Bukhara 86807 225268197 2008-07-12T20:10:10Z SmackBot 433328 Date the maintenance tags or general fixes {{otheruses}} {{Infobox Settlement |official_name = Bukhara |native_name =Buxoro |image_skyline = bukhara03.jpg |imagesize = 250px |image_caption = Mir-i Arab madrasah |image_flag = |image_seal = |image_map = |map_caption = |pushpin_map = Uzbekistan |pushpin_label_position =bottom |pushpin_mapsize = 300 |pushpin_map_caption =Location in Uzbekistan |subdivision_type = [[Countries of the world|Country]] |subdivision_type1 = [[Provinces of Uzbekistan|Province]] |subdivision_name =‎ {{flag|Uzbekistan}} |subdivision_name1 = [[Bukhara Province]] |subdivision_type2 = |subdivision_name2 = |established_title = |established_date = |government_type = |leader_title = |leader_name = |area_magnitude = |area_total_sq_mi = |area_total_km2 = |area_land_sq_mi = |area_land_km2 = |area_urban_sq_mi = |area_urban_km2 = |area_metro_km2 = |area_metro_sq_mi = |population_as_of=1999 |population_footnotes = |population_total = 237,900 |population_urban = |population_metro = |population_density_sq_mi = |population_density_km2 = |timezone = |utc_offset = |timezone_DST = |utc_offset_DST = |latd=39|latm=46|lats=|latNS=N |longd=64|longm=26|longs=|longEW=E |elevation_footnotes= |elevation_m = |elevation_ft = |postal_code_type = |postal_code = |area_code = |website = |footnotes = }} '''Bukhara''' ({{lang-uz|Buxoro}}, {{lang-tg|Бухоро}}, {{lang-fa|بُخارا}}, {{lang-ru|Бухара}}), also spelled as ''Bukhoro'' and ''Bokhara'', from the [[Soghdian]] ''βuxārak'' ("lucky place"), is the [[capital]] of the [[Bukhara Province]] ([[viloyat]]) of [[Uzbekistan]]. The nation's fifth-largest city, it has a population of 237,900 (1999 census estimate). The region around Bukhara has been inhabited for at least five millennia and the city itself has existed for half that time. Located on the [[Silk Road]], the city has long been a center of trade, scholarship, culture, and religion. ==Names== Bukhara was also known as '''Bokhara''' in 19th and early 20th century English publications and ''Buhe/Puhe''(捕喝) in Tang Chinese.<ref name="umid">{{cite web| url=http://www.umid.uz/Main/Uzbekistan/General_Info/general_info.html| title=General Info| author="UMID" Foundation, Uzbekistan| accessdate=2007-10-04}}</ref> ==History== Bukhara has been one of the main centres of Turkic civilization during its history. Its architecture and archaeological sites form one of the pillars of the Central Asian history and art. The region of Bukhara was for a long period a part of the [[Persian Empire]]. The origin of its inhabitants goes back to the period of [[Aryan]] immigration into the region. Iranian [[Sogdiana|Soghdians]] inhabited the area and some centuries later the Persian language became dominant among them. [[Encyclopedia Iranica]] mentions that the name Bukhara is possibly derived from the [[Soghdiana|Soghdian]] ''βuxārak''.<ref>Richard N Frye, [http://www.iranica.com/newsite/articles/v4f5/v4f5a028.html 'Bukhara i. In pre-Islamic times'], [[Encyclopedia Iranica]], 512.</ref> Another possible source of the name Bukhara may be from "a Turkic ([[Uighur]]) transfer of the [[Sanskrit]] word '[[Vihara]]'"<ref>Shamsiddin Kamoliddin, [http://www.transoxiana.org/12/kamoliddin-buxara.php 'On the origin of the place-name Buxārā'], ''Transoxiana'' 12 (August 2007).