Taqi-Sarrafon Market

The Taqi-Sarrafon is one of Bukhara’s four remained domed bazaars of medieval times. This trading dome was used mostly for money exchange during the era of the Silk Road. Traders form India frequently exchanged money inside this covered bazaar. Today, the site is no longer a money exchange center, but it now has lots of great shops. Taqi-Sarrafon is erected over the crossing of two perpendicular streets. It is smaller in size than other covered bazaars remained in Bukhara and radically different in its style.Taqi-Sarrafon was built at the end of the 16-th century at the place of historic market place beside the ancient irrigation ditch – Shahrud. Now the water of Shahrud flows on the bottom of concrete channel. Beside the Shahrud ditch, there was moneychangers’ bazaar from time of ancient Bukhara. When Taqi-Sarrafon was built by Shaybanid rulers, they made it the center of currency exchange in Bukhara. Closest to the Lyab-i Hauz, this was the hub around which the finance of the bazaars revolved. The usury is forbidden in Islam, thus here operated non-muslim money-changers and lenders fromIndia and Armenia.