Archeological site in the Ark fortress

Inside the walls of the Ark, Bukhara's ancient citadel, lies an archaeological zone that has been central to understanding the city's earliest history. The fortress itself is believed to have been first built and occupied around the 5th century AD, though excavations have uncovered fragments of defensive walls dating back as far as the 4th-3rd centuries BC, making it the oldest investigated monument in Bukhara. Major excavation campaigns took place from 1970 to 1974 under archaeologist Ya. G. Gulyamov, uncovering upper occupation layers from the 16th to early 20th centuries across a large area, followed in 1979-1980 by a deep stratigraphic trench that reached the earliest cultural layers for the first time. These findings, together with artifacts from the site, are now displayed in the Ark's own archaeological museum. The citadel today functions as a museum reserve covering roughly four hectares, combining its surviving throne room, reception court, and mosque with the ongoing record of its excavated past.