Ark of Bukhara

File / Documentation

Name

144546_sv.jpg

Size

814.51 KB

Format

JPEG

Checksum (MD5)

8d916863b90823d47f78884d7c86acbe

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]

exterior, walls and corner tower, 2009

Work type

Citadel

Medium

brick

mud

stone

Keywords

Fortifications

City walls

Citadels

Islamic cities and towns