Toqi Zargaron

History

The dome was raised under the Shaybanid Abdullah Khan II over a crossroads of trading streets. Zargaron is Persian for 'jewellers': in its early centuries more than 35 workshops and shops made and sold gold, silver and gem-set jewellery here, surrounded by warehouses, caravanserais and stalls.

It worked as an ordinary bazaar until the mid-20th century. Today it is one of the best-known places to shop in the old town, filled with stalls selling souvenirs, antiques, jewellery and handicrafts.

Architecture

The fired-brick building is crowned by a large central dome clustered with smaller ones. Streets cross beneath the main dome, while shops occupy the side arches. Openings in the dome let in light and air, keeping the interior cool even in the summer heat.

To the north it opens onto the Po-i-Kalyan ensemble and to the east onto the Ulugh Beg and Abdulaziz Khan madrasas; southwards the market street continues to the Tim of Abdullah Khan and Toqi Telpak Furushon.

Did you know?

The workshops here made coins as well as jewellery, and researchers think some of Bukhara's tanga coins may have been struck under this dome. Sixteenth-century Bukhara had many covered bazaars; three domes and the Tim of Abdullah Khan are all that survive.