Palace of the Emir of Bukhara in Kagan (New Bukhara, 1898)

The incorporation of Central Asia into the Russian Empire changed local architecture noticeably, and the palace of Emir Seyid Abd al-Ahad in Kagan is among the first examples of the new wave.

Kagan itself began as the settlement of New Bukhara for railway workers: it was built in 1888, sixteen kilometres from Bukhara, to serve the stations and track of the Transcaspian railway. In time it became something of an embassy town as well — the office managing diplomatic relations between the empire and the Emirate of Bukhara was based here.

Work on the palace began on 14 August 1895 by order of Emir Ahad Khan. The best craftsmen were employed, Benois drew the design, the engineer Dubrovin ran the site, and it was finished in 1898.

The building was something entirely new for the region: Moorish style mixed with baroque and empire, with a profusion of columns, towers and domes. The result was more pompous than the emir's own palace in Bukhara. Arabic motifs were added to the European base, and the walls were all but drowned in stucco.

Why it was built is not certain. One account says the emir ordered it for himself but, arriving as work finished, was dissatisfied: too plain for Emir Ahad Khan, and too lavish for Ahad Khan the Muslim. Another holds that it was intended from the start for a possible visit by the Russian emperor.

Either way, the next ruler, Emir Alim Khan, began lodging high-ranking guests here when they came to Bukhara. It was, in effect, the emirate's first guest house for special persons — and in a European style at that.

You cannot book a room now: the building houses the railway workers' Palace of Culture. But if you are working through Bukhara's architecture, Kagan is worth the trip — it is a rare point where two traditions met head on.