Gumbaz Synagogue is one of Samarkand's remaining active synagogues, opened in 1891 and restored to use after the Soviet period. It belongs to the Bukharian Jewish community, whose language and traditions form a quieter part of the city's layered history.
Most visitors come to Samarkand for the Timurid monuments, and rightly so. This synagogue is for travellers who want to see a little more of the old mahalla life around them, where Jewish, Muslim, and other communities once lived close together.