BUKHARA

Uzbek Bukhoro, also spelled Buchara, or Bokhara city and administrative centre, Bukhoro oblasti (province), Uzbekistan, on the Shakhrud Canal in the delta of the Zeravshan River, at the centre of Bukhara oasis. Founded not later than the 1st century AD, it was already a major trade and crafts centre when the Arabs captured it in 709. The capital of the Samanid dynasty in the 9th10th century, it later was seized by the Qarakhanids and Karakitais before falling to Genghis Khan in 1220 and to Timur (Tamerlane) in 1370. In 1506 Bukhara was conquered by the Uzbek Shaybanids, who, from the mid-16th century, made it the capital of their state, which became known as the khanate of Bukhara. Bukhara attained its greatest importance in the late 16th century, when the Shaybanids' possessions included most of present-day Central Asia as well as northern Persia and Afghanistan. The emir Mohammed Rahim freed himself from Persian vassalage in the mid-18th century and founded the Mangit dynasty. In 1868 the khanate was made a Russian protectorate, and in 1920 the emir was overthrown by Red Army troops. Bukhara remained the capital of the Bukharan People's Soviet Republic, which replaced the khanate, until the republic was absorbed into the Uzbek S.S.R. in 1924. It remained the capital when Uzbekistan gained independence in 1991. The city grew rapidly after the discovery in the late 1950s of natural gas nearby. The old town still retains much of its former aspect, with its mosques, madaris (Muslim theological schools), flat-roofed houses of sun-dried bricks, and remains of covered bazaars. Among important buildings are the Ismail Samani Mausoleum (9th10th century); the Kalyan minaret (1127) and mosque; the Ulugh Beg (1417), Kukeldash (16th century), Abdulaziz-Khan (1652), and Miri-Arab (1536) madaris; and the Ark, the city fortress, which is the oldest structure in Bukhara. The city's economy is based on a number of food and light-industrial undertakings, including a large works processing Karakul lambs' fleece. Bukhara is also growing in importance as the largest city in a natural gas region. Certain traditional handicrafts, such as gold embroidery and metalworking, are still practiced. Cultural amenities include a teacher-training institute, a theatre, and a museum. Pop. (1991 est.) 249,600. also spelled Buchara, or Bokhara oblast (province), central Uzbekistan, with an area of 15,200 square miles (39,400 square km). The oblast was constituted in 1938, but in 1982 much of its territory in the north and east was transferred to a newly formed Navoi oblast. Bukhara oblast mainly comprises the Kimirekkum Desert, with the lower reaches of the Zeravshan River in the southwest. The climate is continental, with cold winters and long, hot, dry summers. Annual precipitation is only 57 inches (125175 mm). Karakul sheep are raised in the desert. Natural gas from major deposits discovered in the south in the 1950s is piped to the Urals and central European Russia as well as to the other Central Asian republics. Major cities are Bukhara, the administrative centre; Kagan; and Gizhduvan. Uzbeks constitute over 70 percent of the population. About 38 percent of the population is urban. Pop. (1991 est.) 1,708,000.