A small building of Chor Minor, which means «Four Minarets», became one of the symbols of Bukhara due to its beauty and strictness of its proportions. In front of the entrance to Chor Minor there is a nice small inclosure with a pond where you can have a respite from the city bustle.
There are several versions as to the purpose of Chor Minor. It is most likely that Chor Minor was designed as a madrasah, but then there appeared large spaces for storing books, and, consequently, it was supposed that Chor Minor was designed as a library. In any case, in spite of its name meaning «Four Minarets», Chor Minor had never been a mosque.
Chor Minor madrasah was built in 1807 by a rich Turkmen merchant Khalif Niyaz-kul, who lived in India for a long time. After his return to Bukhara he wanted to built for his money a building with four minarets, which was very uncommon for Central Asia, by the model of the Charminar mosque in the Indian city of Heydarabad.
However, the idea of the Indian Charminar mosque was implemented in the style of Bukhara architecture, and, as a result, there appeared a very beautiful building, which is loved by many citizens of Bukhara and visited by all tourists.
Chor Minor madrasah is located at the heart of the Old Town of Bukhara near Lyab-i Hauz. You need to go along the aryk toward the city market, and turn to the left on the square near a taxi bus station. Then you will go along narrow streets between houses, asking the way, or otherwise you can easily be lost.
