Throughout this wonderful first trip in Uzbekistan, I have had many memorable encounters with the locals. For most of the times, they approached us for photographs and we would begin a conversation. It was through them that I gathered the perspectives that Uzbeks hold close to their hearts. Our conversations with the hiking guide Mr. S, who took us through the peaks of the Nuratau ranges, would forever remain dear in my heart.

This encounter in a local bazaar in Bukhara is of quite a different nature from our sobering chats with Mr. S. It was by far the most jovial and comical haggling that we did in Uzbekistan. I came away with a humorous memory of the kindness that the three young men shared with us on that sunny, final afternoon in Bukhara.

Right outside of the Chashma Ayub Mausoleum, there is an exit that leads to the Markazi Bazaar. For all purposes and intentions, this market serves mostly the daily grocery needs of the locals. We were not particularly looking for anything this late afternoon.

What drew us to the bazaar was the myriad colors and fragrances of the spices at the spice shops there. We stopped to look, then began conversations with the shop owner, then one thing led to another… and… we bought spices, and a whole lot of them too.

From the most basic cumin to saffron, the royalty of all spices, this spice shop is the haven for epicureans and serious students of Uzbek cuisine. Three young men were there at the store, and they received us with incredible hospitality.

The fun part of this encounter was the fact that we spoke no Uzbek and they spoke very little English. We communicated by busting out all the little words that we knew in each others’ languages. The shop owner had a pretty good idea of the spices’ English names. The device that we used to communicate was actually not the Google Translate app on our phones, but the calculator to display the prices of the spices. The rest was about hand signs and a keen sense of observation by all parties involved to get the meaning of what we wanted to convey.

Take, for example, the many kinds of cumin on display. I pointed and said “plov?” and the shop owner immediately understood that I wanted to make plov. He then proceeded to show me how to make plov in Uzbek. Besides the cumin, I also bought the special Uzbek raisins with which they make the plov.

I pointed at another pile of cumin, and he said, Afghanistan—Afghanistan! Then he moved his hand across his neck in a head-slitting gesture. I responded by pointing at a star anise and said China! China! Then I gestured a head-slitting sign and we all laughed. My friend thought I was being such a fool.

I then said shashlik, and he pointed at a pile of bright red spices. Before we even said we would buy, he was scooping up quite a large pile of different kinds of spices across the full spectrum on display. The scooping was itself amazing theatrics. He did not have to think twice about the recipe. He used a ladle with a long handle, and swept through a whole collection of the spices held in large buckets.

Soon enough, the other two young men were hand-pounding the larger pieces of the spices, including cinnamon and star anises. We learned that their grinding machines were not working that day, so the young men had to crush the spices by hand. We were then presented with the spices for shashlik, a combination of many, many different kinds of spices.

I tend not to buy any souvenirs when I go on traveling. The writing on this blog and the photographs that I take are the memories that I share with my family and friends. For Uzbekistan, I had been contemplating the replication of some Uzbek foods as “souvenirs” for my family. This spice shop fulfilled all my needs in this initiative. At the end, my friend and I each spent about US $20 to $30 on the spices.

Amongst the many items I bought, there was cardamom and saffron for me to replicate the spiced tea that I had at the Silkroad Teahouse. Like the Silkroad Teahouse, this spice shop at Markazi Bazzar is worth a stop just for the aroma. We were having such a party that the shop owners at the other shops looked on at us with big smiles.

It was time for us to move on.

After we bought all the Uzbek spices that we wanted, the rest of the day was about killing quite a bit of time before we headed on the train to depart past midnight. We had a scrumptious dinner before our trip to the next destination, which is Muynak.

A night of thunderstorm and rain has restored Bukhara’s muffled air of the previous day into crisp, clean breezes. The morning sunlight greeted us and we enjoyed the blessing of generous good weather for this last full day in Bukhara.

