Imam al-Bukhari Memorial Complex

Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Bukhari was born in Bukhara in 810 and spent his life travelling across the Islamic world collecting the sayings and deeds of the Prophet Muhammad. His Sahih al-Bukhari is regarded by Sunni Muslims as the most authentic book after the Quran. Late in life he settled near Samarkand, and he died in 870 in the village of Khartang, where he was buried. For Muslims from Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey, Pakistan and beyond, his grave is the main reason to come to Samarkand.

From village shrine to national memorial

For centuries the grave was a modest shrine, neglected in the Soviet decades. In 1998 a memorial complex was built around it, with a mausoleum, mosque and courtyard. In the 2020s the site was rebuilt again on a far larger scale, and the new complex was opened on 19 March 2026. It covers about 45 hectares and includes a mosque for more than ten thousand worshippers with four minarets, the restored mausoleum, a study centre and an innovation museum of nine pavilions on the life and work of Imam al-Bukhari, the prophets named in the Quran and the science of hadith. The complex is designed for up to tens of thousands of visitors a day and drew more than a million in its first month.

Visiting respectfully

This is first of all a place of prayer. Dress modestly: long trousers and sleeved shirts for men; arms and legs covered and a headscarf for women. Shoes come off in the prayer halls and mausoleum, and there are separate women’s areas. Visitors usually pray or recite at the grave; guides explain the life of the Imam in the courtyard rather than at the tomb. Friday midday is the busiest time, when the mosque fills well before the prayer.

When to go

Late afternoon into the evening is beautiful, when the domes and minarets are lit. The site is a natural half-day excursion from Samarkand, and pairs well with the shrine of Imam al-Maturidi in the city for a day of ziyarat.