The Lyab-I Hauz Square is the gathering place for the people of Bukhara and even in our first night there we had a preliminary view of the jovial atmosphere there. Locals and tourists alike sit at all the restaurants at the Lyab-I Hauz Pool for snacks and drinks, in the midst of the century-old trees that surround them.

To non-Muslims the area is the perfect venue for a beer, especially in midst of the slightly cool April nights that followed the days of rising heat in late spring.

The Lyab-I Hauz Pool

In Persian, the word “hauz” means an artificial reservoir of water, and Lyab-I Hauz means “by the pond.” With a dimension of 42 x 36 meters and running 5 meters deep, the Lyab-I Hauz Pool was built around 1620 by the order of the Grand Vizier, Nadir Divan-Begi. He served in the court of the Ashtarkhanid dynasty, which was known for its city planning initiatives.

Even at its inception the pool was meant to be a gathering place for the Sufis (the mysticism school under Islam, and it thrived in Bukhara) to rest and meditate.

In the evening, after the muezzin has sounded from the minaret the call to prayer, the men of the city gather around the ponds, which are bordered by tall, silver poplars and magnificent black elms, to enjoy a period of ease and leisure. Carpets are spread, the ever burning chilim is passed from mouth to mouth, the samovar steams away, and lightfooted boys hand round the shallow bowls of green tea.  – Gustav Krist

The water of the pool is drawn from the Shah Rud, meaning “Royal Canal.” The aqueduct of the Shah Rud still exists by the pool today. The pool served the function of both reserving water and draining. It has remained the same throughout its history.

During the Soviet era, many of Bukhara’s “hauz’s” were drained because the Soviets thought of them to be the sites harboring diseases. Due to its historical significance, the Lyab-I Hauz was preserved by the Soviets. Most of Bukhara’s other ponds were filled.

Besides the pool, Lyab-I Hauz ensemble, consists also of the Kukeldash Madrassa (1568–1569) as the largest madrassa in the city, the Nadir Divan-Begi Madrasa and a Khanagha. The Khanagha is the lodging house for itinerant Sufis.

The Nadir Divan-Begi Madrassa

Perhaps the most notable feature of the Nadir Divan-Begi Madrassa is the pair of birds on its grand and beautiful front portal. Islamic architecture and art typically shun figurative representations of animals. There are very few other examples of this break with Islamic tradition, but, like the Sher Dor in Samarkand that features a pair of lions, in Bukhara’s Nadir Divan-Begi Madrassa simurgh birds also adorn the pishtaq. Indeed, this feature of the Nadir Divan-Begi Madrassa was built upon the similar artistic representation in Sher Dor.

The Nadir Divan-Begi Madrassa is contemporaneous with the Lyab-I Hauz pool.

The Jewish Old House of Bukhara

The Jewish Old house is located close to the Lyab-I Hauz Square, behind the Arch in what is called the Old Jewish Mahallah (neighborhood).

are not so many Jewish heritage sites remaining in Bukhara now, but two synagogues, the Jewish Old House (it is a petite museum) next door to it, are still the living testament to the once sprawling Jewish presence in Bukhara. There is also a Hebrew school in Bukhara, and a number of old, unrestored Jewish houses in the Mahallah.

The Mola Mani Synagogue

Legend has it that the Mola Mani Synagogue had an inseverable relationship with the Lyab-I Hauz ensemble. When Nadir Divan-Begi decided to use the land for the construction of the ensemble, a Jewish woman’s home stood on the land. Despite keen negotiations with the woman, Nadir Divan-Begi was not able to make a deal with her to move. The offer was “any kind of money to buy off your land.”

By a series of coercive actions, including the construction of the Shah Rud Canal that flooded the Jewish woman’s home, Nadir Divan-Begi finally managed to get the consent from the faithful Jewish woman to move. In exchange, she was given a plot of land next to the Lyab-I Hauz. She then built the Mola Mani Synagogue, now standing as No. 20, Sarrafon Street in Bukhara.

As such, the Old Jewish Mahallah in Bukhara was also contemporaneous with the Lyab-I Hauz.

The Old Jewish House is a UNESCO Heritage site. The somewhat dilapidated souvenir shop itself is the heritage. Despite the aging décor, you can still sense the grandeur that it was once meant to be.

The Jewish Story in Bukhara

The history of the Jews in Bukhara dates back to centuries, perhaps as far back as 5^th century, as they might have been exiles from Persian persecution. This root has manifested in the language and customs of the Bukharian Jews, as they speak Bukharian, or Bukhori, “a Jewish dialect of the Tajik language (in turn a variety of Persian) with linguistic elements of Hebrew.” (Wikipedia) In the middle ages, the Jews in Bukhara has developed their own community, and became the very heart of Jewish life in Central Asia. They traded with the Russian Empire.