The day would be packed with a lot of sightseeing. We were first to visit the animal market, then to the Bolo Hauz, Chor Minor, the Sitorai Mokhi Khosa, the Ismail Samani Mausoleum, and finally a local spice shop, where I gathered all the ingredients necessary for my replication of the plov and the shaslik back home in Hong Kong.

We tried to go to the Animal Market twice, on both Friday and Saturday, but failed to find it both times. It was supposed to be where trades of large animals take place with on-site slaughtering, and properly considered it offers tourists an experience of the dins of a local butcher and trade market. We were told that it would open, really, on Sunday, which would be the day after the two days that we visited. However, we would be leaving Bukhara by train on that very evening.

Failing the Animal Market, we wanted to head back to the hotel. When we passed by the Bolo Hauz Mosque, which lies right across from the West Gate of the Ark, we decided to get off.

The Bolo Hauz Mosque

The Bolo Hauz Mosque is absolutely beautiful. As I have noted in a previous entry, it comes with unique architectural features that resemble the Djome Mosque at the Ark. Under the gentle sunlight of Bukhara at 8am in the morning, the Bolo Hauz Mosque revealed itself in a kind of peaceful glow – standing grand and assured of its historic and religious significance.

There were some early bird tourists on that day and they were Uzbeks. Some women came to pray and worship.

We spent a lot of time just admiring the mosque from different angles. Its stately image was fully mirrored by the pond before it, and we absorbed this view in awe. Indeed, the pond, which gives this mosque its name (a “Hauz” refers to a reservoir of water, as in the Lyab-I Hauz, and “Bolo Hauz” means “near the pond”), seems to have buried the unfortunate history of this mosque and of this part of Bukhara under the early Soviet rule.

About the Bolo Hauz Mosque

The Bolo Hauz Mosque was built in 1712. This was where the Emir would head over from the Ark on a red-carpet-laid path on every Friday for his Friday prayers. Its resemblance to the Djome Mosque at the Ark is certainly no accident, as these two structures were indeed contemporaneous with each other.

The Bolo Hauz Mosque was the only historic structure that survived the onslaught of the early Soviet rule in this part of Bukhara. All other historic structures in this area of town were destroyed in the early 20^th century. During the Soviet rule, the Bolo Hauz Mosque was a working men’s club.

Architectural Features of the Bolo Hauz Mosque

The most eye-catching aspects of the Bolo Hauz Mosque are the super tall, and seemingly thin pillars that support its enormous and decorated high wooden eaves. Sophie Ibbotson says that those “12m-high pillars, 20 in all, that support the aivan are so slim that they look like super-sized chopsticks” and I agree with her completely. They are “made from elm, poplar and walnut wood.” (Sophie Ibbotson).

Indeed, it is unusual to see Uzbek religious structures featuring an iwan with such elaborate use of wood besides the use of bricks in building its vaults.

The 20 pillars show varying sets of patterns in their carved adornment at the bottom, and also varying stalactites at the top parts that support the eaves.

The central piece of the wooden façade shows a beautiful double arch (like that of the McDonald’s). The carved cornices come with an elaboration of intricate colors and patterns, showing exceptional craftsmanship in both its original construction and the restoration.

There is also a minaret right by the Bolo Hauz Mosque, completing the whole layout for a religious structure in Uzbekistan.

The Chor Minor

The day was getting hot progressively and so we decided to head over to the Chor Minor for our next sightseeing.

About the Chor Minor

The Chor Minor is certainly a must-see site as it is the only historic structure in Uzbekistan that features four towers. Note however that these four towers are not the same as minarets, although the name Chor Minor means “four minarets.” They were not intended or used for the muezzin’s call to prayers.

According to Sophie Ibbotson, the Chor Minor may have been inspired by the Char Minar Mosque in Hydrabad in India. The patron of Chor Minor, Turkman merchant Khalif Niyazkul, may have wanted the four towers to represent his four daughters.

In terms of architecture, the four towers come with domes that are in the turquoise color typical of Uzbek historic structures. The Chor Minor was the gatehouse to a madrassa that no longer exists.

