Bolo-Hauz Mosque, Bukhara

Bolo-Hauz Mosque entrance fee and opening hours

Entry is free — the unofficial answer most guides give, as this is a working mosque with no ticket desk. One travel site lists about 10,000 UZS, but nobody else confirms a fee, so treat it as unverified. There is sometimes a donation box; if you want to give, bring a few som in cash.

There are no official opening hours. The gate is normally open every day during daylight, and visitors are asked to wait while each of the five daily prayers takes place. A weekday morning is the best time: quiet, few people and soft light on the pillars.

On payment more generally: Visa and Mastercard work in many Bukhara hotels and some restaurants, but small sights, cafés and taxi drivers often want cash. Bank ATMs in the old town and around Lyabi-Hauz give som — you’ll need them for the Ark across the square, which does charge for entry.

What is Bolo-Hauz?

Bolo-Hauz is a small ensemble of three parts: the mosque, a hauz (pool) and a minaret. It stands on Registan Square, across the road from the Ark of Bukhara, and until 1920 it was the emir’s Friday mosque — the ruler crossed over from his citadel to pray here.

The oldest part is the winter mosque and pool of 1712. The winter hall is compact, its vault resting on four columns. Around it on three sides runs the summer iwan, an open pillared gallery used for prayer in warm weather. The iwan in its present form and the minaret date from 1917, the work of local master builder Shirin Muradov.

The name is usually translated as ‘children’s pool’, though ‘upper pool’ also turns up. The pool once supplied water for ablutions and for the neighbourhood. Today the mosque is in use again, and the ensemble is part of the Historic Centre of Bukhara World Heritage Site.

Why is it called the mosque of forty pillars?

The iwan has twenty tall, slender pillars of carved wood. The other twenty are in the water: when the pool is still, each pillar gets a reflected twin. That’s where the nickname comes from, and every local guide will tell you about it.

The pillars stand on concrete bases and are topped with muqarnas — honeycomb capitals painted in several colours. Above them is the flat wooden ceiling of the iwan, painted and finely carved. It’s one of the finest wooden galleries in old Bukhara.

You won’t always get the reflection: the pool is sometimes drained, and wind breaks the surface. For the classic shot, stand on the far side of the pool in the morning or towards sunset, when the sun isn’t glaring straight into the iwan.

What to see at Bolo-Hauz

• The iwan — twenty pillars under one long painted ceiling. Stand in the middle and look up; the painting runs the full length.
• The capitals — coloured muqarnas, honeycomb ‘stalactites’ above the slim shafts.
• Carved ganch — plaster panels with geometric and floral patterns on the iwan walls.
• The winter hall — when no prayer is on, you can look in from the door; shoes off on the carpets.
• The pool and the reflection — the ensemble’s signature view, best from the far bank.
• The 1917 minaret — short, with bands of brickwork and blue glazed tiles, just beside the mosque.

Is Bolo-Hauz worth visiting?

Yes, if you’re going to the Ark anyway: the mosque is just across the road, entry is free, and 20 minutes is enough to take in the iwan and the pillars. It’s the most beautiful wooden mosque in old Bukhara and a calm pause after the busy centre.

It isn’t worth a special trip on its own: there’s no museum or exhibition, and you can’t go in during prayers. With one day in Bukhara, combine it with the Ark, the Kalyan Minaret and the Samanid Mausoleum — all within a 10–15-minute walk.

Bolo-Hauz vs Po-i-Kalyan vs Lyabi-Hauz

Three sides of Bukhara: Bolo-Hauz is the quiet wooden mosque by the Ark, Po-i-Kalyan with the Mir-i-Arab Madrasa is the grand centre, and Lyabi-Hauz is where the day ends.

Bukhara’s mosques and holy sites compared

Every mosque, madrasa and mausoleum in Bukhara rated by YesGo. Tap a column heading to sort.

Nearby — add to your day

43

Ark of Bukhara

Bukhara, Uzbekistan

1 h 30 min · ≈ 60,000 UZS for foreigners · 4 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Ark of Bukhara

38

Samanid Mausoleum

Bukhara, Uzbekistan

30 min · ≈ 20,000 UZS, under 7s free · 10 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Samanid Mausoleum

39

Kalyan Minaret

Bukhara, Uzbekistan

45 min · Square free, mosque ≈ 15,000 UZS · 12 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Kalyan Minaret

45

Mir-i-Arab Madrasa

Bukhara, Uzbekistan

20 min · Free; usually no entry past the foyer · 13 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Mir-i-Arab Madrasa

How to do it right

• Go before the Ark: the mosque is quiet in the morning, and the fortress across the road opens at about the same time.
• Shoot the iwan’s reflection from the far bank of the pool on a still day.
• To see the mosque at its liveliest, stand on the square just before Friday midday prayers — but don’t go in then.
• Bring socks: if you step into the winter hall, shoes stay at the door.
• Look up: the painted iwan ceiling is the finest detail here, and it’s easy to miss.
• From the mosque it’s a 10–15-minute walk through Samani Park to the Samanid Mausoleum — a natural next stop to the west.

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