Traditional Houses in the Old Jewish Mahallah of Bukhara

Active Project
World Monuments Watch
Bukhara, Uzbekistan

Site History and Significance

Located along the Silk Roads and the edges of several former empires, the city of Bukhara, Uzbekistan, has been home to the Jewish community for over two millennia. Bukharian Jews, some claiming descent from fifth-century exiles from Persia, have resisted several waves of persecution and assimilation through the development of their own distinct Jewish culture.

A Growing Population and Culture

In the Middle Ages, Bukhara became the heart of Jewish life in central Asia, as Jews from other communities in the region settled there. By the turn of the twentieth century, the Jewish community of Bukhara was the largest among a network of Jewish minorities in Uzbek cities including Tashkent, Samarkand, Kokand, Andijan, Marghilan, and Navoi. Bukharian Jews were active in establishing trade connections with the Russian Empire and held positions in law, medicine, and local government, while others were well-known musicians, actors, and dancers. Following the Russian Revolution and throughout the Holocaust, Jews from Eastern Europe continued to immigrate to Bukhara to avoid persecution.

A Legacy of Craft

Bukharian Jews maintain a long tradition of resilience through trade and crafts, including textile dyeing, jewelry making, and woodworking. The foremost representation of this woodworking tradition is preserved in the Bukharian houses, exceptional living examples of vernacular architecture within a medieval urban design and a system of mahallahs, or neighborhoods. Beyond being merely a form of community expression, the houses illustrate a close relation with the environment as the use of earthen materials is a response to the harsh desert climate. The traditional houses are located throughout the historic center of Bukhara, which was listed as a World Heritage property in 1993 by UNESCO.

 

 

Our Involvement

A Joint Effort toward Conservation

Less than 200 Bukharian Jews remain in the old mahallah. The vast majority left Bukhara for Israel and the United States following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Due to this mass exodus and the development of new building techniques, the traditional houses are now under threat of disappearance and are subject to alterations insensitive to their historical significance. The houses were included on the 2020 World Monuments Watch to encourage the documentation and creation of sustainable urban conservation standards for the adaptive reuse of the Bukharian Jewish Houses.

Following the site's inclusion on the Watch, WMF and the International Institute for Central Asian Studies (IICAS), in partnership with the Bukhara State University, launched the Traditional Bukharian Jewish Houses project. Through the use of digital technologies, the project aims to create best practice conservation guidelines and enhance community awareness of traditional techniques while fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange between different stakeholders. With the Turin Polytechnic University in Tashkent, the project also intends to develop the necessary inventory, documentation, and condition assessment of these unique historic houses.

Learn more

World Monuments Fund safeguards cultural heritage around the globe, ensuring our treasured places are preserved for present and future generations. 

Sign up for our newsletter to receive regular updates on our projects, stories from the field, upcoming events, and more!

World Monuments Fund's work at the Traditional Houses in the Old Jewish Mahallah of Bukhara has been made possible, in part, by support from the David Berg Foundation and Tianaderrah Foundation / Nellie and Robert Gipson.

Last updated: September 2023.

Resources

Slideshows

Join us in safeguarding significant places.