Toki Zargaron

 Toki Zargaron

       The Toki-Zargaron dome is translated as "the dome of jewelers". This is an indoor market located at the crossroads of the once busy shopping streets of Bukhara. The dome of Toki-Zargaron was built first in 1586-1587 by Abdulla Khan. The complex was intended for jewelry trade. Previously, there were 36 jewelry shops in the shops selling a variety of ornaments. Today, you can buy souvenirs, painted shawls, household items in the Bukhara style, and just like in the old days various unique ornaments.

      Toqi Zargaron Bazaar is another covered trade dome located a bit further up the road from Toqi Telpa, just past the Tim-Abdullah Khan Trade Dome, at a junction in the road where travelers turn right to access the Abdualaziz Khan Madrassa, or left to continue on towards the Po-i-Kalyan Ensemble.  Toqi Zargaron is not only the largest covered trade dome in Bukhara occupying an area of 43 x 45 meters, it was also the first.  Built in 1569, it contained 36 workshops in its heyday all occupied by goldsmiths and jewelry sellers.  Today the trade dome and the area around it are undergoing extensive renovations that don’t always use traditional materials as required by Bukhara’s world heritage protected zone.  The renovations mean tourism is booming, but the cost to authenticity is clearly evident in this part of town.  Like the other trade domes in the historic core, this one no longer serves any practical purpose for locals and instead has also caved to the pressure of tourism by offering handicrafts and souvenirs.The Dome Toki Sarrafon is the most richly embellished of the four trading domes in Bukhara.

 

       On the main streets of medieval Bukhara they used to build domed shopping arcades. Three of them, built in the 16th century, have survived to the present day. Toki Zargaron (‘Dome of Jewelers’) is located at the intersection of two arterial roads next to Kalyan Mosque and Miri-Arab Madrassah. Tok means ‘an arch’ or ‘a vault’; this word was also used to call the street shopping arcades. The four vaulted passages of Toki Zargaron opened to Great Silk Road caravans to come in. The large ribbed dome with 16 windows stands on an octahedral base. And all around there cluster smaller domes topping craftsmen’s workrooms and shops. The spacious and cool halls under these domes accommodated over 30 workrooms and shops of jewelers who manufactured and sold here rings, earrings, necklaces, stamps, splendid settings for weapons. In 1569-70 the largest of the surviving shopping arcades of Bukhara - Toki Zargaron ("the dome of jewelers) was built. This is an excellent building. This is the dome passage that is a vault above the roadway in conjunction with a gallery for shops and repair shops. Toki Zargaron dome accommodated 36 workshops and Jewelers' shops.The dome covers of Toki Zargaron are strict and precise. They are not decorated; everything is subordinated to the building logic.

         This trading dome of Bukhara is rightfully considered the largest indoor bazaar in the city. Another feature of Toki Zargaron is the shape of the dome it is extended upwards, and has vertical bulging ribs. If you move from here to the south, and turn to the left you can see one of the great market buildings of the Shelbanid era. It is the arcade of Tim Ablullah Khan (1577). The main dome of the building is set on an octagonal base. It is surrounded by a gallery, covered with small domes. The peculiarity of the construction is a special lighting. The temperature here is always cool, regardless of the season. For centuries, cloth and carpets have been traded here, and today a traveler can also purchase something he needs In the dome Toki Telpak Furushon one could buy luxurious headdresses gold embroidered skullcaps, fur-caps, cunningly rolled turbans, Five streets converged to the building .At first, books were traded here, but later there was the trade of male, female, children's headgent, skullcaps, shawis turbons and fur hats There were also niches, storerooms and hangars. 

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