Bukhara, an oasis town on the Silk Road, depended on canals and pools for its water supply. The pools are small step wells from which the people could draw water. It was natural that they should become gathering places - and that they should remain so in the days of piped water. The Lyab-i-Hauz is surrounded by religious buildings (madrassahs) and centuries-old chinor (plane) trees [Hauz is the Persian word for a reservoir].
