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Shukhov Tower (Bukhara Tower)

A steel lattice water tower of 1927–1929 by the engineer Vladimir Shukhov, facing the Ark, now with a glass lift and a viewing deck over the old town.

Ensembles1927–1929About 30 minutes to see

About the place

The tower was built in 1927–1929 to a design by Vladimir Shukhov, the engineer known for his hyperboloid steel structures, on Bukhara's Registan square opposite the Ark. It supplied the city with water until a fire burned the wooden casing at the top and damaged the tank, after which it stood unused for years.

A lift and a rooftop restaurant were added in the 1990s but closed when the lift broke. With French investment the tower reopened in March 2019 as Bukhara Tower, with a glass lift, a viewing platform with binoculars at the top, small restaurants and a visitor information centre at its base.

Why go

  • View over the Ark and the old town
  • Work of the engineer Vladimir Shukhov
  • Glass lift to the top

Sources (4)

  1. 1.Wikidata
  2. 2.ru.wikipedia.org
  3. 3.uz.wikipedia.org
  4. 4.openstreetmap.org

Nearby

  • Bolo Hauz MosqueEnsembles

    Under 1 km awayUNESCO World Heritage

    Bolo Hauz Mosque

    The emir's Friday mosque opposite the Ark, best known for its tall porch of slender carved wooden columns reflected in a small pool.

  • Ark of BukharaFortresses

    Under 1 km awayUNESCO World Heritage

    Ark of Bukhara

    The walled citadel on a raised mound at the west end of the old town, home to Bukhara's rulers until 1920 and now a set of small museums.

  • Khoja Zayniddin Mosque and KhanqahEnsembles

    Under 1 km away

    Khoja Zayniddin Mosque and Khanqah

    A sixteenth-century mosque and Sufi lodge beside a pool in old Bukhara, with a painted and gilded interior that runs from floor to dome.