LIAB-I-KHAOUZ ENSEMBLE

Bordered by tchaikhanas and mulberry trees several hundred years old, behind the foliage of which can be seen the sumptuous facades of the madrasah and the khanaka Nadir Divanbeg, the Liab-i-Khaouz is a place of life and conviviality in the heart of the old city, an ideal starting and finishing point for walks in Bukhara.

The pool provides coolness even in the hot summer hours. At the time of its size, Bukhara had about 100 such basins, of which the Liab-i-Khaouz is one of the few survivors. Taken over by the tourism business, it is now flanked by restaurants on three sides and camel statues on the fourth. The traditional takhtans have mostly been replaced by western-style tables and chairs. The aksakal, or elders, who used to gather there in tens, have gradually been pushed to the right of the basin to make way for the now much larger number of tourists. This has not changed their habits: watching the time go by and playing dominoes for hours on end. There is a legend that tells how the basin was once the home of a Jewish woman. She had no desire to move, and she interfered with the plans of the Wazir, who decided to dig a canal under her house. The Wazir won the game, because the house, which had been eaten away by dampness, eventually collapsed. This unusual story of eviction left its mark on the inhabitants of the city, who named the basin Khaouz Bazur, the basin of constraint. In addition to being one of the rare basins to have crossed the centuries, it is also one of the largest in the city: it is 45 m long and 36 m wide. Three buildings line the basin

To the north, slightly set back, the Koukeldash Madrasa is the oldest, dating from the mid-16th century, while the Madrasa and the Nadir-Divanbeg Khanaka, facing respectively the east and west of the basin, were built in 1620, at the same time as the water body. The Kukeldash Madrasa, built in 1568 by Kulbaba Kukeldash, is the largest madrasa in the city; it measures 80m by 60m and comprises 160 cells on two levels.

To the east of the basin, the Nadir-Divanbeg madrasa stands out for the two huge semurgues, or simorghs, that adorn its portal. These fantastic birds with blue and green plumage, holding a doe in their talons, seem to fly towards a sun god that is reminiscent of the sun god on the façade of the Chir Dor Madrasa in Samarkand. The high entrance porch is characteristic of caravanserais, and was apparently not intended to open onto a madrasah. But it is said that the khan was mistaken at the inauguration and, while admiring the caravanserai, congratulated Nadir-Divan-Begi for his religious zeal in building such beautiful madrasas. It was unthinkable to contradict the Khan, and although there were no study halls or mosque, the caravanserai became a madrasah. In reality, this transformation was probably caused by the decline in commercial activity that Bukhara suffered in the 17th century. Today the cells are transformed into souvenir shops and craftsmen's workshops. In the summer, concerts are also organized there.

Finally, in the west, the Nadir-Divanbeg khanaka welcomed pilgrim dervishes. They were housed in the cells surrounding the central mosque, now transformed into an art gallery and souvenir shop.