Tok-i-Telpak Furushon

Tok-i-Telpak Furushon is a marketplace in Bukhara built with a main central dome and smaller surrounding domes. The structure opens onto five different streets through countless arched entrances where vendors today sell traditional clothing, jewelry, and local handicrafts.

The marketplace was built in 1571 during Abdullah Khan II's reign and initially specialized in selling fur hats, sheepskin coats, fine fabrics, and turbans. It became a major commercial hub that shaped the city's trade for centuries.

The name refers to the traditional craft of making telpak hats, which once signaled a person's social rank in the community. Today visitors still find merchants selling traditional clothing and local crafts in the same spaces where this trade once flourished.

The best way to explore this site is to walk slowly through the different passageways and entrances to observe the craftspeople at work. The arched corridors provide natural shade, though the narrow spaces can feel warm during midday hours.

The building features an unusual hexagonal design made from a blend of adobe bricks, timber, stone, and clay. This mixture of materials allowed the structure to withstand earthquakes while providing cooling benefits in the hot desert city.