Bukhara

A city in Uzbekistan in the Bukhara oasis founded no later than the 1st century AD and an important trade and craft center before the Arab conquest in 709 AD. It was the capital of the Samanid dynasty in the 9th-10th century, and later seized by the Qarakhanids and Karakitais before falling to Genghis Khan in 1220 and to Timur (Tamerlane) in 1370. The best-known monument is the Mausoleum of Ismael the Samanid, built shortly before the ruler's death in 907. The oldest surviving mosque is the 12th-century Masjid Magoki Attari.

A city in Soviet Central Asia, already an important town before the Arab conquest in 713. Bukhara flourished after the conquest, becoming the capital of the Samanid dynasty from 875 to 999. In 1220 the city was sacked by Chingiz Khan. The best-known monument is the Mausoleum of Ismael the Samanid, built shortly before the ruler’s death in 907. It is a domed cubic structure, 9.5 metres across, decorated both inside and out with elaborate brick ornament. The minaret of the Masjid-i Kalan, completed in 1127, also has brick patterns, enlivened with an inscription made of bricks with turquoise glaze, one of the earliest examples of coloured architectural ornament in Central Asia. The mosque itself belongs to the 15 th century, while the adjacent Madrasa Mir-i Arab was founded in 1535 (a madrasa is a school for Quranic studies). The oldest surviving mosque is the 12th-century Masjid Magoki Attari.