Uzbekistan: Bukhara – Kalyan Minaret
Kalyan Minaret is very much the symbol and emblem of Bukhara – the most photographed and famous landmarks in the city. The minaret tower was built in 1127 by Mohammad Arslan Khan, the ruler of the Kara-Khanid Khanate, to sound the Muslim call for prayer five times per day. The minaret is 48m high and 9m in diameter at the bottom and 6m at the top. When Genghis Khan captured Bukhara several centuries later, he was so impressed with it thy he ordered it spared whole everything else was destroyed around it. Interestingly, the minaret is also known as the Tower of Death, as criminals have been executed by being thrown off of it well until the early 20th century. Don’t miss it being spectacularly lit at night!
