Bukhara, Uzbekistan
Mosque in Bukhara, Uzbekistan
The Baland Mosque, the upper mosque, is a small mosque in the southern part of old Bukhara, built in the early 16th century and part of the Historic Centre of Bukhara World Heritage Site. From outside it looks modest, a cube with a wooden iwan, but its interior is one of the loveliest in the city. Like many Central Asian mosques it has two prayer halls, one for winter and one for summer. The winter hall inside the cubic building is covered with wall paintings, mosaic and gilding in fine floral designs, under a ceiling of decorated wooden panels, with a hexagonal frieze of gold inscriptions running round beneath it. The outer iwan is the summer hall, its wooden columns topped with carved wooden muqarnas; the iwan's ceiling and columns date from the 19th century. It lies away from the tour-group circuit in a quiet residential quarter, and worshippers now use the modern mosque next door.
It is closed much of the time; if you find it open, go in quietly in modest dress with shoes off, avoiding prayer times. You can always see the iwan from outside. It is in a residential area south of the centre, good for a walk through Bukhara's quiet lanes.
Hours and prices change — check before you go. Source: en.wikipedia.org
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