</ref> (monastery), and may be linked to the pre-Islamic presence of [[Buddhism]] (especially strong at the time of the [[Kushan Empire]]) originating from the Indian sub-continent, and to the presence of some Turkish rulers in the 6th Century. The last emir of Bukhara was [[Alim Khan|Muhammad Alim Khan]] (1880-1944). The [[Trans-Caspian railway]] was built through the city in the late 19th century. The historic center of Bukhara has been listed by [[UNESCO]] as one of the [[World Heritage Sites]]. It contains numerous [[mosque]]s and [[madrassa]]s. ===Origin in Legends=== According to the Iranian epic poem [[Shahnameh]], the city was founded by King [[Siavash]], son of Shah [[Kai Kavoos]], one of the mythical Iranian Shahs of the Pishdak (Pishdādian) Dynasty. As the legend goes Siāvash was accused by the [[Vizier]]s of seducing his mother. To test his innocence he underwent trial by fire. After emerging unscathed from amidst the flames, he crossed the Oxus River (now the [[Amu Darya]]) into [[Turan]]. The king of [[Samarkand]], King [[Afrasiab]], wed his daughter, Ferganiza ([[Persian language|Persian]]: فرنگيس ''[[Farangis]]''), to Siavash and further granted him a vassal kingdom in the Bukhara Oasis. There he built the Ark (Persian ''Arg'' for citadel), and the surrounding city. Some years later Siavash was again accused of seducing his father-in-law's wife. Afrasiab killed Siavash, and buried his head under the Haysellers Gate. In retaliation Shah Kai Kavoos attacked Turan, killed Afrasiab, and took his son and daughter-in-law back to Iran (Persia). [[Image:bukhara10.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Arq fortress panoramic]] ===Origin=== Officially the city was founded in 500 BC in the area now called the Arq. However, the Bukhara oasis had been inhabitated long before, since 3000 BC an advanced Bronze Age culture called the [[Sapalli Culture]] thrived at such sites as Varakhsha, Vardan, Paykend, and Ramitan. In 1500 BC a combination of factors; climatic drying, iron technology, and the arrival of Aryan nomads triggered a population shift to the oasis from outlying areas. Together both the Sapalli and Aryan people lived in villages along the shores of a dense lake and wetland area in the Zeravshan Fan (the [[Zeravshan River]] had ceased draining to the Oxus). By 1000 BC both groups had merged into a distinctive culture. Around 800 BC this new culture, called [[Sogdiana|Sogdian]], flourished in city-states along the Zeravshan Valley. By this time the lake had silted up and small three fortified settlements had been built. By 500 BC these settlements had grown together and were enclosed by a wall, thus Bukhara was born.{{Fact|date=July 2008}} ===Persian and Sassanid Empires=== [[Image:EucratidesStatere.jpg|thumb|200px|Gold 20-[[stater]] of the [[Greco-Bactrian]] king [[Eucratides]] (170-145 [[BC]]), the largest gold coin ever minted in Antiquity. The coin weighs 169.2 [[gram]]s, and has a diameter of 58 [[millimeter]]s. It was originally found in Bukhara, and later acquired by [[Napoleon III]]. [[Cabinet des Médailles]], [[Paris]].]] Bukhara entered history in 500 BC as vassal state in the Persian Empire. Later it passed into the hands of the [[Alexander the Great]], the Hellenistic [[Seleucid Empire]], the [[Greco-Bactrian]]s, and the [[Kushan Empire]]. During this time Bukhara functioned as a cult center for the worship of [[Anahita]], and her associated temple economy. Approximately once a lunar cycle, the inhabitants of the Zeravshan Fan exchanged their old idols of the goddess for new ones. The trade festival took place in front of the [[Mokh Temple]]. This festival was important in assuring the fertility of land on which all inhabitants of the delta depended. As a result of the trade festivals, Bukhara became a center of commerce. As trade accelerated along the [[silk road]] after the [[Han Dynasty]] pushed back the northern tribes to secure this key trading route,<ref>[http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=18006 C.Michael Hogan, ''Silk Road, North China'', Megalithic Portal, ed. Andy Burnham]</ref> the already prosperous city of Bukhara then became the logical choice for a market. The silk trade itself created a growth boom in the city which ended around 350 BC. After the fall of the [[Kushan Empire]], Bukhara passed into the hands of [[Uar|Hua]] tribes from [[Mongolia]] and entered a steep decline. Prior to the Arab invasion, Bukhara was a stronghold for followers of two persecuted religious movements within the theocratic [[Sassanids|Sassanian Empire]], [[Manicheanism]] and [[Assyrian Church of the East|Nestorian Christianity]].