Bukhara

Unlike Samarkand's grand set-pieces, Bukhara's Old Town is dense and walkable, a maze of covered trading domes, hidden courtyards, and over a hundred protected monuments within a few square kilometers. The Kalyan Minaret has stood since 1127; the Lyab-i Hauz pool has been the social heart of the city since the 16th century. Come for the Ark Fortress and stay for the carpet workshops and the tea houses that spill out onto the square at dusk.