Day 6

• After breakfast, on your second day in Bukhara, you’ll explore some of the city’s lesser-known gems. You’ll visit Chor Minor, a curious monument with four towers which was once part of a madrasah, built by Khalif Niyaz-kul, a wealthy Bukhara resident of Turkmen origin in 1807. The monument is protected as a cultural heritage site and is also part of the Historic Center, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Then, you’ll head to the Bahoutdin Naqshband Architectural Complex on the outskirts of the city, an important pilgrimage site for Sufis, where the tomb of the founder of the Naqshbandi order, Bahaouddin Naqshbandi, is located. This is another 14th-century monument declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• You’ll stroll through the gardens surrounding the Summer Palace of the Bukhara emirs, Sitora-i Mokhi Khosa, a luxurious complex dating from the 19th century where the emirs used to escape the city’s heat. You’ll admire the mix of architectural styles, ranging from traditional Uzbek to European, reflecting the eclecticism of the last era of the emirs, and you’ll appreciate the beautiful peacocks that make the palace their home, just as they did during the emirs’ time. Here, you can also visit the interior of the palace and the on-site museum.
• You’ll take a break from exploration to have lunch.
• In the afternoon, 13 kilometers from Bukhara, you’ll visit the Chor-Bakr complex, a necropolis that houses the tomb of Abu-Bakr-Said (970-971 AD), one of the four descendants of the Prophet Muhammad. Certainly a place of great reverence for Muslims, the complex includes the necropolis of family tombs and enclosed courtyards with walls.
• You’ll end the day with dinner at a typical city restaurant, tasting local delicacies such as achik-chuchuk.