Char Minar

Top choice in Bukhara

Photogenic little Char Minar, in a maze of alleys between Pushkin and Hoja Nurabad, bears more relation to Indian styles than to anything Bukharan. This was the gatehouse of a long-gone medressa built in 1807. The name means ‘Four Minarets’ in Tajik, although they aren’t strictly speaking minarets but rather decorative towers.

For 4000S it's possible to climb up onto the roof of the building and come face to face with the charming minarets. Souvenir stalls in front of the building sell some interesting Soviet memorabilia and B&W photographs of pre-Soviet Bukhara.

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