The Ark - A
Royal town within a town - Bukhara -
2013
This massive fortress is the oldest surviving structure in Bukhara.
It was occupied by the various Royal Courts that ruled over Bukhara from the 5th century AD
until it was bombed by the Russian Red Army in 1920.
The balcony overlooks the plaza outside.
From here proclamations would be made and executions would be carried out below.
The Khan and his advisors watched from the top level.
Women watched from behind the lattice screens on the level below.
Some small museums inside the complex had pictures of Colonel Charles Stoddart and Captain Arthur Conolly, who were members of the British Army.
In 1839 Stoddart arrived in Bukhara on a mission to reassure Emir Nasrullah Khan about Britain's invasion of Afghanistan.
However Stoddart's superiors underestimated the Emir's vanity and meglomania and sent him with no gifts,
and with no letter from Queen Victoria, whom the Khan considered an equal.
He was thrown into jail, the "bug-pit" with assorted rodents and scaly creatures.
Conolly arrived in 1841 trying to secure Stoddart's release.
The Khan considered him to be part of a British plot with the Khans of Khiva and Kokand, and tossed him into jail too.
In 1842 with no reply from Queen Victoria, the Khan had both men executed.
The British Goverment decided to let the matter rest.
The families and friends of Stoddart and Conolly however raised money to sent an oddball clergyman,
Joseph Wolff, to investigate.
Wolff only escaped death because the Khan thought him hilarious, dressed in his full clerical regalia.
The last coronation was that of Alim Khan in 1910.
A 33 metre water-tower, built by the Russians in 1927, is now disused.
The Mosque of Ul'dukhtaron, a small mosque inside the complex.
Non-renovated parts of the wall around The Ark.
... Next Poy-Kalyan Complex at Bukhara ...
This massive fortress is the oldest surviving structure in Bukhara.
It was occupied by the various Royal Courts that ruled over Bukhara from the 5th century AD
until it was bombed by the Russian Red Army in 1920.
The balcony overlooks the plaza outside.
From here proclamations would be made and executions would be carried out below.
The Khan and his advisors watched from the top level.
Women watched from behind the lattice screens on the level below.
Some small museums inside the complex had pictures of Colonel Charles Stoddart and Captain Arthur Conolly, who were members of the British Army.
In 1839 Stoddart arrived in Bukhara on a mission to reassure Emir Nasrullah Khan about Britain's invasion of Afghanistan.
However Stoddart's superiors underestimated the Emir's vanity and meglomania and sent him with no gifts,
and with no letter from Queen Victoria, whom the Khan considered an equal.
He was thrown into jail, the "bug-pit" with assorted rodents and scaly creatures.
Conolly arrived in 1841 trying to secure Stoddart's release.
The Khan considered him to be part of a British plot with the Khans of Khiva and Kokand, and tossed him into jail too.
In 1842 with no reply from Queen Victoria, the Khan had both men executed.
The British Goverment decided to let the matter rest.
The families and friends of Stoddart and Conolly however raised money to sent an oddball clergyman,
Joseph Wolff, to investigate.
Wolff only escaped death because the Khan thought him hilarious, dressed in his full clerical regalia.
The last coronation was that of Alim Khan in 1910.
A 33 metre water-tower, built by the Russians in 1927, is now disused.
The Mosque of Ul'dukhtaron, a small mosque inside the complex.
Non-renovated parts of the wall around The Ark.
... Next Poy-Kalyan Complex at Bukhara ...
