Why this ride
From Jondor Shaharchasi it runs 220 km to Jondor Shaharchasi; allow about 3 h 33 of riding. It goes by way of Chor Bakh Necropolis, Vobkent Minaret, Bahouddin Naqshband Architectural Complex and back through Vobkent Minaret.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Varakhsha Settlement and Bahouddin Naqshband Architectural Complex
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 220 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 33
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Uzbekistan Silk Road Route
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For about 38 km this is Uzbekistan Silk Road Route, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 38 km
- Named road
- Uzbekistan Silk Road Route
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Varakhsha Settlement
Thirty kilometres or so west of Bukhara, beyond the last irrigated fields, the land turns to sand and salt crust at the edge of the Kyzylkum desert, and here a low mound of eroded mud brick rises from the flat ground. This is Varakhsha, once a flourishing town and the residence of the Bukhar Khudats, the pre-Islamic rulers of the Bukhara oasis. It thrived in the early medieval centuries, when the oasis extended further than it does today, and was abandoned around the eleventh century, probably as irrigation failed and the desert advanced.
Read the complete Varakhsha Settlement write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Varakhsha Settlement is where the day begins. Next is Chor Bakh Necropolis.
2. 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
Chor Bakh Necropolis comes up about 38 km into the recorded legs. Next is Vobkent Minaret.
3. Vobkent Minaret
Vobkent's minaret is a tall brick finger rising out of a small Uzbek town on the edge of the Bukhara oasis. It was built in the late twelfth century, in the same tradition as the more famous Kalyan minaret in Bukhara, which it predates in style by a few years and rivals in elegance. Standing nearly forty metres high, it is made entirely of fired brick laid in bands of geometric patterns, with a tapering shaft and a lantern top. Up close, the craftsmanship is startling: no two courses seem quite the same.
Read the complete Vobkent Minaret write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 76 km into the recorded legs you reach Vobkent Minaret. Next is Bahouddin Naqshband Architectural Complex.
4. 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, about halfway. Next is back through Vobkent Minaret.
5. back through Vobkent Minaret
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Vobkent Minaret write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Vobkent Minaret sits at 144 km, about halfway. Next is back through Chor Bakh Necropolis.
6. back through Chor Bakh Necropolis
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
back through Chor Bakh Necropolis comes up about 182 km into the recorded legs. Next is Varakhsha Settlement.
7. Varakhsha Settlement
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Varakhsha Settlement write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Varakhsha Settlement closes the day.
Leg by leg
Varakhsha Settlement to Chor Bakh Necropolis
Varakhsha Settlement → Chor Bakh Necropolis is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Chor Bakh Necropolis to Vobkent Minaret
Chor Bakh Necropolis → Vobkent Minaret is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Vobkent Minaret to Bahouddin Naqshband Architectural Complex
Vobkent Minaret → Bahouddin Naqshband Architectural Complex is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Bahouddin Naqshband Architectural Complex to back through Vobkent Minaret
Bahouddin Naqshband Architectural Complex → back through Vobkent Minaret is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Vobkent Minaret to back through Chor Bakh Necropolis
back through Vobkent Minaret → back through Chor Bakh Necropolis is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Chor Bakh Necropolis to Varakhsha Settlement
back through Chor Bakh Necropolis → Varakhsha Settlement is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.