Bukhara, Uzbekistan, 1880-1900

Along with Samarkand, Bukhara was the epicenter of the Persian culture in medieval Asia until the fall of the Timurid dynasty. By 850, Bukhara served as the capital of the Samanid Empire. The Samanids, claiming descent from Bahram Chobin, rejuvenated Persian culture far from Baghdad, Rudaki, the father of Persian poetry, was born and raised in Bukhara and wrote his most famous poem about the city's beauty. Bukhara was the most important of cities in many Persian empires, namely Samanids, Khwarazmids, and Timurids. The influence of Bukhara in the wider Islamic world started to diminish starting from the arrival of Uzbeks in the 16th Century.