The construction of the cultural and ethnographic center Boqiy Bukhoro (Eternal Bukhara) has not been halted, and the project is not being relocated to other place, the city hokimiyat (mayor's office) said. Earlier, reports on social media suggested that demolitions had stopped in the city center because the project will be moved to outside the city.
Among others, Alerte Héritage, Paris-based cultural heritage observatory, wrote on Facebook that the former building of the Bukhara regional administration, a modernist high-rise build in 1986 on the project of the remowned architect Richard Bleze, was too strong to be demolisted, and the authorities stopped these efforts.
The city administration stated that those reports were “false and far from reality”. It claimed that the future construction site is “nearly 90% complete”.
Regarding the former regional administration building the hokimiyat said works were being carried out in accordance with technical safety regulations, and almost 70% of the dismantling work had been completed.
The development of the documentation for the future tourist center is nearing completion together with “renowned historians, scientists, experts in cultural heritage, and foreign design organizations”, the statement reads.
The project design. Source: Bukhara regional hokimiyat.
The project was initially announced in January 2023. The authorities said a total of 29 objects had to be demolished in the city center, the buffer zone to the UNESCO-protected historical part of Bukhara. Among them were the central stadium, the hokimiyats of the city and the region, an arts school, a medical college and others. After public dissatisfaction, the regional administration said the project would relocate to another place.
The historical part of Bukhara (red line) and the buzzer zone (yellow).
One year later, in January 2024, the administration confirmed the project would proceed at its originally planned location. Very soon, in February, the demolition works commenced to make way for the “cultural and ethnographic park”, as the project has been renamed.
The project’s estimated cost is $470 million, and it is planned for implementation between 2024 and 2026.
