Five Uncommonly Good Reasons to Visit Bukhara

February 06, 2014

In the waning light, the mud-brick walls of this city glow bronze, and the Kalon Minaret, which Genghis Khan called "too beautiful to burn," dominates the skyline. It's a city that many visit for its history and brilliant blue domes, but there's so much more to be seen in the narrow dusty side streets of Bukhara. Here are our top five uncommonly good reasons to visit:

1. A game of cards and a cup of tea at an old choyhona or teahouse.

2. A real Central Asian live stock market.

3. Plov, a filling rice and meat dish cooked streetside.

4. Play spot-the-lada

5. Wedding voyeurism.

Stay: Salom Inn Bed and Breakfast

Read: Chasing the Sea by Tom Bissell

Pack: Cotton Tunics and Comfortable Shoes