[2025 Bukhara Attraction] Travel Guide for Moschea Bolo-khauz (Updated Mar)

Bukhara is my favorite millennium-old city in Central Asia, and the one I explored the most in-depth, because I loved it so much that I visited twice, wandering around for half a month. 👉But if you only have one day, even if you're a special forces soldier, I still recommend checking out these essential landmark spots first, all within walking distance. 🏞Bolo Klaus Mosque～Ark Fortress～Kalin Mosque～Maghori Attari Mosque～Nadir Divan-Begi Madrasah 1⃣Bolo Klaus Mosque This royal temple's most eye-catching features are the wooden columned porch at the entrance and the pool in front, along with the exquisite frescoes. It's also very pleasant to sit outside the door and listen to the chanting. 🚖It's right next to the old town, a 10-minute walk from the center of the old town 2⃣Ark Fortress The most magnificent fortress in Bukhara, where you can overlook the entire city from the castle tower. Inside the fortress, there's a mosque and a museum. The ticket is a bit pricey, but it's still worth it. 🚖Just walk across the road from Bolo Klaus Mosque to get there 3⃣Kalin Mosque The 47-meter-high minaret outside the Kalin Mosque is a true symbol of the city. I recommend coming in the evening when the night view is even more beautiful. 🚖After coming out of the Ark Fortress, just cross the road to get there 4⃣Maghori Attari Mosque The oldest mosque in the whole city, located in the center of the old city of Bukhara, under a large area of ruins. The carvings on the entire building are exquisitely intricate, breathtaking. 🚖From Kalin Mosque, just walk through the commercial street to get there 5⃣Nadir Divan-Begi Madrasah This madrasah has now become a craft shop, but the statue of Nasreddin Hodja outside the madrasah is a must-photograph landmark, and there's almost always a queue. 🚖Turn left from the mosque ruins and walk to the end, it's on the left

Going to Uzbekistan, you can't miss these three World Heritage ancient cities - Samarkand, Khiva, and Bukhara. If Samarkand symbolizes the peak of Central Asian ancient architecture, and Khiva is the real version of One Thousand and One Nights, then Bukhara, with a history of 2,500 years, is much more low-key, still retaining the life of thousands of years. · Many people will say that the restored Samarkand is the Disneyland of Central Asia. Although it is extremely exquisite, the matching historical atmosphere is far away. Bukhara, also a gem of the Silk Road, is very restrained in restoration, without large-scale reconstruction, and the decoration of the building has not been repainted, only some preserved historical buildings have been converted into restaurants, hotels, still maintaining the state of the old city. · Although Bukhara has 140 historical buildings, the area for tourists to explore is not large, almost all concentrated in the old city area, if you add the Emir's Summer Palace in the suburbs, the arrangement of 2 days and 1 night is very suitable, below is my itinerary in Bukhara, you can refer to. · 🚸About the itinerary DAY1: Samarkand-Bukhara (Kalon Mosque→Ulugbek Medressa→Abdulaziz Khan Medressa→Divab-Beghi→Chor Minor Medressa→Nadir Divan-BegiMedressa) DAY2: Bukhara (Sitorai Mohi Hosa Palace→Ark of Bukhara→Bolo KhauzMosque)-Tashkent · 🚗About transportation The best way to visit Bukhara is Citywalk, most of the attractions are next to each other, the walking time is no more than 5 minutes, only Chor Minor Medressa is a bit far, but it's only 20 minutes to walk. Only the Emir's Summer Palace needs a taxi, but it's only a few kilometers, it's very convenient. For large transportation, Samarkand and Tashkent both have high-speed trains to Bukhara, but there are not many trains, so you need to buy tickets in advance during the peak season. There are also buses between cities, but it takes a long time, suitable for friends with plenty of time. · 🕌About attractions ✅Kalon Mosque: The landmark of Bukhara, especially the Kalon Minaret, is one of the few buildings in Uzbekistan before the Mongol period. But the mosque itself is not worth seeing, not worth buying a ticket to go in. ✅Ulugbek Medressa and Abdulaziz Khan Medressa: Two facing medressas, the former was built earlier, decorated simply, the latter's highlight is the colorful honeycomb-shaped arch on the door, representing the ancient architecture of Bukhara, there is a room in the medressa that requires a separate ticket, worth a visit, where you can see the complex original decoration and the mysterious figure under the decoration. ✅Chor Minor Medressa: The internet celebrity of Bukhara, the cover of the Central Asia edition of 'Lonely Planet', a medressa that doesn't look like a medressa. ✅Nadir Divan-BegiMedressa: Now a restaurant, the biggest highlight is the 'heretical' peacock, lamb and sun pattern on the front door. The statue of Afanti in front of the medressa is also the most checked-in place for Chinese people in Bukhara. ✅Sitorai Mohi Hosa Palace: The residence of the last Emir of Bukhara, and the only surviving palace of the Bukhara rule, a good medicine for treating aesthetic fatigue. ✅Ark of Bukhara: The west gate and attached castle of the Bukhara Khanate period, now transformed into a museum, although it looks big, there are not many places to visit. ✅Bolo KhauzMosque: The mosque is not big, but it has the highest carved wooden column in Uzbekistan and a super exquisite caisson.

