Bukhara Emir’s Palace. Uzbekistan (in English)

The history of the palace Sitora-i Mohi Khosa, the summer residence of the last Bukharan emirs, is situated 4 km north of the city. The old palace was built in the second half of the 19th century by Ahadkhan, father of the last emir of Bukhara. Yet Ahadkhan’s palace has partly survived to this day. To the east of Ahadkhan’s residence, a new European-style palace was erected. The palace had a big garden with the flowers, vineyards, orchards, and zoo (haivonot-khona). The garden occupied 6.7 hectares of the palace area. The whole territory of Sitora-i Mohi Khosa was surrounded with high, packed-clay walls, which resembled a fortress. The construction of the new palace had lasted from 1912 to 1918.The best masters of Bukhara as well as the Russian engineers Margulis and Sakovich, who served under the last Bukharan emir, were drawn to the palace construction. To decorate and equip the palace, the mirrors, Dutch tiled stove, crystal chandeliers and furniture were brought from Russia. The main entrance of the palace was decorated with two marble lions made of the Ghazghan marble and skillfully carved by Bukharan masters.