<ref>[http://www.oxuscom.com/Nestorian_Christianity_in_CA.pdf Mark Dickens, ''Nestorian Christianity in Central Asia'']</ref> When the Islamic armies arrived in 650 AD, they found a multiethnic, multireligious and decentralized collection of peoples; nevertheless, after a century many of the subjects of the Caliphate had not converted to Islam, but retained their previous religion.<ref>Josef W. Meri, ''Medieval Islamic Civilization: An Encyclopedia'', 2006, Taylor & Francis ISBN 0415966914</ref> The lack of any central power meant that while the Arabs could gain an easy victory in battle or raiding, they could never hold territory in Central Asia. In fact, Bukhara, along with other cities in the Sogdian federation, played the Caliphate against the Tang Empire. The Arabs did not truly conquer Bukhara until after the [[Battle of Talas]] in 751 AD. [[Islam]] became the dominant religion at this time and remains the dominant religion to the present day. ===Islamic era=== Many prominent people lived in Bukhara during the Islamic era. For a century after the Battle of Talas, Islam slowly took root in Bukhara. In 850 AD Bukhara became the capital of the [[Samanid|Samanid Empire]], which brought about a revival of Iranian language and culture after the period of Arab domination. During the golden age of the Samanids, Bukhara became the intellectual center of the Islamic world and therefore, at that time, of the world itself. Many illustrious scholars penned their treaties here. The most prominent Islamic scholar known as Imam [[al-Bukhari]], who gathered most authentic sayings (''[[hadiths]]'') of Prophet Muhammad was born in this city. The city was also a center of [[Sufism|Sufi Islam]], most notably the [[Naqshbandi|Naqshbandi Order]]. In 999 AD the Samanids were toppled by the [[Karakhanids|Karakhanid]] [[Uyghur people|Uyghurs]]. Later, Bukhara became part of the kingdom of [[Khwarezmian Empire|Khwarezm Shahs]], who incurred the wrath of the [[Mongols]] by killing their ambassador, and in 1220 the city was leveled by [[Genghis Khan]]. The city slowly recovered, and was part of first the [[Chagatai Khanate|Chaghatay Khanate]], then the [[Timurid Empire]]. It next became the capital of the [[Khanate of Bukhara]] and later the [[Emirate of Bukhara]], which lasted until 1920, though it was a Russian protectorate for much of this time. ===Bukhara – the center of enlightenment in the East=== {{Infobox World Heritage Site | WHS = Historic Centre of Bukhara | Image = [[Image:Bokhara1909.jpg|300px|Entrance to the Ark fortress.]] | State Party = {{UZB}} | Type = Cultural | Criteria = ii, iv, vi | ID = 602 | Region = [[List of World Heritage Sites in Asia and Australasia|Asia-Pacific]] | Year = 1993 | Session = 17th | Link = http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/602 }} Many prominent people lived in Bukhara in the past. Most famous of them are: [[Muhammad al-Bukhari|Muhammad Ibn Ismail Ibn Ibrahim Ibn al-Mughirah Ibn Bardiziyeh al-Bukhari]] (810-870); [[Abu Ali ibn Sina]] (980-1037) - physician and person of encyclopedic knowledge; [[Balyami]] and [[Narshakhi]] (10th century) - the outstanding historians; [[al-Utobi]] (11th century); [[Ismatallah Bukhari]] (1365-1426) - the illustrious poet; [[Mualan Abd al-Khakim]] (16th century) - the renowned physician; [[Karri Rakhmatallah Bukhari]] (died in 1893) - the specialist in study of literature; [[Mirza Abd al-Aziz