The Ark

The entrance to the imposing fortress. Impressive, massive, yet strange. The two columns beside the gate hold a mosque between them. The place is the oldest continuously inhabited site in Bukhara. Approximately since the 5th century. However, the current walls are said to be no more than 2-300 years old (Ottoman era). It served as a palace for the royals and as coronation court. The large area in front was often the site of public executions

The only time the fortress was attacked was from the air by the Red Army in 1920. The interior is largely in bad repair and was finally even shunned by the royals, who preferred the other palaces to the Ark