buchara

Buchara, the capital of the province with the same name, is one of Uzbekistan’s most important cities and one of the oldest cities in all of Middle Asia. The city of mosques and minarets celebrated an official 2500 year celebration in 1997; a Persian settlement here, dating back at least to the 4th or 5th century B.C. is archeologically proven. In its beginnings the city was an important center of the Persian empire, and countless Persian poets, learned men and nobles came from the surroundings of Buchara, a city for which praises are sung in many poems. Besides Samarkand and Xiva, this city played an important role in Central Asia’s history.