# Trading Domes, Bukhara > Bukhara’s trading domes are four 16th-century covered bazaars between Lyabi-Hauz and the Kalyan Minaret: Toqi Sarrafon, Toqi Telpak Furushon, the Tim of Abdullah Khan and the biggest, **Toqi Zargaron**, the jewellers’ dome. Walking through is **free** at any hour; the stalls keep daytime hours. Allow an hour, more if you haggle over a suzani. Web page: https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/bukhara/bukhara-trading-domes - City: [Bukhara](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/bukhara), Uzbekistan - YesGo score: 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 1 h - Opening hours: Passages open 24/7; stalls roughly 9:00 to 18:00–19:00, daily (unofficial) - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Free — a pedestrian market street in the old town - Stalls: Roughly 9:00 to 18:00–19:00, daily; some close earlier - Time needed: About an hour for all four domes; up to two with shopping - Payment: Cash in som is safest; foreign Visa or Mastercard works only in some bigger shops - Getting there: 1 minute from the Kalyan Minaret to Toqi Zargaron; the whole street to Lyabi-Hauz is a 10-minute walk - Where: Old town, Hakikat and Khoja Nurabad streets, between Po-i-Kalyan and Lyabi-Hauz - Coordinates: 39.77639, 64.41664 - Facts checked: 30.10.2026 ## Key facts - **4 domes** — survive out of six big 16th-century covered bazaars; the two near the Registan are gone (source: Russian Wikipedia; OrexCA) - **1586–1587** — Toqi Zargaron, the jewellers’ dome, was built under Abdullah Khan II (source: Russian and German Wikipedia) - **1577** — the Tim of Abdullah Khan went up — an enclosed market for silk and carpets (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **1570–1571** — Toqi Telpak Furushon was built, according to waqf documents (source: English Wikipedia; Turkestantravel) - **30+ workshops** — of jewellers worked under Toqi Zargaron in its early centuries (source: Russian and German Wikipedia; Marcopolo.uz) - **5 streets** — meet under the Telpak Furushon dome (source: English Wikipedia; Marcopolo.uz; Turkestantravel) - **Kitob Furushon** — the old name of Telpak Furushon, when it was the booksellers’ dome (source: OrexCA; Advantour; English Wikipedia) - **56 shops** — line the arched niches of the Tim of Abdullah Khan (source: English Wikipedia (after G. Pugachenkova); OrexCA) - **Sarrafs** — the moneychangers who gave Toqi Sarrafon by Lyabi-Hauz its name (source: Advantour; Eurasia.travel; Turkestantravel) - **Shaybanids** — the dynasty under which all four domes were built, when Bukhara became the capital (source: OrexCA; Advantour; Russian Wikipedia) - **UNESCO** — part of the Historic Centre of Bukhara World Heritage Site (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) ## Are the Bukhara trading domes worth it? Yes, mostly because you can’t avoid them — and you shouldn’t. The domes sit on the walk between Bukhara’s two main squares, they cost nothing to enter, and the brick vaults are more than four centuries old. Even if you buy nothing, they are the coolest place in the old town on a hot afternoon. Be honest with yourself about the shopping, though. Much of what hangs at the entrances is the same scarves and magnets you’ll see across Uzbekistan, and prices are pitched at visitors. The rewarding part is the craft that is genuinely local: hand-forged knives, suzani embroidery and silver jewellery. ## The four domes, from Lyabi-Hauz to the Kalyan Minaret - **Toqi Sarrafon** — the moneychangers’ dome by Lyabi-Hauz. Merchants from India, China and Persia once swapped coins here with the sarrafs. Today: carpets, scarves, suzani and souvenirs. The ancient Magoki Attari Mosque is right next door. - **Toqi Telpak Furushon** — the hat sellers’ dome, where five streets meet. It started out as the booksellers’ dome, Kitob Furushon. Now: hats, scarves, jewellery, knives and musical instruments. - **Tim of Abdullah Khan** — a closed market from 1577 for silk and carpets, with one entrance and light only from windows under the dome. It stays cool inside even in July. Today: carpets, suzani and Bukhara cloth. - **Toqi Zargaron** — the jewellers’ dome by the Kalyan Minaret, the biggest of the four. Jewellery, antiques, textiles and copperware. - **The blacksmiths’ workshop** by Telpak Furushon — watch Bukhara knives and tools being forged the old way. ## What is Toqi Zargaron? Toqi Zargaron, the jewellers’ dome, is the largest and northernmost of Bukhara’s surviving trading domes. It was built in 1586–1587 under Abdullah Khan II at the crossing of two main streets, with the Po-i-Kalyan ensemble to the west and the Ulugbek and Abdulaziz Khan madrasas to the east. A big central dome sits on a drum pierced with windows, ringed by smaller domes over the stalls. What sets it apart is the main dome itself: stretched upwards and braced with ribs, which you see best from Po-i-Kalyan square. In its first centuries more than thirty jewellers’ workshops and shops worked here, making jewellery and seals. ## What to buy in the trading domes The best buys are things actually made in Bukhara: **suzani** (embroidered hangings and cushion covers), **hand-forged knives** from the smithy by Telpak Furushon, skullcaps, silver jewellery with traditional patterns, painted ceramics, and silk scarves. Turn a suzani over before you buy: hand stitching looks slightly uneven on the back, machine stitching doesn’t. **Haggling is expected.