03.11.23 Ark Citadel

 Today our practice was in Ark Citadel.

Ark means “fortress” in translation. The first fortress dated from the 1st century and was built by thousands of slaves. During excavations, the remains of the 4th century BC building were found, which means the area was used before. Over time the citadel was destroyed and reconstructed several times. According to some sources, the fortress received its present unusual shape in the 7th century.

The citadel occupies the territory of almost four hectares. It is surrounded by massive walls, with a total length of about 800 metres and a height of 16 to 20 metres. The buildings on the palace territory have been replaced repeatedly; those that survive date back to the 17th-20th centuries.

In its historical past, Ark was a city within a city. Around 3,000 people lived within its walls: apart from the ruling family, other noble families and high-ranking officials lived here with their families. The fortress housed government offices such as barracks or mint and outbuildings .

The legend about the construction of Ark
According to legend, the citadel was built by the Persian prince Siyavush. Siyavush had to flee from his homeland because of slander and reached Bukhara. Siyavush fell in love with the daughter of the local ruler. The latter put his future son-in-law to the test: he gave him a bull skin and said he could marry his daughter only if he built a palace on that skin. Siyavush turned out to be clever: he cut the skin into thin strips, joined them together and built the desired palace inside the formed circle

Also we visited Abul Ghazi Mausoleum Necropolis. It was my first visit there, I have learnt many interesting information from practice day.