Chor Minor Bukhara
When I was researching tourist places that one can visit in Bukhara, Uzbekistan, I came across the name Chor Minor. This name stuck in my head because in India we have the famous Char Minar (Charminar) in Hyderabad and Chor Minor sounded something very similar. Searching online for Chor Minor also resulted in a unique building and just as I had suspected had four minarets on four corners very similar to that of Char Minar of Hyderabad.
I found that the Uzbek language and Bengali/Hindi language to have a lot of similarities. In fact, some words were spoken the same way in both countries while some have the letter “A” replaced with the letter “O”. For example, Kebab is Kobob, Minar is Minor, Char is Chor, Naan in Non, etc.
History Of Chor Minor
This structure is actually part of a madrasa originally built by Khalif Niyaz-kul (Khalifa Niyaz Qouli) in 1807. Khalif Niyaz-kul was a rich merchant from Turkmenistan and it was not uncommon for a man of such stature to open a madrasa to help propagate the teachings of Islam.
One of the most intriguing features of this structure the four minarets have a unique design feature. The blue-tiled design is often associated with different religious symbolism such as Christianity, Buddhism, and Zoroastrianism. It may be possible that the builder of this structure who was a trader had traveled across the world and had a glimpse of different religions, thus incorporating them in the designs. While Zoroastrianism was once prevalent in this region, Buddhism must have travelled along the Silk Route and Christianity was obvious from the trade with Europe.
One can see Christian Ichthys (Jesus Fish), the Buddhist prayer wheel, or Rub el Hizb, also known as the Islamic eight-pointed star. The back minaret on the right side has a nest on top with two cranes.
Chor Minor has an upper level with a room-like structure that can be reached by a spiral staircase located inside one of the minarets. This upper room was supposed to be the library for the madrasa. The actual madrasa has no existence now and one can now only see what remains of its possible foundation. The four minarets cannot be technically called minarets instead were built as design elements.
What To See At Chor Minor
This place is located very near to Poi Kalon Complex and tourists usually walk around the locality which has other tourist attractions and Chor Minor is one of them. I found no tourist at this location and honestly, this is not a very popular tourist destination.
This is not a ticketed monument and one can just causally enter the premises to look around. The only structure standing in this location is the Chor Minor with its visible four minarets. On the left of this structure is what remains of the foundation of the actual madrasa. On the right side there is a shaded structure and at the back of the Chor Minor are room-like structures. There is also a large tank which when I visited was all dried up.
The main gate of the Chor Minor is the frontage of a curio shop so you can understand what to expect once you enter. One cannot access the top floor of this place which remains off-limits to tourists.
Location Of Chor Minor On Map
Vlog On Chor Minor
Other Blogs On Bukhara
Zindon Prison Bukhara
Ark Of Bukhara
Poi Kalon Complex