Lyabi-Hauz

Bukhara

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Dining al fresco around the venerable pool with grey-beards, local families and Russian tourists is the quintessential Bukhara experience. The chaikhana-style restaurant serves shashlyk, plov and kovurma laghman (fried noodles with meat and tomato sauce), but it's more about the ambience than the food. There's also live Russian-style music most evenings. Check your bill as items can get mysteriously added.

If you are just in the mood for a drink, several other areas around the pool serve cold beer, ice cream and coffee.

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Nearby Bukhara attractions

1. Lyabi-Hauz

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Lyabi-Hauz, a plaza built around a pool in 1620 (the name is Tajik for ‘around the pool’), is the most peaceful and interesting spot in town – shaded…

2. Nadir Divanbegi Khanaka

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On the western side of the Lyabi-Hauz is the Nadir Divanbegi Khanaka, a Sufi cloister used for religious ceremonies, debates and instruction. Both this…

3. Hoja Nasruddin

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On the eastern side of Lyabi-Hauz is a statue of Hoja Nasruddin, a semi-mythical ‘wise fool’ who appears in Sufi teaching-tales around the world.

4. Puppet Museum

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The displays here on the history and manufacture of Bukhara's famous puppets are worth a quick visit, especially if you have kids in tow.

5. Kukeldash Medressa

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The Kukeldash Medressa, built in 1569 by Abdullah II, was at the time the biggest Islamic school in Central Asia. It now hosts the occasional evening…

6. Nadir Divanbegi Medressa

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The Nadir Divanbegi Medressa was built as a caravanserai, but was converted in 1622 after the khan mistook it for a medressa (the khan was considered…

7. Jewish Community Centre & Synagogue

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Bukhara's main synagogue is in the old town. It holds regular services and also sponsors a functioning Jewish school just around the corner. Look for the…

8. Taki-Sarrafon

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The Moneychangers' Bazaar is a typically domed bazaar straddling one of Bukhara's main street junctions. It contains several souvenir stalls and a…