Bukhara

Bukhara's old town survived largely intact, which means its domed trading arcades, madrasas and the Ark fortress can still be read as a working medieval city rather than a museum piece. The Kalyan Minaret has stood since 1127 and, by local tradition, was the one structure Genghis Khan spared. Around Lyab-i Hauz, a 17th-century pool shaded by mulberry trees, everyday city life still happens exactly where it always has.