Bukhara's hidden gem - Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa Palace: the Summer Palace

Bukhara was one of the main centres of world civilisation from its early days in 6^th C BC. Turkic speakers gradually moved in. Its architecture and archaeological sites form one of the pillars of Central Asian history and art. The Bukhara and its surrounds were part of the Persian Empire.

Bukhara was the last capital of the Emirate of Bukhara.  It was besieged by the Red Army during the Russian Civil War. In 1920, an army of well-disciplined and well equipped Red Army troops under the command of General Frunze, attacked the city. On 31 August 1920, the Emir fled to  Dushanbe now in Tajikistan. On 2 September 1920, after four days of fighting, the emir’s citadel was destroyed, the red flag was raised from the top of the famous Kalyani minaret.

In the mid-XIX century Emir of Bukhara Nasrullah Khan decided to build a new country seat for himself. To choose the coolest place not to suffer from summer heat, the architects made recourse to an old method - dressed muttons were put on the potential sites of construction. The place, where the meat got spoiled last, was chosen for the construction of the suburban pearl of Bukhara. Unfortunately, this palace did not survive to the present day.

Several decades later, another emir of Bukhara Mir Sayyd Muhammad Alim Khan initiated the construction of a new palace there. A legend has it that, Emir devoted the palace to his wife Sitora. The construction work which lasted several years resulted in the residence of unprecedented beauty. The Bukhara architects having trained in Russia managed to combine oriental and western styles in their creation. After a while the Emir’s wife died, and her name was given to the palace. It was named Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa, translated from Tajik as “Star, like the Moon”, and this name was preserved to this day. Unfortunately, the Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa also shared the fate of the first palace – it was destroyed.

The current Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa Palace was built in 1912-1918, by order of the last Emir of Bukhara Mir Sayyd Muhammad Alim Khan. The construction involved the best Bukhara masters of the time, along with two Russian engineers Margulis and Sakovitch.

The palace main building consists of several reception halls and emir’s private rooms. Special attention was given to White Hall, see below, decorated by the famous master Usto Shirin Muradov who was subsequently perpetuated in a monument installed in the territory of the summer residence. White Hall was decorated with ganch, laid on walls covered with mirrors. None of the patterns was repeated. It is worth pointing out that mirrors in the Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa Palace are used everywhere, quite liberally. You can see Venetian mirrors, Japanese mirrors set in fancy frames, and even trellis, which creates a reflection, repeated 40 times. In addition, the summer palace includes a tea room, small minaret, and guest house, richly incrusted with  gold braid. Each place has its own story and legends.

    In 1927, shortly after the fall of the Emirate of Bukhara, the palace was transformed into a museum. Its exposition was periodically changed. But today, it houses the Museum of Arts and Crafts. The exhibition includes palace furniture of the XIX-XX centuries, jewelry and golden-embroidered products made by Bukhara masters, objet d’art from Russian and Japanese porcelain of XIV-XX centuries.

Over the past century Bukhara has considerably expanded, and nowadays the Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa Palace is located as close as four km to the city outskirts. The residence of the last Emir of Bukhara, where, today as a hundred years ago, it salutes the visitors in the reflections of its former magnificence, as though still available to receive royalties and overseas ambassadors.                                                           

Strolling around the palace grounds, I saw the poorly maintained outer structures whereas inside, ancient gems were displayed beautifully. The entry to the Palace is through a arch and a gate and one would never dream that a palace lay beyond, hidden somewhere as  the grass lies uncut, the paving is all over, the paths are uneven and the fencing inside often broken. There are a few peacock babies in cages - away from feral cats presumably. At the far end, in a small white building, you see a minaret which was the Emir’s private prayer area and opposite that a group of ladies gossiping. On our arrival, they immediately took out carpets and fabrics – we were not interested as we had come to see the hidden gems inside – the array of exquisitely crafted suzani took our breath away. The only other place where we saw such incredible embroidery and fabrics was in Tashkent at the Museum of Fine Art. 

Bukhara is also one of the most ancient cities of Uzbekistan, situated on a sacred hill, the place where sacrifices were made by fire-worshippers in springtime. This city was mentioned in a holy book "Avesto". Bukhara city is supposed to be founded in the 13^th C B.C. during the reign of Siyavushids who came to power 980 years before Alexander the Great. The name of Bukhara originates from the word "vihara" which means "monastery" in Sanskrit. The city was once a large commercial center on the Great Silk Road. Bukhara lies west of Samarkand and was once a center of learning renowned throughout the Islamic world. It is the hometown of the great Sheikh Bakhouddin Nakshbandi. He was a central figure in the development of the mystical Sufi approach to philosophy, religion and Islam. In Bukhara there are more than 350 mosques and 100 religious colleges. Its fortunes waxed and waned through succeeding empires until it became one of the great Central Asian Khanates in the 17th century.

So, aside from the Summer Palace, go visit as many of these monuments as you can when in this beautiful city. Its the Rome of the Silk Route. 

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