The Sitorai Mokhi Khosa — Where Russian Modernity Clashes with Uzbek Antiquity

The Russian invasion and exertion of power over Uzbekistan took place in the mid-19th century. In 1865, the Russian Empire had already taken Tashkent and made it the capital of Russian Turkestan. At the cusp of Russia’s invasion of Bukhara, which took place in that same period, the various regions of Uzbekistan were ruled by khanate kingdoms. This part of Uzbek history was known as the Khanate era.


Throughout the 1860s or so, the Russians have waged their wars in Bukhara, and in 1866, the Bukharans were defeated. In 1868, the Emir accepted vassal status after the defeat in the Battle of Zerabulak. It was at that time that the Emir ceded Samarkand to the Russians as well. At this point, it could not be said that the Russians were ruling Bukhara yet. Rather, the Emir still retained power in the administration and control of Bukhara and other territories. Bukhara was yet to be incorporated into the Russian Empire formally.


Built in 1911, the Sitorai Mokhi Khosa stands testament to a watershed in Bukharan and Uzbek history. Its name meaning “Palace Like the Stars and the Moon,” the Sitorai Mokhi Khosa was built by Russian engineers for Emir Alim Khan in 1911, “as an inducement to get him out of the Ark fortress and safely ensconced in a strategic and cultural no-man’s land on the edge of town.” (Calum Macleod)



The architecture shows prominent and grandiose eastern European features. At first glance, it certainly conveys the sense of luxury to which the royalty of Bukhara felt entitled.

According to the descriptions on site, the exterior of the Sitorai Mokhi Khosa was that of Russian architecture, but the interiors were fitted with traditional Bukharan elements.



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Post by Helen Yu (Chestnut Journal) | Feb 26, 2025