BUKHARA: A MULTICULTURAL CITY IN TURKESTAN

The city of Bukhara, which is currently located within the borders of Uzbekistan, has a long history. In the long historical period, Turks, Persians, Jews, Arabs, Russians and many other ethnic elements and different cultures lived in the city. The historic Bukhara city, considered an open museum, is on the UNESCO cultural heritage list. The merchants who came to the city due to the fact that the city is located on a historical trade route and its commercial products have contributed to the enrichment of the city both materially and culturally. Therefore Bukhara became an important center of trade, culture and education. The city has also become a meeting place for people belonging to different religious traditions. In this article we aim to reveal (i) elements that set the ground for the multicultural structure of the city of Bukhara (ii) which ethnic and religious elements live together in the city, and their prominent aspects (iii) economic, social and cultural opportunities that the city's multicultural experience can offer for today's Turkish world