** The first price is a starting point, often given in US dollars. Convert it into som, walk all four domes before you commit, and come back to the stall you liked. A friendly counter-offer is part of the conversation, not an insult. **Paying:** carry cash in som, in small notes. Foreign Visa and Mastercard work in hotels, bigger restaurants and some larger carpet shops, but most stalls want cash. Bank ATMs and exchange offices in the old town give som and change US dollars and euros. > **Antiques and old carpets: export rules** Antiques and anything that could count as cultural heritage — old carpets, books, coins, jewellery — can’t leave Uzbekistan without permission from the Ministry of Culture. If a seller calls something old, ask for the paperwork for customs. New carpets and ordinary souvenirs are fine. Check the rules before you pay for anything expensive. ## Trading domes opening hours The passages never close: this is an ordinary pedestrian street, lit up at night. The stalls are another matter. Unofficially they open around 9:00 and close between 18:00 and 19:00, every day, but each shop keeps its own hours and there is no official timetable. Go in the morning if you want to shop: it is cooler, the vaults are quiet before tour groups arrive, and sellers opening up are more willing to deal. Come back after dark for photos — the domes and the lane down to Lyabi-Hauz are floodlit, though many stalls will have shut. ## A short history of Bukhara’s covered bazaars In the 16th century the Shaybanid dynasty made Bukhara its capital, and the main trade street from Lyabi-Hauz to the Registan was roofed with domes over its crossroads. There were six large ones; shops ran in continuous rows between them. The two near the Registan, Toqi Tirgaron and Toqi Allofi, have not survived. Each dome had its trade: moneychangers in Sarrafon, hats and books in Telpak Furushon, silk and carpets in the Tim, gold and silver in Zargaron. Everyday shopping carried on here until the mid-20th century; now it is mostly crafts for travellers. ## How to get to the trading domes 1. From Po-i-Kalyan square by the [Kalyan Minaret](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/bukhara/kalyan-minaret), walk east — within a minute you are under Toqi Zargaron. 2. Carry on along the market street to the Tim of Abdullah Khan by the Abdulaziz Khan Madrasa; the entrance is on its west side. 3. About 300 m further you reach the five-way crossing under Toqi Telpak Furushon. 4. The last is Toqi Sarrafon, and beyond it the [Lyabi-Hauz](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/bukhara/lyabi-hauz) pool. The whole street takes about 10 minutes without stops. 5. From Bukhara airport (BHK), take a taxi with the Yandex Go app — about 15 minutes. From the railway station in Kagan, 12 km away, allow about 25 minutes. Ask for “Lyabi-Hauz” or “Po-i-Kalyan”. ## Before you go: checklist - [ ] Som in cash, in small notes - [ ] A dollar-to-som converter on my phone - [ ] A short list: suzani, knife, skullcap - [ ] Space in my bag for a carpet or ceramics - [ ] Seller’s paperwork if something is antique - [ ] A morning slot, before the heat and the groups ## Trading domes vs Lyabi-Hauz vs Po-i-Kalyan | | Trading domes | Lyabi-Hauz | Po-i-Kalyan | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | What it is | 16th-century covered bazaars | Pool and three madrasas | Minaret, mosque and Mir-i-Arab Madrasa | | Entry | Free | Free | Square free | | Why go | Crafts and cool shade | Tea and dinner by the water | Bukhara’s postcard view | | Best time | Morning | Evening | Daytime and sunset | | Time needed | ≈ 1 h | 45 min + evening | ≈ 1 h | The domes aren’t a detour — they are the street between Po-i-Kalyan and Lyabi-Hauz, so you’ll walk through them anyway. Add half an hour if you mean to buy something. ## Bukhara’s markets and old streets, compared Bukhara’s places for strolling and shopping, rated by YesGo. - [Trading Domes](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/bukhara/bukhara-trading-domes) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free ## Old Bukhara on foot in half a day From the pool through the domes to the Kalyan Minaret and Mir-i-Arab, then up to the Ark. Add them to your route — YesGo fits in the timing and walks. 