The first landmark I visited during my trip to ancient Bukhara was the Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa Palace. In the past, this complex served as the residence of Bukhara rulers, and today its territory has been transformed into a large museum space open to anyone interested in taking a stroll.
How to Get There
The palace complex is located in the northern part of Bukhara, approximately five kilometers from the city's main attractions. I used taxi to get here, and the cost of the ride from the center was 11,000 Uzbek som.
The entrance ticket to the palace costs 40,000 som (as of October 2023), and the ticket office only accepts cash.
A Bit of History
The first buildings of the palace complex appeared here in the 19th century during the rule of Emir Nasrullah Khan. Over time, the ensemble of Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa underwent several modifications, and its main structures, which we can see today, were built during the reign of the last ruler of Bukhara, Said Abd al-Ahad Khan.
I refer to it as a palace complex because it included many buildings: besides the main house, there were barracks, power station buildings, bedrooms, and a harem (the part of the palace where women lived). These buildings are now part of the museum exhibition. As I arrived here quite late, around 5 pm, some pavilions were already closed.
During my walk through the complex, I managed to glimpse into several rooms of the main building of the summer palace and eight rooms of the pavilion where the exhibition of national clothing is held.
The rooms of the main building of the summer palace are characterized by relatively small sizes and a variety of color schemes in the finish. I was particularly impressed by the tea room, also called the "paradise corner," and the dark, contrastingly decorated chess room.
It's worth noting the quite large palace garden, which appeared here before the construction of the main complex buildings. Peacocks roam freely on the territory. By the way, locals associate several legends with these proud birds. According to one of them, peacocks were once expelled from paradise and, in search of a heavenly place on earth, came precisely to Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa.
Continuing the theme of romantic stories about this attraction, it should be mentioned that in some sources, the palace complex is referred to as the "place of moon-like stars" or the "palace resembling stars and the moon." Guidebooks mention that such comparisons were made in his works by the court poet Anbari.
The next interesting place we will visit in Bukhara is the ancient Ark Citadel.
Have a nice trip!