Bukhari]] (the end the 18th century - the beginning of the 19th century) - the calligrapher. At the third decade of 16th century Bukhara became a capital of the [[Khanate of Bukhara|Bukhara khanate]], under the government of [[Shaybanid]] dynasty. The whole period when this dynasty was in power is about one century since the beginning of 16-th century. The Shaybanid carried out many reforms during this time. In particular they instituted a number of measures to better system of the public education. Each neighborhood - "mahalla" unit of local self-government - of Bukhara had a hedge-school. Prosperous families provided home education to their children. Children started elementary education from six years. After two years they could be taken to [[madrasah]]. The course of education in madrasah consisted of three steps in sevens years. Hence, whole course of education in madrasah lasted 21 years. The pupils studied theological sciences, arithmetic, jurisprudence, logic, music and poetry. Such way of education had a positive influence upon development and wide circulation of the Persian and Uzbek languages, and also on development of literature, science, art and skills. To that period of Bukhara history belong the new books on history and geography - such as "Haft iqlīm" - "Seven Climates" by [[Amin Razi|Amin Akhmed Razi]], a native of [[Iran]]. Bukhara of 16-th century was the centre of attraction for skilled craftsman of calligraphy and miniature-paintings, such experts were [[Sultan Ah Maskhadi]], [[Makhmud ibn Iskhak ash-Shakhibi]], the theoretician in calligraphy dervish [[Mukhammad Buklian]], [[Maulyan Makhmud Muzakhkhib]], [[Jelaleddin Yusuf]]. Among famous poets and theologians who worked in Bukara of that time were [[Mushfiki]], [[Nizami Muamaya]], [[Muhammad Amin Zakhid]]. Maulan Abd-al Khakim was the most famous of many physicians who practiced in Bikhara and Khanate in 16-th century. At the time of government of [[Abd al-Aziz-khan]] (1533-1550) he established the library "having no equal" the world over. The prominent scholar [[Sultan Mirak Munshi]] worked there since 1540. The gifted calligrapher, [[Mir Abid Khusaini]], well-wielded mast-a liq and raikham handwritings, who was also brilliant miniature-painter and master of encrustation was the librarian (kitabdar) of Bukhara library. This information is contained in the anthology "Muzakhir al-Akhbab" of [[Khasan Nisari]]. In 19th century, Bukhara still played a significant part in regional cultural and religious life, as [[Demezon]] testified in 1833-34. He wrote, "The madrasahs in Bukhara are famed throughout Turkestan. Students come here from [[Khiva]], [[Kokand]], [[Gissar]] and even from Samarkand and also from many Tatar regions ... There are about 60 madrasahs in Bukhara that are more or less successful." ===Russian Revolution=== [[Image:Prokudin-Gorskii-19.jpg|thumb|left|200px|[[Alim Khan]] (1880-1944), last emir of Bukhara, deposed in 1920]] Bukhara entered the modern period as a colonial acquisition of the Russian Empire. It became a chess piece in the "[[Great Game]]" between Russia and Britain. The [[Bukharan People's Soviet Republic]] existed from [[1920]] to [[1925]]. Then city was integrated into the [[Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic]]. ==Major sights== ===Po-i Kalyan Complex'''=== [[Image:bukhara01.