Bukhara: the historic centre
The Maghoki-Attar (Pit of the Herbalists) Mosque, dating from the 12th century, it is the oldest mosque in Central Asia. It also boasts an illustrious history of sacredness - remains of a 5th century Zoroastrian temple and a Buddhist temple have been found beneath it, and Jews once used it in the evenings. An earthquake destroyed the mosque in 1860. It was excavated and restored in the 1930s, during which the earlier structures were found.
Photo by Ludo Kuipers, Thu Jun 13, 2013