FORTRESS ARK

This royal city is the most ancient edifice in Bukhara, dating from 5 centuries ago. Its original walls could be kept for thousand years. Today's walls are only 300 years old and are already ruining. The interior needs restoration and some parts collapse as time goes by.

Chor-Minor (+1807)

This picturesque small building constructed in 1807 together with medressa of Caliph Niyazkul, a rich dealer from Turkmenistan, reminds more of an Indian style rather than Bukharian. Chor Minor is translated as "Four Minarets" from Tajik. However, most likely, there are not four minarets, but imitations of minarets only. One of the minarets fell in 1995. Storks have nested on minarets till recently.

Ismoil Somoniy Mausoleum (IX and X century)

Ismoil Somoniy Mausoleum. The most ancient architectural memorial of the city is situated in the park of Ismoil Somoniy, the founder of Samanids Dynasty. The mausoleum was built 905 years ago and is one of the most elegant edifices in Central Asia. His father and a grandson are buried in the mausoleum as well. The mausoleum is delicately built from terracotta bricks (Muslim bricks). Although it has no bright paints, no brilliant ceramic plates, the edifice will not concede to other ancient architectural monuments, which are stuffed with glaze and other bright ornaments. These bricks create shadow effects substituting unnecessary paints. The thickness of the walls is almost 2 meters. Perhaps this peculiarity created such a condition for this ancient structure to endure 11 centuries without any restorations.