Uzbekistan: Bukhara – Ark of Bukhara
The Ark of Bukhara is a super spectacular and humongously massive fortress in the heart of the ancient city of Bukhara, originally built in the 5th century AD. The thick walls enclosed what essentially was the old city, rectangular in layout, enclosed within a nearly 1 kilometer of walls that are 16-20m (52-66 ft) thick all around. The fortress was enhanced and rebuilt and fortified further over the years, with a beautiful gate added in the 18th century. The Ark suffered major damage in the 1920s, when the Red Army led by Frunze bombed the hell out of the fortress from aircraft, at the same time as the retreating last Emir Mohammad Khan ordered the fortress and especially the harem blown inside. Luckily, the Ark of Bukhara has been restored over the years.