1. [Lyabi-Hauz](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/bukhara/lyabi-hauz) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free 2. [Trading Domes](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/bukhara/bukhara-trading-domes) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free 3. [Kalyan Minaret](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/bukhara/kalyan-minaret) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Square free, mosque ≈ 15,000 UZS 4. [Mir-i-Arab Madrasa](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/bukhara/mir-i-arab-madrasa) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free; usually no entry past the foyer 5. [Ark of Bukhara](https://yesgo.io/uzbekistan/bukhara/ark-of-bukhara) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ 60,000 UZS for foreigners ## Good to know Spellings vary a lot: Toqi, Toki, Taqi or Tok-i; Zargaron or Zargoron; Sarrafon or Sarrofon; Telpak or Tilpak Furushon. Some guides count three surviving domes, some four — the difference is whether the enclosed Tim of Abdullah Khan is counted. Samarkand and Shakhrisabz have similar domed crossings, called chorsu there. ## Tips - Walk from the Kalyan Minaret towards Lyabi-Hauz so the street ends with tea by the pool. - See all four domes before buying anything — the same suzani can cost very different amounts two stalls apart. - Toqi Zargaron’s ribbed dome looks best from Po-i-Kalyan square in the late afternoon. - Midday heat? Duck into the Tim of Abdullah Khan — the enclosed vaults are noticeably cooler. - By Toqi Sarrafon, step into the Magoki Attari Mosque, one of Bukhara’s oldest, two minutes away. ## Questions ### What are the trading domes in Bukhara? Four covered bazaars from the 16th century on the street between Lyabi-Hauz and the Kalyan Minaret: Toqi Sarrafon, Toqi Telpak Furushon, the Tim of Abdullah Khan and Toqi Zargaron. ### Are the Bukhara trading domes free? Yes. They are a pedestrian street with no ticket; you can walk through at any hour and only pay for what you buy. ### What are the trading domes’ opening hours? The passages are always open. Unofficially, the stalls open around 9:00 and close between 18:00 and 19:00 every day, but each shop sets its own hours. ### What is Toqi Zargaron? The jewellers’ dome, built in 1586–1587 under Abdullah Khan II — the largest surviving trading dome in Bukhara, next to Po-i-Kalyan square. ### What should I buy in Bukhara? Things made locally: suzani embroidery, hand-forged knives, skullcaps, silver jewellery, painted ceramics and silk scarves. ### Can you haggle in the trading domes? Yes, it is expected. Treat the first price as an opening offer, convert dollar prices into som and compare a few stalls before you agree. ### Can I pay by card in the trading domes? Sometimes in bigger carpet shops, but most stalls want cash in som. ATMs and exchange offices are a few minutes away in the old town. ### How long do you need for the trading domes? About an hour to walk all four and watch the blacksmiths. With serious shopping for a carpet or suzani, allow two. ### Can I take a carpet out of Uzbekistan? New carpets, yes. Antiques and items that could count as cultural heritage need permission from the Ministry of Culture — ask the seller for the paperwork. ## How we checked The domes have no official website or timetable: they are a pedestrian street with free access (Afisha.uz lists them as open 24 hours). Stall hours are unofficial — Aviasales gives 9:00–19:00, an English-language travel guide 9:00–18:00 — so we show the range and mark it as being checked. Toqi Zargaron is dated 1586–1587 by Russian and German Wikipedia; Advantour and Eurasia.travel call it the “first” dome, but Telpak Furushon (1570–1571) and the Tim (1577) are older by date, so we don’t repeat that claim. No reliable source gives an exact year for Toqi Sarrafon, so we say 16th century. Dome sizes disagree (English Wikipedia gives 38 m for Telpak Furushon, Turkestantravel 14.5 m), so we leave them out. The number of jewellers’ workshops ranges from “over 30” to 36; we say 30+. Whether three or four domes survive depends on counting the Tim; we count four, as OrexCA and Advantour do. Export rules follow the FIDI, Nomadsland and OrexCA customs guides, without age thresholds. Payment advice follows Travelto (2026) and applies to the whole country. ## Sources - English Wikipedia: Toqi Telpak Furushon; Tim Abdullah Khan - Russian Wikipedia: Торговые купола Бухары; Токи Заргарон; Тим Абдулла-хана; German Wikipedia: Toqi Zargaron; Wikidata Q4459552 - OrexCA: Trading Domes of Bukhara; Basic Customs Rules of the Republic of Uzbekistan - Advantour: Trading Domes, Bukhara - Eurasia.travel: Trading Domes - Marcopolo.uz: Trading domes of Bukhara - Turkestantravel: Trade dome Toqi Sarrafon; Toqi Telpak Furushon - Afisha.uz: Bukhara in detail, 8 places; Aviasales: What to see in Bukhara - FIDI Customs Guide: Uzbekistan Export; Nomadsland: What cannot be exported from Uzbekistan - Travelto: paying in Uzbekistan in 2026 --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.