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The Kalyan minaret]] The title '''Po-i-Kalyan''' (also '''Poi Kalyan'''), which means "The foot of the Great", belongs to the architectural complex located at the foot of the great [[minaret]] Kalyan. * '''[[Kalyan minaret]]'''. The minaret made in the form of a circular-pillar brick tower, narrowing upwards, of 9 meters (29.53 feet) diameter at the bottom, 6 meters (19.69 feet) overhead and 45.6 meters (149.61 feet) high. * '''Kalyan Mosque''' (Maedjid-i kalyan), arguably completed in 1514, is equal with [[Bibi-Khanym Mosque]] in Samarkand in size. Although they are of the same type of building, they are absolutely different in terms of art of building. * '''Mir-i Arab Madrassah'''. There is little known about the Mir-i Arab Madrasah origin. The construction of Mir-i-Arab Madrasah is ascribed to Sheikh Abdullah Yamani of Yemen, the spiritual mentor of early [[Muhammad Shaybani|Shaybanids]]. He was in charge of donations of UbaidUllah-khan (gov. 1533-1539), devoted to construction of madrasah. [[Image:bukhara14.jpg|thumb|left|200px|[[Samanids]] mausoleum (between 892 and 943)]] ===Ismail Samani mausoleum=== The [[Samanid mausoleum|Ismail Samani mausoleum]] (9th-10th century), one of the most esteemed sights of [[Central Asia]]n architecture, was built in the 9th century (between 892 and 943) as the resting-place of [[Ismail Samani]] - the founder of the [[Samanid dynasty]], the last [[Persia]]n dynasty to rule in Central Asia, which held the city in the 9th and 10th centuries. Although in the first instance the Samanids were Governors of [[Khorasan]] and ''Ma wara'u'n-nahr'' under the suzerainty of the [[Abbasid Caliphate]], the dynasty soon established virtual independence from [[Baghdad]]. ===Chashma-Ayub=== Chashma-Ayub is located near the Samani mausoleum. Its name means ''[[Job (Biblical figure)|Job]]'s well'' due to the legend according to which Job (Ayub) visited this place and made a well by the blow of 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 Khwarezm-style conical dome uncommon in Bukhara. ===Lyab-i Hauz=== [[Image:Nadir Madrasah Phoenix.JPG|thumb|right|200px|Phoenix on the portal of Nadir Divan-Beghi madrasah (part of Lyab-i Hauz complex)]] The '''[[Lyab-i Hauz]]''' (or '''[[Lyab-i Khauz]]''') '''Ensemble (1568-1622)''' is the name of the area surrounding one of the few remaining ''hauz'' (ponds) in the city of Bukhara. Until the [[Soviet]] period there were many such ponds, which were the city's principal source of water, but they were notorious for spreading disease and were mostly filled in during the 1920s and 1930s. The Lyab-i Hauz survived because it is the centrepiece of a magnificent architectural ensemble, created during the 16th and 17th centuries, which has not been significantly changed since. The Lyab-i Hauz ensemble, surrounding the pond on three sides, consists of the Kukeldash Madrasah<ref name="pagetour1">{{cite web| url=http://www.pagetour.narod.ru/bukhara/bu/Kukeldash.htm| title=Kukeldash Madrasah| author=Dmitriy Page, Pagetour.narod.ru| accessdate=2007-10-04}}</ref> (1568-1569), the largest in the city (on the north side of the pont), and of two religious edifices built by [[Nadir Divan-Beghi]]: a [[khanqah|khanaka]]<ref name="pagetour2">{{cite web| url=http://www.pagetour.narod.ru/bukhara/bu/Khanaka.htm| title=Nadir Divan-Begi Khanaka| author=Dmitriy Page, Pagetour.narod.ru| accessdate=2007-10-04}}</ref> (1620), or lodging-house for itinerant [[Sufis]], and a [[madrasah]]<ref name="pagetour3">{{cite web| url=http://www.pagetour.narod.ru/bukhara/bu/Nadir_Divan_Begi.htm| title=Nadir Divan-Begi Madrasah| author=Dmitriy Page, Pagetour.narod.ru| accessdate=2007-10-04}}</ref> (1622) that stand on the west and east sides of the pond respectively. [[Image:Bukhara StreetMap2.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Bukhara Old City: street map with historical monuments]] ==Transportation== [[Bukhara Airport]] ==Demographics== Bukhara (along with [[Samarkand]]) is one of the two major centres of Uzbekistan's [[Tajik people|Tajik]] minority. Bukhara was also home to the [[Bukharian Jews]], whose ancestors settled in the city during Roman times. Most Bukharian Jews left Bukhara between 1925 and 2000. ==Bukhara in poetry and literature== Being a cultural magnet, Bukhara has long appeared in much local and [[Persian literature]]. Many examples can be sought. ای بخارا شاد باش و دیر زی<br> Oh Bukhara! Be joyous and live long!