Bukhara

What you actually see

The Ark Fortress, the Poi Kalyan complex with its minaret, and a run of domed trading bazaars that have been in continuous commercial use for centuries. What separates Bukhara is that people still live and trade in the old town, so it does not empty out when the tour buses leave.

The minaret

The Kalyan minaret is the structure Genghis Khan is said to have left standing when he destroyed the rest of the city. Whether or not that is literally true, it has stood since 1127 and is the oldest thing most visitors will touch on the trip.

Pairing it

Almost nobody comes to Bukhara alone. It is the third stop after Tashkent and Samarkand, and the high-speed train makes that a three-city trip inside four days.

How long to give it

Two nights. Bukhara's centre is walkable in a way Samarkand's is not, so the second day is spent wandering rather than driving.

When to go

Average daytime high, night-time low and rain days for Bukhara, from five years of recorded observations rather than a forecast or a brochure.

Comfortable months: Mar to May, Sep to Nov.