of the Turkestan region from the Despot of the East. The Despot of the East fled even further east, to Afghanistan, and Frunze destroyed most of Ark. In the place where something survived, there is now a museum and souvenir shops, and where Frunze walked there are still ruins.

To prevent the Despot of the East from returning from Afghanistan and rebuilding his Ark, Frunze put a Caucasian Shepherd on a chain. She still guards the ruins

The most interesting thing about the Arch is the view of the city. Actually, there is not much to do in the ruins, museum and souvenir shops.

Another attraction in Bukhara is the Kalyan Mosque with the minaret of the same name (the fourth mosque in the world in terms of area). Unfortunately, they are not allowed into the minaret; the explanation is that some French woman broke her leg there five years ago, after which Islam Karimov, by his own decree, forbade anyone to go up there, and put the keys under his pillow.
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Opposite the large mosque is a madrasah, and a functioning one. Moreover, it worked all the years of Soviet power. For example, Ahmed Haji Kad studied there

Bukhara (Uzbek: Buxoro; Tajik: Buhoro; Persian: بخارا; Russian: Bukhara), is one of the cities (viloyat) of Uzbekistan. Bukhara is a city-museum, with about 140 architectural monuments. The nation"s fifth-largest city, it had a population of approximately 247,644. Humans have inhabited the region around Bukhara for at least five millennia, and the city has existed for half that time. Located on the Silk Road, the city has long served as a center of trade, scholarship, culture, and religion. UNESCO has listed the historic center of Bukhara (which contains numerous mosques and madrassas) as a World Heritage Site.- Wikipedia

Things to do in Bukhara

• Samanid Mausoleum

  The Samanid mausoleum is located in a park just outside the historic urban center of Bukhara, Uzbekistan. The mausoleum is considered to be one of the most highly esteemed work of Central Asian architecture, and was built between 892 and 943 CE as the resting-place of Ismail Samani - a powerful and influential amir of the Samanid dynasty, one of the last native Persian dynasties that ruled in Central Asia in the 9th and 10th centuries, after the Samanids established virtual independence from the Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad. In addition to Ismail Samani, the mausoleum also houses the remains of his father Ahmed and his nephew Nasr, as well as the remains of other members of the Samanid dynasty.

• Po-i-Kalyan

  Po-i-Kalyan or Poi Kalyan (Uzbek: Poi Kalon, Persian: پای کلان Pā-i Kalān, which means "The Foot of the Great"), is an Islamic religious complex located around the Kalyan minaret in Bukhara, Uzbekistan.

• Chashma-Ayub Mausoleum

  Chashma-Ayub Mausoleum is located near the Samani Mausoleum, in Bukhara, Uzbekistan. Its name means Job"s well, due to the legend in which Job (Ayub) visited this place and made a well by striking the ground with his staff. The water of this well is still pure and is considered healing. The current building was constructed during the reign of Timur and features a Khwarazm-style conical dome uncommon in Bukhara.

• Chor-Bakr

  The memorial complex of Chor-Bakr was built over the ostensible burial place of Abu-Bakr-Said, who died in the year 360 of the Muslim Calendar (970-971 AD), and who was one of the four of Abu-Bakrs ( Chor-Bakr) - descendants of Muhammad. The complex includes the necropolis of family tombs, and courtyards enclosed with walls.