“By the turn of the 20^th century, the Jewish community of Bukhara was the largest among a network of Jewish minorities” in Uzbekistan (World Monuments Fund). During the Holocaust years, the Jewish people fled Europe and some came to Bukhara for refuge. These were the historic factors that kept the Bukharian Jews a thriving community. The graves at the Jewish Cemetery in Bukhara count more than 10,000 Jewish burials.

In the second half of the 20^th century, the end of WWII, the establishment of the State of Israel, and the fall of the Soviet Union were the main events that caused a continuous exodus of Bukharian Jews. During the Soviet era, the Soviet Government had once relaxed emigration controls and that policy resulted in many Bukharian Jews moving abroad. When Uzbekistan became an independent state in 1991, there were fears of extremism of the Muslim population and that caused another wave of emigration. Many Bukharian Jews settled down abroad in Israel, and also in New York.

By now, there are certainly many more Bukharian Jews scattered all over the world, many more so than those still living in Bukhara. Many sources suggest that there are now fewer than two hundred, or maybe even less than one hundred, Jews still living in Bukhara.

The dwindling number of Bukharian Jews in Bukhara presents a problem that has both practical and philosophical consequences. In terms of daily life, the difficulty with too small a population is that the Jewish people cannot maintain the traditional requirements of their customs, including, and chiefly, kosher food. There are no longer any Jewish slaughters or bakeries in the city. In the Hebrew school, a majority of the students are no longer Jewish as well. This is a looming threat to the Jewish way of life in Bukhara.

As a matter of philosophical significance, the Bukharian Jews, with their own community history, musical traditions, special dialect, trades and crafts, is an ethnographic identity itself.  And it is on the verge of disappearing altogether.

Sources

Andrew Higgins, In Bukhara, 10,000 Jewish Graves but Just 150 Jews, The New York Times, April 7, 2018.

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

Uzbek-travel.com, Nadir Divan-begi Madrasah.

The Wikipedia on the Lyab-I Hauz.

Gustav Krist, Alone Through the Forbidden Land (1937) at 214.

World Monuments Fund, Traditional Houses in the Old Jewish Mahallah of Bukhara.

Jewishtraveler.co.il, Bukhara: A Timeless Oasis of History and Culture.

The Kalon ensemble of architecture is a key site to visit in Bukhara. In this part of Old Bukhara you will come across the Kalon Mosque, the Kalon Minar and the Mir-I Arab Madrassa.

The Sights and Smells of the Bukhara Marketplace

On our way we passed by a bazaar, but it was certainly touristy with posh price tags. The beautiful spice shop there displayed piles and piles of herbs in canvas sacks. The herbs exuded a mixed aroma of distinctly middle-eastern flavors.

The sensory experience is wildly tinkering, tantalizing one to the imagination of all sorts of pleasures. The first imagery is the mouth-watering platter of grilled shashlik heavily seasoned in the pungency of cumin. Then comes the association with the calming aroma of tea. Following is the imagery of a warm firelit night of indoor reading in a room teemed with spicy middle-eastern incense, the book in hand could very well have been the Arabian Nights.

The perfume stand similarly invited us to a continuous imagined association with all things Arabic, and I went through the marketplace with a sense of the surreal that I only experienced when I traveled.

If I could, I would pack sacks and sacks of herbs and spices home. As it turned out, we would be getting these spices as our souvenirs at a local spice shop next to the Samani Park. That was quite an experience itself. I will share about that in an upcoming entry.

And having passed the perfume stand, we soon came face to face with the beautiful Kalon group of structures and the Mir-I Arab Madrassa.

The Kalon (Kalyan) Mosque

Meaning the “Great Mosque,” Kalon Mosque was built in 1514 after the golden era of Amir Timur’s reign. Built on the former foundation of an 8^th century mosque, which was wholly destroyed when Genghis Khan raided Bukhara (more below on Genghis Khan), this mosque had grand visions for its religious role in Bukhara. It is the biggest mosque in Bukhara and can host over 10,000 worshippers during the Ramadan. When it was built, the city of Bukhara had about 10,000 males in its population.

Known also as the Juma Mosque (meaning “Friday Mosque”), the Kalon Mosque was the work of the Shaybanids.

