I visited this WHS in June 2017 and spent 4 nights here. Like Samarkand, to me it is one of the top WHS on the list and certainly Uzbekistan most lively WHS. Unlike Samarkand, the medieval atmosphere is still alive and if you wake up just after sunrise and wander through the residential areas or market area you will notice that not much has changed. I really enjoyed watching the local children meet up just after sunset in front of the active Miri Arab Madrasah (photo) to play football beneath the Kalyan minaret.

The restoration works were much better than Samarkand and much of the historic centre has been preserved (not only single sites or monuments). In Samarkand, I wasn't able to find one single mention of UNESCO anywhere. Here every inscribed building (as well as those on the tentative list!) have a plaque and then there is a bronze plaque with the inscription certificate engraved just in front of the Hoja Nasruddin statue.

During one of the days I visited, on the last day of Ramadan, many Muslims came from all over the province for the community Iftar, the evening meal when Muslims end their daily Ramadan fast at sunset. The Kalyan mosque was full of people eating and celebrating during that evening but apart from that time, in Summer locals seem only to go out early in the morning to buy local produce at the market and after sunset.

Another highlight during my visit were the local hammams or bathhouses, some of which are still in use. The evening when the iftar took place, an elderly woman was cleaning the women's only hammam just behind the Kalyan mosque and while convincing my partner to come the following day, she let me in to take photos. The architecture is very similar to the bathhouse in Khoja Ahmed Yasawi in Kazakhstan and it's incredible that such a place was still being used till nowadays.

The best panoramic viewpoints (for sunset) are either at the terrace bar in front of the Kalyan minaret where they serve excellent tea or else from on top of the Ark citadel wall remains (by paying around 5 euros to the guards an hour or so before sunset). The latter view is my favourite and I was very lucky to find a local master who painted that same view on canvas. I can enjoy this same view and remember my stay in Bukhara every night before I go to sleep, as the painting is hanging in my bedroom. There are some talented artists in Bukhara and if you plan to buy any souvenirs, do so at one of the domed bazaars: Togi Telpak Furushon, Sarrofon or Zargaron.

The most iconic building is perhaps the Chor Minor, a unique madrasah possibly built to resemble the Char Minor Mosque in Hyderabad, India. Best time to visit is in the afternoon and it is also possible to climb near the dome just beneath the 'four minarets'. All tourists and many locals, enjoy their evenings near the Khanaka and Madrash of Nadir Divan Beghi (the one with the pond with wooden miniature Bukhara monuments floating on it - the place is known as Lyabi-Hauz). I really loved the beautiful Semurgs (legendary birds of happiness) which adorn its entrance arch.

Bukhara is now connected to Samarkand and Tashkent with the Afrosiyob fast train and soon it will also be connected to Khiva. All three WHS are very special for different reasons and it would be a pity to just visit as day trips. The more time you spend here, the more you can explore at leisure and revisit at different times of the day. The food is delicious too so you'll be able to try the different plovs and local dishes!