Chasma-i Ayub Khazira and Chor Bakh Necropolis

Scenic road chapters

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Chasma-i Ayub Khazira

   North of Bukhara, the green irrigated oasis of the Zarafshan river spreads out in a patchwork of cotton fields, orchards, mulberry trees and villages, and the point named Chasma-i Ayub Khazira lies in this landscape, near the village of Khazara, between Vobkent and Gijduvon. Chashma-i Ayub, the spring of Job, is a name given to several holy springs in Central Asia, linked to the legend that the prophet Job struck the ground with his staff and water gushed forth in a time of drought. The most famous is in Bukhara itself, a mausoleum over a spring, and this site near Khazara may be another shrine of the same tradition, listed as part of the Silk Roads corridor of the Zarafshan valley.

   Read the complete Chasma-i Ayub Khazira write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Chasma-i Ayub Khazira is where the day begins. Next is Bahouddin Naqshband Architectural Complex.

2. 2. Bahouddin Naqshband Architectural Complex

   Bahauddin Naqshband died in 1389 in the village where he was born, a short ride from Bukhara, and the Sufi order that bears his name went on to spread across Central Asia, India, the Ottoman Empire and beyond. The Naqshbandi order emphasised silent remembrance of God and living a spiritual life within the everyday world, and its founder's tomb became one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Central Asia, so much so that locals sometimes call it the Mecca of Central Asia. The complex, with its mosques, minaret, courtyards and the tomb itself, was largely built in the sixteenth century under the Shaybanid rulers and restored in recent decades.

   Read the complete Bahouddin Naqshband Architectural Complex write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Bahouddin Naqshband Architectural Complex comes up about 27 km into the recorded legs. Next is Chor Bakh Necropolis.

3. 3. Chor Bakh Necropolis

   A short ride west of Bukhara, in the village of Sumitan, a complex of courtyards, mosques and family tombs sits behind high walls, with blue-tiled portals rising above the surrounding houses. This is Chor Bakr, a necropolis built around the grave of Abu Bakr Said, a descendant of the Prophet who died in the tenth century. In the sixteenth century, the Shaybanid rulers of Bukhara built a memorial complex here, with a khanaqah, a mosque and a madrasa, and the cemetery became a resting place for the powerful Juybari sheikhs, a dynasty of religious leaders with great influence over the khanate. The name means "four brothers", referring to the four Abu Bakrs said to be buried here.

   Read the complete Chor Bakh Necropolis write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 47 km into the recorded legs you reach Chor Bakh Necropolis. Next is back through Bahouddin Naqshband Architectural Complex.

4. 4. back through Bahouddin Naqshband Architectural Complex

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Bahouddin Naqshband Architectural Complex write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Bahouddin Naqshband Architectural Complex, late in the day. Next is Chasma-i Ayub Khazira.

5. 5. Chasma-i Ayub Khazira

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Chasma-i Ayub Khazira write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Back at Chasma-i Ayub Khazira. That is the ride.