Lyabi - Hauz -
Bukhara
- 2013
Lyabi - Hauz means "lips of the pool".
It is name given to the plaza, dating from 1620, surrounding one the few remaing ponds in Bukhara.
Until the Soviet period there were many such ponds, which were the city's principal source of water,
but they were notorious for spreading disease and were mostly filled in during the 1920s and 1930s.
The Lyabi Hauz survived because it is the centrepiece of a magnificent architectural ensemble,
created during the 16th and 17th centuries, which has not been significantly changed since.
A statue of Hoja Nasruddin, a semi-mythical "wise fool" who appears in Sufi teaching tales around the world.
He is remembered for his funny stories and anecdotes.
He appears in thousands of stories, sometimes witty, sometimes wise, but often, too, a fool or the butt of a joke.
We saw a another statue of him in Turkey in 2002.
Nadir Divan-Beghi Madressa is built on one side of Lyabi - Hauz.
Completed in 1620, it was originally built as a caravanserai
(a place where travellers could rest and recover from the day's journey).
At the opening of the caravanserai, the Khan complimented his minister (Nadir Divan-Beghi)
on construction of the building "for the glory of Allah" by advice of Sufi sheikhs.
So, the minister had to convert it into a madrassah (in 1622).
Flying phoenixes decorate the reconstructed portal.
Our hotel, Lyabi Haus Hotel was located in a laneway just off the plaza.
On our second night in Bukhara we had our dinner in a converted medrassa near Lyabi-Haus.
We had salad, pumpkin soup, crumbed veal, rice and a sweet tart.
Next ... Ismail Samanaid Mausolem at Bukhara ...
Lyabi - Hauz means "lips of the pool".
It is name given to the plaza, dating from 1620, surrounding one the few remaing ponds in Bukhara.
Until the Soviet period there were many such ponds, which were the city's principal source of water,
but they were notorious for spreading disease and were mostly filled in during the 1920s and 1930s.
The Lyabi Hauz survived because it is the centrepiece of a magnificent architectural ensemble,
created during the 16th and 17th centuries, which has not been significantly changed since.
A statue of Hoja Nasruddin, a semi-mythical "wise fool" who appears in Sufi teaching tales around the world.
He is remembered for his funny stories and anecdotes.
He appears in thousands of stories, sometimes witty, sometimes wise, but often, too, a fool or the butt of a joke.
We saw a another statue of him in Turkey in 2002.
Nadir Divan-Beghi Madressa is built on one side of Lyabi - Hauz.
Completed in 1620, it was originally built as a caravanserai
(a place where travellers could rest and recover from the day's journey).
At the opening of the caravanserai, the Khan complimented his minister (Nadir Divan-Beghi)
on construction of the building "for the glory of Allah" by advice of Sufi sheikhs.
So, the minister had to convert it into a madrassah (in 1622).
Flying phoenixes decorate the reconstructed portal.
Our hotel, Lyabi Haus Hotel was located in a laneway just off the plaza.
On our second night in Bukhara we had our dinner in a converted medrassa near Lyabi-Haus.
We had salad, pumpkin soup, crumbed veal, rice and a sweet tart.
Next ... Ismail Samanaid Mausolem at Bukhara ...
