KAGAN PALACE
You're near the Kagan railway station in New Bukhara, a colony that served as a base for the Russian army, engineers and builders. Construction of the palace began in 1895 and took just under 10 years. The Emir of Bukhara, inspired by the palaces of Petersburg, wanted to receive Tsar Nicholas II with great pomp on his next trip to Central Asia. With the railroad now linking his lands to Russia, he needed to be accommodated with the necessary prestige as soon as he stepped off the train from Tashkent.
So began the construction project, led by Russian architect Alexei Leontievich Benois. The result: an enormous palace combining neo-Moorish, Baroque and Russian styles... where the Tsar never set foot. Delayed by other business, he was overtaken by the Bolshevik Revolution, which turned everything upside down. The palace remained unoccupied until Saïd Alim Khan, who became Emir of Bukhara in 1910, decided to accommodate visiting dignitaries who were forbidden to stay in the holy city of Bukhara because they were non-Muslims. When the socialists came to power, the building's purpose changed: it was transformed into a social center for railroad workers. Events were held in the magnificent banquet hall.
Today, the palace is owned by the municipality, which has inaugurated a museum, the Palais de la culture des cheminots (very average). But don't forget to take the time to tour the building, which is quite exceptional in terms of its volume and architecture.
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