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5. Along the Silk Road: Bukhara, Uzbekistan
- Laurie Hull
- Apr 29
- 4 min read
Updated: Aug 18
Bukhara
Bukhara felt different from everywhere else on the trip. Cleaner, more intimate, somehow more contained within itself. The old city is a UNESCO site and it shows, but not in a sterile way. The Lyabi-Hauz plaza at its center, with its ancient mulberry trees and reflecting pool, is one of the most atmospheric places I have seen on this trip, especially at 5:30am when I tried to catch the early morning light for photos. On our last evening Kathy and I sat on the hotel rooftop lounge after dinner, shared the last of a bottle of red wine, and sat listening to the call to prayer drift across the warm night air while the smell of kebabs rose from the grill below. Full moon overhead. Perfect temperature. Kathy and I each had our own swing to relax and reflect on the significance of the moment. One of those evenings that needs no filter and no caption. Locked in forever.
The Lyabi-Hauz Plaza was a joy to wander through, a serene reflecting pool surrounded by restaurants and lovely gardens, with the grand Kukeldash Madrassah and the Khanaka of Nadir Divan-Begi anchoring either side.
I could have spent an hour just circling the Samanid Mausoleum. Built in the 9th and 10th centuries for Ismail Samani, is one of Bukhara's oldest structures, its plain cube and dome covered in baked-brick patterns inside and out. The interior dome rests on a ring of brick arches called "squinches", an early solution for setting a round dome atop a square room. Amazing architecture that stops you in your tracks.
I couldn't believe we could walk so close to the Poi Kalon complex which combines the Kalon Minaret, Kalon Mosque, and Mir-i-Arab Madrasah into a striking, ancient ensemble. The minaret, completed in 1127, rises approximately 150 feet and was so impressive it reportedly stopped Genghis Khan from destroying it during the Mongol invasion. Its turquoise domes and rooftop views over the old city make it one of Bukhara's must see landmarks.
Bukhara is a merchant city at its core. Our guide Timur brought the Silk Road to life here in a way that made it feel immediate rather than historical. Caravans paid a ten percent tax to pass through cities. Garlic was extraordinarily expensive and highly prized. Silk itself became more valuable the farther west it traveled. Afghan dogs were used as security, their behavior watched carefully to detect the approach of strangers. Only men traveled the caravans, and along the routes there were establishments offering every comfort a traveling merchant might desire. What happens on the Silk Road stays on the Silk Road, apparently.
Timur also put the present moment in context in a way I found sad. The maritime routes opened by Vasco da Gama eventually killed the overland Silk Road, turning these once world-class cities into backwaters almost overnight. Then came colonial Russia, using the land as a resource. Now Uzbekistan is in its third wave, thirty-five years independent, sixty percent of the population under thirty, and navigating carefully between Russia, China, Europe, and the United States. As Timur put it, they must be wise to play the game with the big players. But the vibe and feeling in Uzbekistan was unmistakably one of youth, hope, energy, and drive. I felt alive, well, and safe there, maybe because it was Timur's home country.
We were walking behind a group of Uzbek women one evening, and I couldn't stop admiring their matching polka dot scarves, so lovely against the evening light. Kathy called out "Assalomu Alaykum (hello)" to them, and that one greeting turned into an instant connection. They asked where we were from, and just then our guide Timur rounded the corner and jumped in to translate for all of us. The women, it turned out, were from Eastern Uzbekistan, in town for a school reunion, and their hotel had given them the matching scarves we admired. What followed was a wonderful exchange of questions, laughter, and photos, everyone curious about each other's lives. Later that night, around 10pm, Timur called our hotel room as we were getting ready for bed to say the women had come by with a gift. We rushed down and found them waiting with scarves for us, and we had another round of laughter, well wishes, and photos, this time wearing our new scarves. I love spontaneous moments like this when traveling. These women were simply lovely, and I still smile thinking of them. Thanks to Timur, we got to learn a little about each other's lives, and were reminded that at the end of the day, we all want the same things and love a good laugh together.
We were so excited to have a cooking demonstration, then we did our famous "eating" demonstration. What can I say, we ate well the whole trip.
Harem Pavilion Pool at Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa
Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa, the summer palace of Bukhara's last emir, blends Russian and traditional Uzbek styles in a way found nowhere else in the country. The harem pavilion's long reflecting pool was where the emir's wives and concubines once bathed, said to have been watched from a nearby tower as he chose his companion for the evening. Today the still water simply mirrors the pavilion's white columns and carved arches, a peaceful, almost dreamlike corner of the complex.
Suzani Tapestry
Suzani textiles are among Uzbekistan's most iconic handicrafts, hand-embroidered by generations of women as part of a bride's dowry. The word comes from the Persian for "needle," and each piece is stitched with bold floral and sun-medallion motifs believed to bring protection, fertility, and good fortune to the home. I couldn't resist bringing one back myself, and it now hangs in my own living room as a colorful reminder of Uzbekistan's rich textile tradition.
