Bukhara was a major Silk Road center in Central Asia.
The city stands in the Zeravshan oasis of modern Uzbekistan, where dependable water and farmland supported long-distance commerce. Its position connected routes from Iran, Afghanistan, India, and China with markets farther west.
Bukhara became especially important under the Samanids in the ninth and tenth centuries, when it was a leading center of Islamic learning, crafts, and trade. Merchants handled textiles, spices, metals, paper, and other goods there.
Bukhara is sometimes confused with Samarkand, another prominent Uzbek Silk Road city. Samarkand is famous for the Registan, while Bukhara is particularly associated with its historic religious and commercial buildings, including the Kalyan Minaret.