Now housing museums and artefacts from distant history the Ark is Bukhara’s oldest structure, built and occupied as a city within a city from the 5th century right up until 1920.
At that time it was laid siege by the Bolsheviks to defeat the last Emir of Bukhara, eventually this succeeded but only after extensive bombing,
In the early 20th century, not only did it house the ruler's palace various government offices but it was also home to over 3,000 residents.
Now mostly in ruins with about only 20% of the original structures remaining.
The bug Pit
In the early 19th century, Central Asia, was a hotbed of intrigue and expansionism mainly between Victorian Britain and Tsarist Russia, (european "royal" families all of them fucking inbreds).
The Emir of Bukhara, Muhammad Nasrullah Bahadur Khan, was fearful that this would harm the lucrative slave trade. (some 100,000 slaves sere sold in the market of Bukhara every year).
During this time a diplomat, Colonel Charles Stoddart was dispatched to Bukhara to win favour of the Emir to encourage him to side with the British.
The phrase "idiot abroad" springs to mind... greatly insulting the Emir by not understanding protocol, or maybe just typical British arogance, saw him ride up to the Emir on his horse, saluting him without dismounting, pissed the Emir off good style
The letter he was delivering displeased the Emir as it was signed not by the then queen victoria, his equal, but the lesser governor of India. This typical imperial british arrogance saw Stoddart arrested and thrown into "the bug pit" A hole 30ft deep, only accessible by rope, littered with human bones, excrement, and all manner of insects, scorpions and rats.
Widely reported in the British press, the imprisonment of a British officer caused a great outcry amongst the chattering classes as they quaffed their breakfast kedgeree and quails eggs whilst browsing the pages of The Times. But as the saying goes "todays news is tomorrows chip wrapping". Stoddart would spend nearly two years down there, in the pit. Alone.
Despite warnings to stay away from Bukhara, from the Khan of Khiva, in 1841, a party led by Captain Arthur Conolly was granted permission to seek Stoddart's release and he would not be deterred.
The suspicious Nasrullah thought believed Conolly was a spy sent to sow dissent and he threw Conolly into the Bug Pit too. The men would be kept there for another year.
The two captives were eventually hauled up from the Bug Pit, a sorry sight barely alive, their bodies covered in sores, their clothing crawling with lice.
Brought to the public square watched by a gathered crowd they were forced to dig their own graves the two men were told to kneel and prepare for death.
Stoddard was the first to die, the executioner turned to Conolly, the Emir offered to spare his life if he renounced Christianity and embraced Islam. He refused, his head rolled in the sand.
As for Nasrullah, he died in his bed seventeen years later in 1860.
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