Tok-i-Sarrafon

Tok-i-Sarrafon is a medieval trading building in Bukhara featuring a grand entrance portal that leads into a vaulted passage lined with numerous small shops and craft workshops set within its stone structure. The interior follows a compact layout with rooms arranged around narrow corridors, creating the feel of a fortified marketplace.

The building was constructed in 1534-1535 by Ubaydullah Khan during the Shaybanid dynasty and functioned as a trading hub and currency exchange center along the Shohrud canal. From its inception, it served a specialized role handling monetary transactions as Bukhara became a major crossroads of medieval trade routes.

The entrance displays a restored Quranic verse inscribed on stone, showing how Islamic teaching shaped the design of this commercial space in Central Asia. Today, this detail reminds visitors that religious principles were woven into the rhythm of daily trade.

The site is accessible today and houses several craft workshops and trading stalls where visitors can browse traditional carpets, textiles, and local goods. Move through the interior slowly since the passageways are narrow and each area offers different wares to explore.

Hindu and Jewish traders conducted currency exchanges here because Islamic law restricted monetary lending with interest. This practice made the location a rare example of religiously mixed business activity along the medieval Silk Road.