In the trifecta of great Uzbek Islamic silk road cities (Xiva, Bukhara, Samarkand), I think there are arguments for either city being the greatest. Samarkand is the biggest city and has the largest sites, but the historic sites are dispersed across a modern city. Xiva has a real old town, enclosed by historic walls, but doesn't have the one stellar site to shine. Bukhara's appeal is that it still has a charming old town feeling (but way less than Xiva) and undoubtedly plenty of stellar sites, most notably the square around Kalon minaret.

In the fall of 2022, I spent two nights in Bukhara and visited the old town on foot. The furthest west I got was the Talipach Gate. There were so many madrassahs, mosques, and mausoleums that it's hard to name one. Just take your time and wander the city open minded.

Getting There

When travelling in Uzbekistan, you can either visit Bukhara from the East (Xiva) or the West (Samarkand, Tashkent). Last option is to come from Turkmenistan (South), but as I understand it, border crossings are scarce and tourist entry and travel are highly restricted in Turkmenistan.

In Uzbekistan, there are trains and busses running between Xiva, Urgench, Bukhara, Samarkand and Tashkent. However, the distances are great and the normal trains slow. Between Bukhara, Samarkand and Tashkent there also bullet trains, but... these fill up quickly. And at least in Bukhara, the bullet train station is far away from the town centre, so add an hour or so just to get there.

Best option is to a) fly one leg (e.g. to Urgench or Nukus) and b) get a driver from Nukus/Xiva to Samarkand which also allows you to tick of all WHS plus the desert castles (T) along the way. A travel agency in Xiva arranged the drivers for me and it worked like a charm.

While You Are There

Around Bukhara are several silk road sites. I saw the Vobkent minaret, the Chasma i Ayub Khazira, and the Bahouddin Naqshband Architectural Complex, the latter one standing out. Note that the Chasma i Ayub is in Khazira, not the one in Bukhara proper. Also note that the Uzbek tentative list hasn't been updated, so several silk road sites are still listed as tentative sites.

If you travel by driver between Bukhara and Samarkand, it's easy to squeeze in Shahrisabz. Alternatively, you can follow the ancient silk road and tick off more components along the way. Between Bukhara and Xiva, the desert castles are a must visit.