Ark Fortress, Bukhara

Ark Fortress, Bukhara

The Ark Fortress in Bukhara was the residence of the Bukharan khans and emirs, a stronghold of government and power which today stands as the oldest monument in the city.
The fortress has an area of 4.2 hectares and stands on a 20-meter-high embankment. According to legend, the citadel’s founder is the epic here Siyavush, son of Kai Kavus. Slandered by his stepmother, the young man was forced to flee Iran to the land of Turan in present-day Central Asia. At the court of King Afrosiyob, Siyavush met the ruler's daughter Farangiz and, captivated by her beauty, determined to marry her
The king, however, was opposed to this union and attempted to trap Siyavush: He spread out a bull’s hide and demanded that Siyavush build a palace within its parameters in order to receive the hand of Farangiz in marriage. Siyavush outwitted the king by cutting the skin into thin strips, joining the ends together and building a palace inside the circle, creating Bukhara’s Ark Citadel. In turn King Afrosiyob, angered by Siyavush’s success, ruthlessly killed the young man and had him buried at the Ark’s eastern gate
In Central Asian folklore, Siyavush was perceived as a resurrected deity. A cult formed around his name which remained active in the region long after the arrival of Islam. During the Navruz holiday, for example, the men of the city would gather at the walls of Bukhara near the hero's grave to sacrifice roosters.
Archaeological studies indicate that the territory around Ark Fortress has been inhabited for thousands of years. Although the exact date of the Ark’s founding is unknown, it is clear that it served as the seat of the city's ruling Bukhar Khudats of the Sogdian Dynasty before the invasion of the Arabs in the 8th century.
As the center of the ancient city, the Ark was expanded in the 9th-10th centuries. A governor's palace, religious buildings, office, prison and treasury were added to the Ark, which by this time was already counted among the key monuments of Bukhara. A library in the Ark was opened, yet has not survived to our day. At the entrance was the reception room of the chief military commander, an arsenal and weapons workshops. Shahristan (today’s Old Town) and the handicraft suburb of Rabat developed around the fortress. To the west was Registan Square where Bolo Hauz Mosque, ministries, palaces and a bazaar were located until the invasion of Genghis Khan.