Ark of Bukhara

File / Documentation

Name

144325_sv.jpg

Size

1.69 MB

Format

JPEG

Checksum (MD5)

896492e909b4b2e8b9d2c2dee7ff7cab

Creator(s)

Islamic, Uzbek

Time period

creation date: 7th century, creation date: extant buildings, 18th-20th centuries

Location

Site: Bukhara (Uzbekistan)

Cultural context

Islamic

Uzbek

Description

The Ark or Arg of Bukhara is the central citadel within the city's larger mud wall fortifications. It has served a multitude of royal functions over the last twelve centuries ranging from military barracks and palatial quarters to administrative offices. Currently situated as a citadel within the northern section of the old city, it was originally built as an independent fortress and had stood distinct from Bukhara's earliest shahristan, or city center. With its sloping mud walls, this Central Asian citadel is in dire need of repair. As a structure that was continuously used through the centuries, it demonstrates the transformations in military architecture and technology from early Arab rule until the modern Russian state.
Source: http://archnet.org/library/sites/one-site.jsp?site_id=8348 [Accessed August 7, 2012]

interior, view of pavilion showing decorative columns on portico, 1987

Work type

Citadel

Medium

brick

mud

stone

Keywords

Fortifications

City walls

Citadels

Islamic cities and towns