© OpenStreetMap
Ensembles
7 km away
Khoja Arif Revgari Complex
Shrine in Shofirkon of Khoja Arif Revgari, second of the 'seven pirs' of Bukhara and a pupil of Abdukhaliq Gijduvani; under state protection since 2019.
Vardanze
The hill of an ancient town 40 km north-east of Bukhara, seat of the Vardan-khudat rulers, abandoned to the advancing sands by the 19th century.
ArchaeologyAbout 45 minutes to see
About the place
The 10th-century historian Narshakhi described Vardana as a large place with a strong fortress, older than Bukhara itself, where kings with the title Vardan-khudat had lived since ancient times; it held a big weekly market and exported zandaniji cloth. Legend credits its founding to a Sasanian prince, Shapur, and the Arabs under Qutayba ibn Muslim took it in 708–709.
The town stood on the frontier with the nomads and kept its importance for centuries, but drifting sand made it uninhabitable by the 19th century. Today it survives as a large hill in Shafirkan district, about 40 km north-east of Bukhara.
Why go
- Seat of the Vardan-khudat kings
- Said to be older than Bukhara
- A town swallowed by the sands
Sources (4)
Nearby
- © OpenStreetMapEnsembles
12 km away
Khoja Mahmud Anjir Faghnavi Complex
The village shrine of Mahmud Anjir Faghnavi, third of the seven pirs of Bukhara, with a tomb, Friday mosque, pool and garden.
Ensembles17 km awayUNESCO World Heritage
Vobkent Minaret
A tall late 12th-century brick minaret in the town of Vobkent, north of Bukhara, built in the same tradition as the Kalyan Minaret.
- © OpenStreetMapMuseums
19 km away
Afshona: Avicenna's Birthplace and Museum
The village 25 km north of Bukhara where Avicenna was born in 980, with a memorial museum to the physician and philosopher.
