T he annual festival "Silk and Spices", held in Bukhara, is perhaps one of the main events in the cultural life of Uzbekistan

ARK of BUKHARA
The Ark of Bukhara is a massive fortress located in the city of Bukhara, Uzbekistan, that was initially built and occupied around the 5th century AD. In addition to being a military structure, the Ark encompassed what was essentially a town that, during much of the fortress's history, was inhabited by the various royal courts that held sway over the region sThe Ark is a large earthen fortification located in the northwestern part of contemporary Bukhara. In layout, it resembles a modified rectangle, a little elongated from the west to the east. The perimeter of the external walls is 789.6 m (2,591 ft), the area enclosed being 396 ha (9.8 acres. In legend, the creator of the Ark was the epic hero Siyavusha. As a youth, he hid in the rich oasis country of Turana from his stepmother. Siyavusha and the daughter of the local ruler of Afrosiaba fell in love. The girl's father agreed to permit them to marry provided that Siyavusha would first build a palace in the area bounded by a bull skin, obviously intended as an impossible task. But Siyavusha cut the bull skin into slender strips, connected the ends, and inside this boundary built the palace.). The height of the walls varies from 16 to 20 m (52 to 66 ft).urrounding Bukhara.Prince Siyawush or Siyavusha built the Ark of Bukhara and was eventually buried there. After his death, the great citadel was put out of commission to mourn the prince. Three thousand years later, Budun Bukhar Khudah restored the citadel. There were many aspects of the design of the Ark of Bukhara that were influenced by astrological elements. For example, the palace has 7 stone pillars for the 7 star constellation Ursa Major. The overall shape of the Ark was also influenced by the constellation.
During the Russian Civil War, the Ark was greatly damaged by Red Army troops under the command of Mikhail Frunze during the 1920 Battle of Bukhara. Frunze ordered the Ark bombed by aircraft, which left a large part of the structure in ruins.[citation needed] There is also reason to believe that the last Emir, Mohammed Alim Khan (1880–1944), who escaped to Afghanistan with the royal treasury, ordered the Ark to be blown up so that its sacred places (especially the harem) could not be desecrated by the Bolsheviks.
POYI KALON
On the way to the main shopping street, the intersection of the old town - "shakhristan" formed the central architectural ensemble of Bukhara, which forms its unique silhouette - a complex Poi Kalon, which means "Base of the Great", refers to the base of the great minaret Kalon. It is an ancient historical site. To the south of the Ark fortress, traditionally, from the VIII century, over and over again built, crumbled, rebuilt after fires and wars, moving from place to place, building the main mosque of the city. The last such building prior to the current Kalon Mosque, this place was built in 1121 by Karakhanids ruler Arslan Khan
Kalon Minaret
The dominant of the ensemble - Minaret Kalon (or Minorai Kalon) - prevailing over the city a giant tower. The value of this minaret went far beyond the practical purpose: to Proclamation call to prayer was enough to climb the roof of the mosque pas, as it did in the first centuries after the establishment of Islam. Later it was used for the tower of Roman temples, the bell tower of the Christian churches, Zoroastrian "tower of fire" and other vertical structures, various types are developed in different nations of the world long before Islam. The word "minaret" is derived from the Arabic "minor" that "place where something is lit."According to the caption under the eaves of turquoise majolica lamp of Kalon minaret found that it was completed in 1127 at half the height of the barrel reads the name of Arslan Khan. It is found and the name of the master - Bako, the burial of local residents indicate that among the houses of the neighboring district. Bako elevated characteristic for Maurannahr (Central Asia) in the form of a minaret round-the-barrel brick tower, narrowing upwards. The diameter of the bottom - 9 m at the top - 6 m, height - 45.6 m wide column winds up a brick spiral staircase leading to the area of sixteen-arched rotunda - light, based on projecting the ranks of masonry, furnished in a magnificent stalactite cornice - Sharaf. Minaret for nearly 900 years has never been repaired!