Chor-Minor

Chor-Minor means "four minarets", though none of its towers was ever used to call the faithful to prayer. It is the gatehouse of a madrasah built in 1807 by Khalif Niyaz-kul, a wealthy merchant of Turkmen origin. The madrasah behind it has almost entirely disappeared; the gatehouse, with a small pool beside it, is what survives.

An odd and charming building

The plan is a square with a domed hall at its centre and a tower at each corner, each tower crowned by a small turquoise dome. Look closely and you will see that no two towers are decorated alike: the brick and tile motifs change from one to the next. Local tradition offers two explanations. One is that the towers stand for the four religions known to the Bukhara of the time; the other, that each recalls one of the founder's four daughters. Neither can be proved, and both are part of the building's charm. Another story links the design to the founder's travels in India, where he is said to have admired Hyderabad's Charminar.

In 1995 one of the towers collapsed and had to be rebuilt; restoration has kept the building's slightly handmade look.

How to experience it

Chor-Minor sits among mud-brick houses about ten minutes' walk east of Lyabi-Hauz, and the walk through the lanes is part of the pleasure. The ground floor is a small souvenir shop, and for a modest fee the keeper usually lets visitors climb to the roof for a close look at the domes. Morning light suits the main facade; in the late afternoon the lane falls into shade and the turquoise domes glow against the sky. Allow half an hour, more if you wander the surrounding quarter.