There are a total of 208 columns, 288 domes and 28 arches in the courtyard. The sight is stately there. By this hour of the morning, the sun has blessed us with generous daylight. We savored the elegant views at the heart of sacredness in Bukhara. At the far end, the blue dome called Kok Gumbaz sits above an unusual octagonal structure “designed to improve the building’s acoustics, amplifying the voice of the imam as he speaks his Friday sermon.” (Bradt 238-239)

Finally, the inscription of the Kalon Mosque says, “Immortality belongs to God.”

During the Soviet times, the Kalon Mosque was used as a warehouse. It finally reopened to worshippers in 1991.

The Kalon (Kalyan) Minar

Meaning the “Great Minaret,” the Kalon Minar was built in 1127. At the time, it was thought to be the tallest free standing tower in the world. When Genghis Khan came in the early 13^th century, he was very impressed by the tower, spared it but destroyed everything else besides it and all else in Bukhara too. Over the centuries, earthquakes have destroyed some parts of the tower, especially in the top.

It is said that the Uzbeks used to throw prisoners tied in sacks from the top of this tower as punishment, and the practice continued for centuries. Access to the long stairs inside the tower is no longer allowed for common tourists.

The Mir-I Arab Madrassa

Mir Arab, meaning “Arab Emir,” was born in Yemen. He abandoned his throne when he was 22 years old, and turned to serious studies of science and education in Samarkand. He then met the emir of Bukhara, and became the mentor for many scientists in this city full of intellectual heritage.

Construction for the Mir-I Arab Madrassa began in 1530 and completed in 1536, but after Mir Arab has died. “With the exception of a 21 year period of closure from 1925-1946, the madrassa has remained fully functional, including throughout the Soviet period” (Bradt 239) and continuing to this day in fact. The 120 students here attend a demanding four-year program in Arabic and Qu’ranic studies, as the beginning of their journey to becoming imams. There are also general subjects for study. Over this long history of education provision, the Mir-I Arab Madrassa has trained both historic and contemporary Islamic scientists.

One special architectural structure of the Mir-I Arab Madrassa is the two blue domes, which is unique for madrassas. There is a mosque inside the school, as well as the burial for Mir Arab and his relatives.

Like the Registan of Samarkand, the Kalyon emsemble lights up for night viewing and photos.

A Word About Genghis Khan’s Mongol Conquest of Uzbekistan

The great Mongol warrior Genghis Khan established the Mongol Empire in 1206 and waged wars against countries that were perhaps a few steps away from being its immediate neighbors. The victorious campaigns resulted in an empire that spanned from the Pacific to Central Europe. The Mongol rule of Persia would persist into the 15^th century as the Timurid Empire, and the Mongol rule of India would last till the 19^th century as the Mughal Empire. In the 1271, the Mongols took over the rule of China by the proclamation of Genghis Khan’s grandson, Kubla Khan, who established the Yuan Dynasty.

As warriors the Mongols were fierce in battle and their conquests were known for causing great casualties to both the people and the cities. Uzbekistan can attest to the long trail of bloodshed that Genghis Khan has left. He has sacked the cities and blazed every heritage or religious site that came in his way. In Uzbekistan, wholesale massacres and plunders of cities occurred in Samarkand, Termez, Bukhara, Khiva and Gurganj. As a result of the atrocities of the Mongolian invasions, many heritage sites in these old cities were rebuilt in later centuries, some even as late as the 19th century.

A wholesale destruction of Islamic edifices may suggest that Genghis Khan is against Islam. Scholars have, however, noted that the Mongols that ended up ruling formerly Islam-observing nations were not inherently against Islam as a religion. Rather, at least before the Timurid’s conversion to Islam, the Mongols insisted on treating different religions even-handedly. As we all know, Amir Timur himself would become a Muslim ruler of Uzbekistan.

The Failed Food Ventures for the Day

For lunch we sat down at a café called Halva Book Café. Although the ambiance was excellent, our dining experience there was frustrating. I ordered a sandwich and my friend ordered a beef tongue salad. Both did not turn out that good and both took a very long time to arrive.

For dinner, we sat down for steak but despite explicit requests for medium rare, the meat came out nearly well done. My friend scolded me for insisting on eating steak in Uzbekistan.

Sources

Descriptions on site at the Mir-I Arab Madrassa.

The Wikipedia on Genghis Khan.

The Wikipedia on Mongol Invasions and Conquests.

Globalsecurity.org, Uzbekistan, the Mongol Period.

Peter Jackson, The Mongols and the Islamic World from Conquest to Conversion, Yale University Press, April 27, 2017.