Content of Bukhara History

From the history of the city
Fortifications
The Ark citadel and Registan
Western Section of the modern city
The city and the epoch
Trade cross-roads
Kosh-Medresseh. A Dialogue of the epoch
Subterranean and other mosques
In the eastern part of the city
Suburban Ensembles
In the Bukhara Oasis

From the history of the city

Bukhara is one of the most ancient cities in Central Asia. Most of the monuments in this romantic Eastern city , which attracts tourists from all over the world, date back to the Middle Ages. Nevertheless, archaeological excavations conducted by the Uzbek Academy of Siences (expedition led by A.Mukhamedjanov) have revealed thick cultural layers, i.e. traces of ancient settlements in locations providing favourable conditions of life. It has been established as fact that Bukhara never changed its site but grew vertically. In archaeological cross sections of almost 20 metres thick there have been discovered the remnants of dwellings, public buildings, and fortifications. These have been dated in the basis of the artefacts associated with them: ceramic pottery, fireplaces, coins bearing images and inscriptions, jewellery, tools of artisan, i.e. everything that is associated with the activities and culture of human society. The lower layers (3d-4th centuries B.C. to the 4th century A.D.) of the period of antiquity are the thickest. The upper layers are those of the Mediaeval city (from the ninth to the beginning of the twentieth centuries). This means that Bukhara is at least 2,500 years old, just like Samarkand. True, the local inhabitants are firmly convinced that their city is 3,000 years old and insist on continuation of archaeological excavations. As in the past , the people of Bukhara are fanatical patriots. Ancient chronicles had this to say about the nature of the local inhabitants : " ...one of the features of this land is that the people tolerate no oppression and injustice resulting from encroachment by other countries."

Indeed, ancient manuscripts have brought down to us a history of Bukhara filled woth bloody cataclysms - wars, uprisings, sieges and massacres. A comment by Mahmoud ibn Vali : "The people of Maverannahr are prone to regard their land as superior to all other countries. In this respect they resort to exaggeration and often turn a quarrel into war."

In the ancient past, the Bukhara oasis formed part of Soghdiana, a vast region of Central Asia which had been conquered by Alexander of Macedon. After seizing Samarkand, Alexander spearheaded his legions deep into the Bukhara oasis.

The sixth and seventh centuries marked the development of feudal social relations in Soghdiana . This resulted in class inequality and exploitation and thus sparked off numerous uprisings. In the second half of the sixth century, a popular uprising in Bukhara led by Abrui was ruthlessly suppressed by the dikhkans - rich princes. This events laid the beginning of the early stages of feudalism in the Bukhara oasis. The new social system introduced a feudal hierarchy: the individual principalities were ruled by kings who enjoyed the support of the armed nobility, the merchants and the clergy (irrespective of religion). The process of town formation was very active and the ancient settlements surrounding Bukhara developed into the towns of Varakhsha, Vardanzi, Ramish (Ramitan), Kermine, Paikend. Archaeologists conducting excavations at Varakhsha have discovered an early feudal palace of the bukharakhudats displaying exquisite mural paintings in no way inferior to the famous murals of Pendjikent.

All these towns had more or less a similar structural pattern: the ark(citadel), the shakhristan - well-planned residential core, and a necropolis beyond the town limits where crypts were built to accommodate ceramic urns with the bones of the dead.

Bukhara of the early feudal period also followed this pattern of development. It sprawled over an area of 40 hectares. The rectangular shakhristan was cut into four sections by two crossing main streets which led to gates opening out on all four sides of the world. This traditional layout of lowland cities reflected the ancient world outlook principles of the East. It symbolized the structure of the Universe and reflected the cosmogonical concepts of the order of things in nature and society. In the north-western section of the city (considered to be a place of honour) rose the Ark - the palace fortress of the bukharakhudats . Beyond the walls of the Ark and the shakhristan sprawled the commercial and artisan suburbs - the rabid with its blocks of adobe-clay houses. The rabid was stimulated in its growth by the development of caravan trade : Bukhara was on the crossroads of ancient trade routes linking up China, Iran and India. AT the western gates of the citadel were the divans - the state offices, and the palaces of the nobility. At the eastern gates stood a Christian church.



Such was Bukhara at the time of its conquest by the Arab caliphate. Incursions , diplomatic talks , sieges and battles began as early as the year 673 A.D. In 708 Bukhara fell and became a province of the Arab caliphate. The conquerors demanded denunciationof existing religious beliefs in the region and imposed Islam. The temples of the fire worshippers (Zoroastrians) were made into mosques. In protest, something like 700 wealthy families of Bukharian merchants moved out of Bukhara and settled in keshks - fortified settlements since the invaders did not spread out to the rural areas.

There followed a gloomy period of feudal wars in the course of which Bukhara was razed to the ground time and again. The powerful anti-caliphate uprising of 769-793 A.D. led by Mukanna was centered on Narshakh. A fortress in the Bukhara oasis, which was engulfed in turmoil. In 783, the surviving rebels accepted Islam.

The country´s vassalages from the caliphate continued well into the ninth century, even after power in the region was taken over by Samanids. A local dynasty of rulers. The Samanids minted coins bearing the names of the ruling calphs and paid taxes to the caliphate treasury irrespective of their almost complete political and economic independence. At the turn f the century Bukhara developed into a major cultural and religious centres of the Islamic world. It became known as the "dome of Islam", although the city had been a focal point of numerous religions.

Indeed, the toponymy (geographical names) of Bukhara reflects the location of pre-Islamic temples of the Zoroastrians, idol worshippers, Christians, Manichaeists, and Buddhists. According to one version the name of the city is derived from "vihara", which means Buddhist monastery. Hafizi Tanish, a sixteenth-century annalist of Bukhara wrote: "...the word "Bukhara" is derived from "bukhar" which is the Zoroastrian name for "source of knowledge". It is also closely associated with the idol worshippers of Uighuria and China, where the temples housing idols are called "Bukhar" . The real name of the city was Lumdjikat. "

Even today Bukhara displays the layout contours of a Medieval city . The city streets clearly define the shakhristan , the historical core of Bukhara. There still remains the Ark citadel, blocks of residential buildings in downtown section which have been declared an architectural reserve. It is also possible to trace today the formerly international and local caravan routes which cut through the city walls. The city gates were named after the cities and notable places to which they led. As the city of Bukhara grew the walls were moved concentrically and new gates put up along the caravan route.