Bukhara
written by wil6ka
on December 2nd, 2008
, 2 comments
(1 vote)
Now we are talking the real old school: When you talk about the United States or even Germany, we are talking about countries, which are as young as a child, who is starting to speak its first words. If we want to talk about adults and grandfather we will have to talk about the fabulous Uzbekistan and the city of Bukhara.
This ancient town is inhabited since an astonishing five millennia. It is one cornerstone of the Muslim world with amazing scholars and artist, who shaped the face on broad knowledge of Islam. And this was all due to the fact, that Bukhara is an essential part of the silk road.
But the nations and tribes, who were living and leaving Bukhara where most of the time never combined as a country. Only the Russians started a mere 80 years back to create political bodies in Central Asia, to establish specifics for languages and to create Administration. I was always fascinated by this mix of soviet structure and Islam culture. So a vision came reality, when I visited Uzbekistan last summer.
The very memory of Bukhara remained until this moment. Bukhara is small and has only about 250000 inhabitants, still making it one of the most important towns in the country. And it is still a secret tourist path, you barely see any of them. Within this small range there is a fantastic and well-preserved old city with incredible Medressas and Mosques. The Excitement for this architecture makes Islam touchable. You have to remember, that religious institution were the sole place of education and arts for many thousand years, this is so visible at every wall or tower. The predominant building at the main square is the Kalyan Minaret. A massive post, who served and serves as the announcement for prayers. Surrounded by the Kalyan Mosque and the Mir-i Arab Madrassah. All assembled in perfect harmony, mainly built in the 16th century and yet, remaining for all times. The people have changed, though. And this is good. A crossover from a glorious past and an optimistic future in a country of total transition. But this is another story.
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