Bibi Khanym and Old Jewish Town

Bibi Khanym and Old Jewish Town

All the major sights in Samarkand can technically be covered in one day with a tour group, two days if you want to spend more time at each site. We have 4 days, so we’re visiting one site a day plus exploring other parts of the city.

Bibi Khanym Mosque is perhaps the largest mosque in Central Asia, with its dome standing at 135ft, and the portal topping out at 125ft. This mosque is also known as Amir Timur Mosque. Bibi Khanym (AKA Saray Mulk Khanum) had commissioned the mosque’s construction while Timur was away in India. Out of his 43 wives and consorts, Bibi Khanym was Timur’s favorite and most powerful wife despite not having any children with him. She was blessed for who she was – the direct descendant of Genghis Khan, a lineage that Timur was obsessed with. Through this marriage he received the title of güregen “royal son-in-law”, which further legitimized his empire.

Like all the other buildings in Samarkand, Bibi Khanym mosque suffered major damage from earthquakes and neglect through the years.
Before restoration in the early 1900s
After restoration – basically rebuilt from the foundations.
The sheer size of this mosque shows the impressive construction capabilities in 1400.
Looks just a little too perfect
The foundation is about the only thing that is original.
As well as the unrestored interior
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If anything, a visit here is to admire the works of the restoration crew.
As there is no doubt this is a beautifully rebuilt mosque.

Next door to the mosque is the Siyob bazaar.

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Plenty of nuts and dried fruits

One of the criticisms of Samarkand’s historical sites is that it’s too polished or “Disneyfied”. A lot of the surrounding local neighborhoods have been shielded behind walls from prying tourists’ eyes. So what do we do? We venture past the walls to check out the old Jewish town.

A relic skillfully parked straddling a ditch.
In contrast to the towering Bibi Khanym Mosque is the humble Gumboz Synagogue deep in the old Jewish quarter.
Menorah and Star of David cutouts on the gutter.
One of the wider alleyways in old town.

Today there are less than 300 Bukharan Jews left in Samarkand. Bukhara has a marginally larger Jewish population, but the majority of the Bukharan Jews have since moved to Israel or NYC after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

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