Ark of Bukhara

The Ark of Bukhara is a massive earthen fortress in Bukhara, Uzbekistan, first raised around the fifth century CE and rebuilt into its present form mainly in the sixteenth century under the Shaybanid Uzbek dynasty. Its rectangular outer walls run 789.6 meters in circumference, enclosing 3.96 hectares and rising between 16 and 20 meters high, and its ceremonial entrance is framed by eighteenth century towers linked by galleries and terraces. The design incorporates astrological symbolism, including seven stone pillars said to represent the constellation Ursa Major. For centuries the Ark served as both a military stronghold and the residence of the emirs, viziers and military commanders of Bukhara and their courts, remaining a working fortress until it fell to Soviet Russia in 1920 during the Bukharan Revolution. Restored as a major cultural site, it now houses several museums, including displays on archaeology and local history alongside the old throne room, coronation court and court mosque.