Museum · Bukhara city

Fayzulla Khodjaev House Museum

Built in the late 19th century by the merchant Ubaydullakhoja, this house bears the name of his son, the statesman Fayzulla Khodjaev, and shows how a rich Bukharan family lived among exquisitely painted rooms.

UNESCO World HeritageRussian EmpireXIX asr oxiri40 min1 min read

Photo: Yoshlar ishlari agentligi · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

History

The wealthy merchant Ubaydullakhoja built the house in the old Goziyon quarter at the end of the 19th century, following traditional eastern design. His son Fayzulla Khodjaev (1896–1938) headed the government of the Bukharan People's Soviet Republic and then became the first chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the Uzbek SSR. He was purged and shot in 1938 and later rehabilitated.

After his execution the house was neglected and used by various institutions. It later became the 'Rich Merchant's House' museum, and in 2023 it was rebuilt and reopened to visitors.

Courtyards and collection

The estate had three parts: the women's courtyard (hovli durun), the men's courtyard (hovli berun) and a service yard. The museum occupies the men's and women's courtyards. Large cellars lie beneath the rooms, and each room has a small side chamber, the madon, for washing and changing.

No two rooms are painted alike: mihrab-shaped niches hold flowers in vases, and shelves once displayed porcelain. More than 500 exhibits cover a rich merchant's life in the 19th and 20th centuries, Russian porcelain from the Gardner and Kuznetsov factories, Bukharan copper and silverware, musical instruments, and silk and velvet clothing.