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 20th century. During the Soviet rule, the Bolo Hauz Mosque was a working men’s club. 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). 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. There is also a minaret right by the Bolo Hauz Mosque, completing the whole layout for a religious structure in Uzbekistan. #uzbekistan #bukhara #emir #bolohauzmosque #历史古迹 #islamicarchitecture #mosque #islam #uzbekhistory #centralasia

In the 7th century, as Islam began to spread and flourish in Bukhara, thousands of mosques, madrasas, and other places of worship were built, making it a famous center of Islamic scholarship at the time. Now, the three must-see mosques are the ones that have been preserved👍🏻 👣They are: Char Minar Mosque - Bolo Haouz Mosque - Magok-i-Attari Mosque 1️⃣ Char Minar Mosque: Also known as the Char Minar Mosque, "Char Minar" means "four minarets" in Uzbek, and the four minarets also represent the four dynasties. Bukhara has a history of over 2,500 years. In the 9th-10th centuries, it was the capital of the Samanid dynasty, occupied by Genghis Khan in 1220, conquered by the Turkic Timur, the founder of the Timurid Empire, in 1370, and finally became the capital of Uzbekistan in the mid-16th century. 2️⃣ Bolo Haouz Mosque: The mosque was built in the 18th century, and its name, when transliterated, means "mosque on the pond." The most special feature of this mosque is the wooden columns on the front porch, which are stalactite-shaped and have horse-hoof-like bases, reflecting the influence of Iranian style to some extent. 3️⃣ Magok-i-Attari Mosque: It is said to be one of the earliest mosques of the Middle Ages, as its history can be traced back to the 9th century. In the 9th century, this place was once a Zoroastrian temple, which was converted into a mosque after Islamization. The original mosque was destroyed in a fire in 937 AD and remained in ruins for a long time. After reconstruction, it was smaller in scale, and what you see now is the original from the 12th century. 🚗Transportation: These three attractions in the old city of Bukhara are all within walking distance, making them ideal for a city walk. 💰Tickets: The first two mosques do not require tickets, but the Magok-i-Attari Mosque is now a street museum, and a separate fee is required to visit.

If you want to talk about the most special mosque in Bukhara, it must be the Bolo-Khauz Mosque. Although the Islamic ancient buildings in Uzbekistan are very beautiful, after a few days of continuous viewing, it is actually easy to get aesthetic fatigue. · When I came out of the Yak Castle, I was attracted by the Bolo-Khauz Mosque at first sight. Although it is not as huge as the Kalon Mosque, the exquisite details and different colors are indeed different from the other mosques I have seen before. · Bolo Hauz originally means above the cistern, so Bolo Hauz Mosque is the mosque above the pond. In front of this mosque built in 1718, there is indeed a reservoir now, but the water quality is a bit worrying, reflecting the green tone, but it still reflects the reflection of the temple, which is a rare sight in Central Asia. · The real special feature is the 20 huge wooden carved pillars at the entrance archway. You know, in Uzbekistan and even in Central Asia, wood is much more valuable than stone and bricks, let alone 20 such tall wooden pillars, which is as rare as the status of Phoebe in our country. · If you look closely at these wooden pillars, although they have been eroded by hundreds of years, the exquisite carvings are still shocking, especially the stalactite-shaped arches, which are carved in colors other than traditional blue, which is very pleasing to the eye. · What makes it impossible to move is the caisson, unlike the application of dragons in Chinese ancient buildings, the caisson in Uzbekistan is like the universe, looking up, it is star-like brilliance, rippling in the vastness. · 🏞️Name | Bolo-Khauz Mosque 🎫Ticket | Free ⛳Address | Bolo-Khauz Mosque, Bukhara, Bukhara Region, Uzbekistan