Chor-Bakr necropolis, Bukhara

Chor-Bakr means “four Bakrs”: tradition says that four brothers named Abu Bakr, descendants of the Prophet Muhammad, are buried here. The most important of them, Abu Bakr Said, died in the 10th century, and a cemetery grew up around his grave in the village of Sumitan.

In the 16th century the site became the burial ground of the Juybari sheikhs, a family that claimed descent from Abu Bakr Said. The Juybaris were leaders of the Naqshbandi Sufi order and immensely rich landowners, and they were among the most powerful figures in the Shaybanid state. Their head was a close adviser of Abdullah Khan II, who was a disciple of the family. With his support, in the 1560s, the necropolis was rebuilt as a monumental complex.

What makes Chor-Bakr unusual is its layout. Rather than scattered graves, it is organised like a town: streets and lanes run between walled family enclosures (hazira), each with its own entrance portal, where members of a family were buried under stone and brick tombs. Some enclosures have high portals decorated with tiles, others simple walls of brick. Walking along the lanes between them, you feel you are in an abandoned quarter of a city.

The main buildings stand along one side of a large courtyard:

• The mosque, with a large dome and a portal.
• The khanaka, a Sufi lodge with a high portal, where dervishes gathered for prayer and meditation.
• The madrasah, small and simple, where religious subjects were taught.

Between them is the main burial enclosure, with the tombs of Abu Bakr Said and the Juybari sheikhs on a raised platform. The buildings are of baked brick with restrained tile decoration on the portals; their power lies in their proportions and the sense of order.

The necropolis was restored in the 1990s and 2000s and is again a place of pilgrimage. Local people come to pray at the tombs of the saints and to walk in the courtyards. It is also a peaceful place, surrounded by trees and the fields of the oasis, a good contrast to the busy old city.

Location: in the village of Sumitan, about 5–6 km west of the centre of Bukhara.

Getting there: about 15 minutes by taxi. It is often combined with the Bahauddin Naqshband complex and Sitorai Mohi-Hosa in a half-day trip by car, as all three are outside the old city; Chor-Bakr lies west, the other two north and north-east.

Tickets: a small entrance fee.

Time needed: about an hour.

Etiquette: this is a cemetery and a place of prayer. Dress modestly, speak quietly and do not climb on tombs.

Tips: late afternoon light is beautiful on the brick portals. Bring water and a hat in summer, as there is little shade in the courtyards. A guide can explain the history of the Juybari family and their role in Bukharan politics.

Chor-Bakr shows a side of Bukhara that the madrasahs and bazaars do not: the power of the Sufi orders and the religious aristocracy in the Shaybanid state. The Juybari sheikhs controlled vast estates, collected huge revenues and influenced the choice of rulers. Their necropolis, planned like a town, reflects their wealth and their claim to sacred ancestry. Visitors interested in Sufism should combine it with the shrine of Bahauddin Naqshband, the founder of the order the Juybaris led, and, in the city, with the Nadir Divan-Begi khanaka on Lyabi-Hauz.