Bukhara Region

Geography and nature

Bukhara Region lies in south-western Uzbekistan, bordering Turkmenistan, the Navoiy, Qashqadaryo and Xorazm regions and the Republic of Karakalpakstan. Official statistics put its area at 41,800 km² (2026), more than 90% of it covered by the sands of the Kyzylkum Desert. Only in the south, along the lower Zarafshan, do the irrigated oases of Gijduvan, Bukhara and Qorakoʻl spread out.

The climate is desert and sharply continental, with hot, dry summers and cold winters. Water is scarce: the main rivers are the Zarafshan and the Amu Darya, from which the Amu-Bukhara and Amu-Karakul pumped canals bring water to the oases. Lake Dengizkul in the south and the Jeyran ecocentre are havens for rare birds and desert animals.

History

For millennia the Bukhara oasis was a key link on the Great Silk Road. Ancient Paykend, Varakhsha and Vardanze bear witness to the pre-Islamic culture of Sogdia. In the 9th and 10th centuries Bukhara was the capital of the Samanid state and the greatest centre of learning in Central Asia; Ibn Sina (Avicenna) was born nearby, in Afshona.

From the 16th century Bukhara was the capital of the Bukhara Khanate and later the Emirate, ruled successively by the Shaybanids, Ashtarkhanids and Manghits. The emirate fell in 1920 and the Bukharan People's Soviet Republic was proclaimed. Bukhara Region was created on 15 January 1938, and in 1982 its northern and eastern districts were split off to form Navoiy Region.

What to see

The region's crown jewel is the Historic Centre of Bukhara, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1993: the Ark, the Po-i-Kalyan ensemble, Lyab-i Hauz, the Samanid Mausoleum, the trading domes and hundreds more monuments. Outside the city stands the emir's summer palace, Sitorai Mohi-Khosa.

In 2023 the Bahauddin Naqshband complex, the Chor-Bakr necropolis, the Vobkent Minaret and the ancient cities of Varakhsha, Paykend and Vardanze became part of the UNESCO site Silk Roads: Zarafshan-Karakum Corridor. Anyone interested in Sufism will enjoy the route linking the shrines of Bukhara's 'seven saints', from the Abdulkhaliq Gijduvani complex in Gijduvan to the Bahauddin Naqshband complex near Kogon.

The 'seven saints' pilgrimage

The Bukhara oasis holds a special place in the history of Sufism: in the 12th–14th centuries the Khwajagan order took shape here, later growing into the world-famous Naqshbandi order. The seven masters of the Khwajagan chain — Abdulkhaliq Gijduvani, Arif Revgari, Mahmud Anjir Faghnawi, Ali Romitani, Muhammad Baba Samasi, Sayyid Amir Kulol and Bahauddin Naqshband — are buried in different districts of the region.

Their graves lie in Gijduvan, Shofirkon, Vobkent, Romitan and Kogon districts, so the custom of visiting the 'seven saints' in turn makes a route across the region. These are living shrines visited by Muslims from Uzbekistan and abroad, so dress and behave in keeping with local custom.

Crafts, food and economy

Bukhara has always been a city of craftsmen, and its traditional crafts have been revived: gold embroidery, ceramics, copper chasing, carpet weaving and suzani needlework. Many workshops occupy madrasas and caravanserais in the old town around the trading domes, while in Gijduvan the Narzullaev family, now in its sixth generation of potters, runs a workshop-museum.

The region is the centre of Uzbekistan's karakul sheep breeding and karakul pelt production. Teahouses and restaurants around Lyab-i Hauz serve plov, shurpa, samsa and tandoor-baked dishes.

On 1 January 2026 the region had 2,107,035 inhabitants. It is divided into 11 districts and two cities of regional status, Bukhara and Kogon, and has 11 towns and 68 urban-type settlements in all. Historically the area was remarkably diverse: alongside Uzbeks and Tajiks lived Bukharan Jews, Iranis, Turkmens, Kazakhs and others.

The region is rich in natural gas, oil, graphite, bentonite, marble and building materials. The Gazli gas field, the Bukhara oil refinery at Qorovulbozor, and cotton-ginning and textile plants form the backbone of the economy.

Getting there

You can fly into Bukhara International Airport or come by train: the region's main railway station is in Kogon, 12 km south-east of Bukhara. High-speed trains run to Bukhara from Tashkent and Samarkand, and by road the M37 comes in from Samarkand via Navoiy.

The old town is best explored on foot; take a taxi to Chor-Bakr, the Bahauddin Naqshband complex, Sitorai Mohi-Khosa and the Vobkent Minaret, and hire a car and driver for a day to reach outlying ruins such as Varakhsha and Paykend.