The doll museum

Bukhara, one of the oldest cities in Central Asia, on the territory of which there are many historical monuments and masterpieces of medieval architecture. The guests of the city will not have even a week to enjoy the splendor of all the structures of the Bukhara region. However, among the ancient complexes there are also modern ones that reflect the national Uzbek flavor. One of these institutions is the Bukhara Doll Museum.

The history of the doll museum is inextricably linked with the name of Iskandar Khakimov, who once started working in the tourism industry. His main idea was to show Uzbekistan, culture, customs and traditions of the country through theatrical art. So, he began to think over the concept of performances, which, among other things, showed traditional Uzbek weddings. His puppet theater became popular among tourists quite quickly. But the big surprise for Iskandar Khakimov was that after visiting the performances, foreign guests approached him with a request to buy dolls that they liked.  But most of all he remembered one spectator who drew attention to the unusual similarity between herself and one of the dolls, and then decided to purchase it. Iskanadar flatly refused to sell the doll, since it was in a single copy, and he still had to present a similar performance in front of other viewers. However, the guest was very persistent, as a result of which Iskandar gave up and sold her a doll, and he began urgently to make a replacement for her. 

After that, the founder of the museum began to study photographs and documents on the history of papier-mache dolls, and for more than 20 years he has been a skilled master of this craft. Over time, due to the large number of orders for papier-mache dolls, he was forced to cease the activities of the theater, assemble a team of craftsmen and engage only in the manufacture of dolls. 

The Doll Museum is a two-storey building, on the ground floor of which there is a rich exposition of the author, and on the second floor there is a workshop for making dolls. The prototypes for Iskandar Khakimov's dolls are the heroes of Uzbek folk tales, and sometimes even random people who unknowingly inspire him to create images. The height of each doll usually varies from 40 to 50 cm.

Iskandar Khakimov often travels to foreign exhibitions with his rich exposition. His dolls live in different countries of America, Europe and Asia. 

The museum staff will tell each visitor about the history of the creation of papier–mache dolls and will allow you to observe the creation of a doll in real time. The process of creating a doll begins with her sketch, then a plaster bust shape is made. After that, a papier-mache doll is made, hand-painted and at the last stage its costume is made.

The museum also hosts workshops for adults and children on creating dolls.

An unusual private museum on the history of the puppet theater and the manufacture of dolls of Uzbekistan is one of the bright modern attractions of Bukhara. The museum's exposition contains not only dolls, but also historical materials about doll art, as well as the influence of this art on the culture of Central Asia. In addition, every visitor can buy a doll they like in the souvenir shop, which is located on the ground floor of the museum building.