The preserved part of the city wall with gaps is a unique monument of the defense architecture of Central Asia and Bukhara .
Content
History
The first walls of Shahristan were erected in the 8th century , during the reign of the Tahirids [1] .
The territory of the city expanded considerably and therefore was surrounded by new walls in 849/50. Under the Karakhanid ruler of Arslan Khan at the beginning of the XII century, the dilapidated walls were reinforced with a new raw ramparts. And under Masud Klych Tamgach Khan in 1164/65 a new shaft was made of burnt brick.
At the beginning of the XIII century, both walls fell into disrepair, and the Khorezmshah Muhammad restored them. In 1220, the fortifications were destroyed by the army of Genghis Khan .
After that, until the middle of the XIII century, the city was in desolation and its territory was seriously reduced.
In the second half of the XIII century, the city began to revive. As follows from the ancient manuscripts, at that time two large madrasahs were erected - Masoudiye and Chaniye . By the beginning of the 15th century, according to the information, there were already two rings of the fortress walls of Bukhara: the outer - with an area of 12x12 Farsakhs (that is, 5184 km2) and the inner - with an area of 1x1 Farses (that is, 36 km²).
"... And there is not a single wasteland, not a single ruin in this space."
- Bakuvi, Abd ar-Rashid
In 1540-1549 under Abd al-Aziz Khan , another ring of walls was erected, which covered the city outskirts.
Current State
At present, only the gates of the end of the XVI century are preserved - Talipach Gate in the north, Karakul Gate - in the south-west. This gate is very similar to each other and it is quite possible that this type of gate was typical for medieval Bukhara .
Specialists have determined that there were only eleven city gates in Bukhara, of which five were located on a preserved section of the fortress walls. They also restored their name.
Not preserved gate, located in the south of the city - called Sheikh Jalal . Their remains could still be seen in the XX century , but now they are completely destroyed.
Notes
- ↑ Narshakhi. "History of Bukhara", X c.