Uzbekistan’s Silk Road city Bukhara became a home to a Jewish community from at least the 12th century. They developed their own culture and language, Bukhori, which is related to Persian but uses the Hebrew alphabet. This is still spoken today both by the city’s small community of Bukharan Jews, and those who emigrated mainly to Israel and New York.
We were fortunate to be staying at the Grand Nodirbek Hotel which was formerly six Jewish houses. The rooms, over two storeys, were located around a central courtyard with carved wooden pillars and lots of blue tile work.
The manager gave us a guided tour of the hotel’s associated museum, but firstly we glimpsed into a beautifully restored dining room with vibrant colours and décor. This is used by guests after watching cookery demonstrations on making Jewish green plov, which adds spicy greens to the traditional rice and lamb.
From a trap door we accessed a steep set of stairs down into a cool cellar. This had simply been used to store the hotel’s goods, but now housed original wooden doors and old chests. We were told of how an elderly Jewish lady had returned to Bukhara after many years, and spotted what had been her wedding chest: this became the inspiration for the museum which opened in 2023.
The next room was the surprisingly large, light and bright museum with lots of portraits of Bukharan Jews around the walls, clothes, rugs and other items associated with daily life.
A final house had been sealed up for many years after the owners left. However, when it was eventually sold, it was bought by the hotel, who felt it should be preserved rather than converted into more rooms. Perhaps because of this, the original wooden beams, and the intricate gypsum carvings on the walls were still in remarkable condition. Having seen the restoration in the dining room, the wall paintings were slightly faded, but the room’s design was the same with a wall of niches designed for the family’s prized objects. We were told that if the family wanted a valued guest to return, their gift would be placed in the largest niche and vice versa. This room now served as a craft gallery and gift shop.
The museum is open to non-resident visitors and although there was a Jewish Community Centre and Synagogue next to our hotel, unfortunately during the times we were free to visit, it was closed.
