Bolo Hauz
Bolo Hauz
The largest ancient Eastern cities had one distinctive feature in common as they always had a Registan. Registan was usually the name of the central city square, on which many public buildings were located. It was usually the location for the city’s main mosques, stately palaces and minarets, as well as hospitals, chambers of commerce and government offices.
When it comes to Bukhara, the Bolo-Khauz Complex is the only preserved monument from Bukhara’s Registan Square. It is placed on the opposite of the famous Ark of Bukhara. The complex consists of a pond (hauz), Friday mosque and a small minaret. Bolo Hauz was constructed in 1712 and it is listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Site along with many other attractions of the historic Bukhara old city. The complex is easily visited before or after visiting the Ark of Bukhara.
Mosque
The Bolo mosque is still an active mosque and welcomes visitors for Friday prayers. The building has a classy and luxurious appearance as it was built for the ruler which makes it one of the most popular attractions in modern Bukhara. For more than three centuries, the building has been decorated with twenty skillfully carved wooden columns that confidently support the mosque’s ceiling. Residents of the city call Bolo-Hauz “the mosque of forty pillars”. This name was given to this complex counting its twenty columns together with their reflection from the Bolo reservoir.
Hauz (Khauz) / Pond
The most medieval section of the complex is the pond “Khauz”, which is known as a Bolo-Khauz (“Children’s reservoir”). It is one of several ponds in Bukhara, that have reached our days together with Lyubi Hauz pond.
Same as the Lyubi Hauz the original purpose of this reservoir was the water source for the residents and unluckily due to stale water the origin of many diseases which is the reason why most of them were drained a long time ago and some more recently.
Bolo Hauz Minaret
Next to the mosque stands a minaret that was only built later to the adjoining mosque. It is made in an elegant style and also combines the luxury and diminutiveness of Asia.
For quite a long time the minaret was slightly bent, gradually increasing the degree of inclination. However, after the reconstruction, the building was thoroughly strengthened and installed strictly at a vertical angle.
Bolo Hauz tours
Page updated 28.1.2021
