Chor Minor

Chor Minor or Char Minar is also known as the Madrasah of Khalif Niyaz-kul. It is located in an alley northeast of the Lyab-i Hauz complex. It is protected as a monument of cultural heritage and is also part of the historic center of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Bukhara. In Tajik, the name of the monument means "four minarets", in reference to the four towers of the building.

The structure was built by Khalif Niyaz-kul, a wealthy inhabitant of Bukhara of Turkmen origin in 1807 during the reign of the Manghit dynasty. The function of this building is still not very clear. The minarets were not used for the call to prayer. Originally it was part of a madrasa complex, which was demolished. The building has no analogue in Bukhara architecture, and Niyazkul's inspiration and patterns are unclear.