The most beautiful mosques to visit Uzbekistan

Located outside the madrasah, at the eastern corner of its façade, Kalta Minor was to be the highest minaret in the Muslim world, rising to 70 m. An architectural challenge for the time, but above all a height that was never reached, the work having been abandoned after the death of the khan when the minaret barely reached 29m. According to legend, the Khan of Bukhara, learning of the project from his rival Khiva and not being able to suffer from living in the shadow of a minaret larger than the Kalon minaret (it was said that when it was completed, Bukhara could be seen from its summit), planned to have the architect removed so that he could come and erect an even larger minaret in his city. What he learned, and so that his knowledge would benefit no one else, Khiva's khan decided to assassinate the architect as soon as his work was completed. As the Bukhara Khan matured the same project, the architect finally fled without asking for the rest, and the minaret remained forever truncated. The "short minaret" therefore only rises to 29 m, leaving the title of highest minaret in Bukhara: the Kalon minaret measures 49 m! The Kalta Minor nevertheless rests on a wide 14 m base, and is entirely and superbly decorated with green and blue majolica married to the distinctive green of Khiva. It is not usually possible to go up there, as the place is closed to tourists, but you can try your luck with the staff of the Orient Star Hotel, which has opened in the adjoining madrasah.

The largest mosque in Uzbekistan was inaugurated in autumn 2014. Desired by the president, Islam Karimov, it was inaugurated with great pomp and ceremony and can accommodate 2,400 people. Made of white marble and taking up the classical architecture of the country, its mosaics represent the sky. The gold-covered mirhab is based on writings from the Qur'an and the central building is flanked by two high minarets. The ensemble is not yet very patinated and in this sense still lacks a bit of charm, but all around have been created pleasant green spaces along the Ankhor canal.

The Friday Mosque of Langar dates from the 16th century. A gift from Mohamed Sadik to the village, it is absolutely magnificent. Not only have its architecture and decorations been preserved for almost five centuries, but its central role in local social and cultural life has remained unchanged. Still in operation, it gathers all the inhabitants on Fridays around 1pm for the Imam's preaching. They discuss the Koran and religious teachings, of course, but they also resolve disputes between neighbours, socialize...

A little out of the way, overlooking a district on the southern outskirts of Djarkurgan, this minaret, which dates from 1109-1110, is ten years older than the Kalon minaret of Bukhara, making it one of the oldest in Central Asia. But more than its age, it is its architecture that makes it special. The present minaret is 22 m long, whereas according to archaeologists it originally reached 50 m, which made it equal to the minarets of the Bibi Khanum Mosque in Samarkand. Its mud-brick structure arranged in 16 semi-columns is unique and gives it a surprising grace, despite its truncated proportions. The arrangement of the bricks creates patterns such as undulations, and from below, the perspective is accentuated by the narrowing of the semi-columns towards what was the head of the minaret.

The minaret has been enhanced with the creation of a small garden at its feet, and above all the opening of a small regional museum, which has been built right next to the minaret, and is worth a visit. Realistic works by the contemporary painter Mansurov are on display and illustrate particularly interesting scenes of Uzbek social life. The custodian of the keys is at the school next door: if he is not at the museum, don't hesitate to pick him up at the school. It will also open up the minaret which can be climbed to give you a dominant view of the region. Caution: the spiral staircase is very narrow, steep and dark. Ask the guard to lend you a flashlight.

In the friendly village of Vabkent stands, overlooking the surrounding adobe roofs, the tapering silhouette of a 39 m high minaret, typical of Karakhanid architecture. It is only an optical illusion due to its slimness that makes it appear higher than the Kalon minaret of Bukhara, to which it nevertheless yields 4 meters. Vabkent is not necessarily worth a specific detour, but if you go to Gijduvan to visit the ceramic workshop, plan to make a small stop while taking a picture and take a few steps in the surrounding streets.

This mosque is built near a source of holy water, a place of pilgrimage where the ancient Cultes cults and the cult of Islam's saints coexist.