Imam al-Bukhari Complex near Samarkand

The new mosque and minarets

• Opened 2026
• 10,000 worshippers
• Four 75 m minarets

Opened on 19 March 2026, the new complex spreads over 45 hectares: a white mosque that holds 10,000 worshippers, four minarets rising 75 metres, fourteen blue domes and a colonnade of 154 columns. Walk the long axis from the gates and the scale opens up slowly — it is meant to. A new museum dedicated to Imam al-Bukhari and his work is part of the complex.

After dark

• Late afternoon into evening
• Lit pools and fountains
• Lively on weekends

In the evening the whole complex is lit — white walls washed in blue, minarets glowing, the long pools reflecting it all. It is busy with local families, especially on weekends and holidays, and the atmosphere is warm rather than solemn. If you can, plan the visit for late afternoon and stay until the lights come on.

Makhdumi Azam in Dahbed

• Sufi shrine, 16th century
• Old plane trees
• Quiet and contemplative

Half an hour away is the opposite mood. Makhdumi Azam, a Naqshbandi Sufi master who died in 1542, was buried in his own garden in the village of Dahbed. Brick courtyards, galleries on carved wooden columns and enormous old plane trees make it one of the quietest holy places in the region — few tourists, many pilgrims.

The story behind it

• Who was Imam al-Bukhari?Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Bukhari was born in Bukhara in 810 and spent much of his life travelling the Islamic world to collect the sayings and deeds of the Prophet Muhammad. Tradition says he examined hundreds of thousands of reports and kept only those he could verify. The result, Sahih al-Bukhari, is for Sunni Muslims the most trusted book after the Quran. He died in Khartang in 870.
• The mausoleumFor centuries the grave was almost forgotten. In 1998, for the 1225th anniversary of his birth, a memorial complex was built here by craftsmen from Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva and other cities: a cube-shaped mausoleum under a 17-metre dome, faced with tiles, marble and onyx, with the grave beneath a blue onyx tombstone. A covering from the Kaaba in Mecca, a gift from Saudi Arabia, hangs in the mosque.
• Visiting a pilgrimage siteBoth complexes are places of prayer first. Dress modestly, women cover their hair, shoes come off before entering a prayer hall, and photographs of people praying are not welcome. Midday Friday prayers and religious holidays bring large crowds — beautiful to see, but plan around them if you want quiet.

Before you go

• Getting thereKhartang is about 25 km from Samarkand, roughly half an hour by car, and Dahbed with Makhdumi Azam is about half an hour from both. With a car and driver the two fit easily into one half-day, which is the way most visitors see them.
• How long it takesAllow four to five hours from Samarkand and back: about an hour at Makhdumi Azam, two hours at the Imam al-Bukhari complex, and the driving in between.
• When to goMornings are calm and cool. Late afternoon is the other good choice — you see the complex by day and then lit up after dark. In July and August the open squares get very hot at midday, so avoid the hours around noon.
• What to wear and bringLong sleeves and long trousers or a skirt, a headscarf for women, shoes that are easy to take off, a hat or umbrella against the sun, and water. Modest clothing is expected at both sites.

What we can arrange

All of it we book ourselves. Write once with your dates and you get an answer with a price, not another search form.

• A hotelfrom a family guesthouse to the big complexes
• A car with a driverairport pickup, day trips, transfers between cities
• A guide for the dayin the language you are comfortable in
• Train ticketsTashkent — Samarkand — Bukhara, booked ahead
• A table for dinnerthe tea houses and restaurants we use ourselves