Bolo Haouz Mosque
Bolo Hovuz masjidi
The emir's own mosque opposite the Ark Fortress, with a porch of 20 slender carved wooden columns mirrored in the pool in front.
Built in 1712, this was the mosque where the emir of Bukhara prayed every Friday, located directly opposite the Ark Fortress. Its best-known feature is the porch added in 1917: 20 tall carved wooden columns, each with a stalactite capital, support a painted wooden ceiling. It is nicknamed the “Forty-Column Mosque” because the 20 columns reflected in the pool in front seem to double to 40. A small minaret and a Soviet-era water tower stand beside it. Entry is free. Stay out of the way during prayer times and dress modestly. It's a 10-minute walk across the square from the Ark Fortress to the Samanid Mausoleum.
Opening hours
Open all day; avoid service times
Nearby sights
- Ark of Bukhara
- Kosh Madrasa (Modari Khan & Abdullah Khan)
- Chashma-Ayub Mausoleum
- Zindan Prison
- Po-i-Kalyan: Kalyan Minaret & Mosque
- Samanid Mausoleum
- Trading Domes (Toqi)
- Faizulla Khodjaev House Museum