Born in Bukhara, he spent sixteen years travelling and cross-checking narrations, discarding all but a small fraction, and produced the collection Sunni Muslims rank second only to the Qur'an.
Key achievements
Compiled Sahih al-Bukhari, sifting hundreds of thousands of narrations
Established rigorous criteria for authenticating a chain of transmission
His shrine near Samarkand remains a major place of pilgrimage
