Bukhara

City in south-central Uzbekistan, on the Zerevshan River 220 km/137 mi east of Samarkand; population (1999) 237,900. A historic city with over 140 protected buildings, it was once the heart of Muslim Central Asia, and second only to Mecca as an Islamic holy site. It is the capital of the Bukhara province of Uzbekistan, which has given its name to a type of handwoven carpet. Textiles, including rugs and carpets, are manufactured here (though ‘Bukhara’ carpets are now principally made in Ashgabat, in Turkmenistan). Natural gas is extracted in the surrounding region, and cotton is grown extensively.