<br> شاه زی تو میهمان آید همی<br> Your King comes to you in ceremony.<br> ''---[[Rudaki]]'' [[Dehkhoda]] defines the name Bukhara itself as meaning "full of knowledge", referring to the fact that in antiquity, Bukhara was a scientific and scholarship powerhouse. [[Rumi]] verifies this when he praises the city as such: آن بخارا معدن دانش بود<br> "Bukhara was a mine of knowledge,<br> پس بخاراییست هرک آنش بود<br> Of Bukhara is he who possesses knowledge." ==Notable people born or lived in Bukhara== *[[Baha-ud-Din Naqshband Bukhari]] *[[Ibn Sina]] *[[Zamakhshari]] *[[Bukhari]] *[[Kiromi Bukhoroi]] *[[An Lushan]] *[[Oksana Chusovitina]] *[[Hazrat Jalaluddin Surkh-Posh Bukhari|Hazrat Syed Jalaluddin Surkh-Posh Bukhari]] ==Sister cities== These cities were major cities of [[Greater Khorasan]]: *{{flagicon|Afghanistan}} [[Balkh]], [[Afghanistan]] *{{flagicon|Turkmenistan}} [[Merv]], [[Turkmenistan]] *{{flagicon|Iran}} [[Neyshabur]], [[Iran]] *{{flagicon|Uzbekistan}} [[Samarqand]], [[Uzbekistan]] Other cities: *{{flagicon|Pakistan}} [[Lahore, Pakistan]] *{{flagicon|USA}} [[Santa Fe, New Mexico]], [[USA]] *{{flagicon|France}} [[Rueil-Malmaison]], [[France]] *{{flagicon|Spain}} [[Cordoba, Spain]] *{{flagicon|Turkey}} [[Malatya, Turkey]] ==References== {{reflist}} ==Further reading== * [[Moorcroft, William]] and [[Trebeck, George]]. 1841. Travels in the Himalayan Provinces of Hindustan and the Panjab; in Ladakh and Kashmir, in Peshawar, Kabul, Kunduz, and Bokhara... from 1819 to 1825, Vol. II. Reprint: New Delhi, Sagar Publications, 1971. * [http://www.bukhara.net/shoponline/books/default.html Books about Bukhara] ==External links== {{commonscat|Bukhara}} * [http://www.cambridge-centralasia.org/?page_id=10 Bukhara Project in Cambridge by Saxena] * [http://www.pagetour.org/article/Bukhara_center.htm Dmitriy Page. Bukhara - the center of enlightenment in the East] * [http://www.bukhara.net/bicc/ Bukhara Information & Culture Center] * [http://www.bukhara.net Bukhara Travel Guide] * [http://www.bukhara.net/bicc/gisvisa.shtml Uzbek Visa] * [http://bukhara-museum.narod.ru/ Bukhara museums] <!--==Views of Bukhara== {{cleanup-gallery}} <gallery> Image:Prokudin-Gorskii-16.jpg|Stork's Nest at the top of a palace wall, before 1915 Image:bukhara15.jpg|City gate Talipoch (photo 2003). Image:bukhara07.jpg|Chor Minor, the gatehouse to a now-disappeared madrasah Image:bukhara16.jpg|Trade dome Tagi Zargaron 16-th century (photo 2003). Image:bukhara02.jpg|Piscine for harem in palace (1912-1918) of Amir Sitorai Mokhi Khossa near Bukhara (photo 2003). Image:bukhara12.jpg|The Kalyan minaret (photo 2003). </gallery>--> {{coor title dm|39|46|N|64|26|E|region:UZ_type:city}} {{Iranian Architecture}} [[Category:Cities along the Silk Road]] [[Category:Cities, towns and villages in Uzbekistan]] [[Category:World Heritage Sites in Uzbekistan]] [[Category:Bukharan Jews|*]] [[Category:Aga Khan Award for Architecture winners]] [[Category:Cities in Central Asia]] [[Category:Settlements established in the 1st millennium BC]] [[Category:Historic Jewish communities]] <!-- The below are interlanguage links. --> [[ar:بخارى]] [[bg:Бухара]] [[ca:Bukharà]] [[cs:Buchara]] [[da:Bukhara]] [[de:Buchara]] [[es:Bujara]] [[eo:Bukaro]] [[fa:بخارا]] [[fr:Boukhara]] [[ko:부하라]] [[hi:बुखारा]] [[id:Bukhara]] [[it:Bukhara]] [[he:בוכרה]] [[ka:ბუხარა]] [[sw:Bukhara]] [[mr:बुखारा]] [[nl:Buchara (stad)]] [[ja:ブハラ]] [[no:Bukhara]] [[uz:Buxoro]] [[pl:Buchara]] [[pt:Bucara]] [[ro:Buhara]] [[ru:Бухара]] [[sr:Бухара]] [[fi:Buhara]] [[sv:Buchara]] [[tg:Бухоро]] [[tr:Buhara]] [[uk:Бухара]] [[zh:布哈拉]]