There is access to the roof, which will allow interesting views of the four towers.

Finally, the souvenir shop across from the Chor Minor deserved a quick tour around. All sorts of pdds and ends are displayed there and it was cool to look over them.

We headed back to the Old Town for lunch, and ate at the Labi Hovuz by the Lyab-I Hauz pond. Our Lachman was truly wonderful for lunch.

We then taxied to the Sitorai Mokhi Khosa to see some Russian styled architecture at the last Bukhara Emir’s summer palace.

Sources

Sophie Ibbotson, Uzbekistan, Bradt Travel Guide (2020).

Calum Macleod, Uzbekistan: the Golden Road to Samarkand (2014).

The sandstorm cleared up a bit but we still wanted to save the touring for another brighter day. In the afternoon we decided to visit a teahouse in Bukhara.

It seemed to us that the Silkroad Teahouse, which is on the way to the Kalon Mosque ensemble, is a very popular choice locally and for tourists. On this gloomy afternoon the teahouse was quite full. A few of the tables were reserved but we could get a table for two luckily.

We came into an ambience brimming with Central Asian vibes. At first glance of the venue there is certainly a kind of peace. Uzbek-woven tapestries line the supremely tall brick walls. The wooden tables were very spacious and comfortable.

Tea drinkers hover their heads over a steamy cup of tea, enjoying the sensory pleasures of a spicy, tangy potion that comes with a distinctly Central Asian character. Yet one can also sense the resonation of a steady energy in this space, as the roof openings let in whatever sunshine there was in this gloomy day. There were the sounds of hushed chit chats humming in the air. At that point I knew that we found the right place for a late afternoon respite.

The Silkroad Teahouse

Many of the teahouses in Bukhara are family-run businesses and the Silkroad Teahouse is no different. The owners of Silk Road Spices claim to have been in business since 1400, and they also run the Silkroad Teahouse.

Tea drinking has had a long history in Bukhara, and it is said that coffee is finally making its way into the café culture there. The Silkroad Teahouse has embraced this trend. It offers Turkish coffee with cardamom, which really is an Uzbek take on coffee.

For me, when it comes down to tea or coffee, I almost always opt for coffee. But on this day I was ready to savor one of the most cherished tradition in Bukhara, so I chose the cardamom and saffron tea.

Ordering at the Silkroad Teahouse

All of the items for order at the Silkroad Teahouse come in a set. Each tea set costs 500,000 SOM. There is unlimited refill of hot water for your big tea pot. There are the regular teas such as black tea, mint tea and green tea.

I was quite prepared to broaden my tea drinking horizon and so I chose the cardamom and saffron tea. The selection of spiced tea certainly is a novelty for a non-local like myself.

On the side is a full platter of delightful sweets. I particularly liked the sesame collection, which is something that I am familiar with. The sesame treats did taste like what I have back home in Hong Kong. Their Silkroad Confection, which is the unique menu item at the Silkroad Teahouse, was not really my cup of tea. I find them to be too sweet for my liking. Finally, there is also a plate of walnuts with raisins and I liked the nuttiness that went very well with the pungency of the spiced tea.

In fact, I liked my cardamom and saffron tea so much that I bought these ingredients at the spice shop in a very local bazaar in Bukhara the next day. Although the Silkroad Teahouse does feature these same ingredients with which they make their tea, and they are for sale, I had a feeling that the price there would have been a little expensive, but of course, I did not fact check on that.

My friend and I each minded our own business as we sipped our tea, having our moments of solitude together. I might have had about two refills of hot water.

It is said that the Silkroad Teahouse is “worth a visit for the aroma alone,” (TourCentralAsia) and I must say I fully concur with this statement.

Sources

Sophie Ibbotson, Uzbekistan, Bradt Travel Guide (2020) at 231.

TourCentralAsia, Spiced Tea And Sweets At Bukhara’s Silk Road Tea House.