Bukhara's Ark

This is the Ark, the oldest structure in Bukhara, which itself is pretty goddamn old. It was lived in from the 5th century AD until 1920, when the Russians trashed it.

It was closed for renovation unfortunately so we couldn't go in. In places Uzbekistan does have a tendency to 'improve' old monuments through renovation, when tourists actually want to see them as they have aged naturally.

When we saw a camel passing in front of it and an old lady shuffling along, it was one of those moments that transported us back several centuries to when Bukhara was a major town on the Silk Road, full of sly traders, fierce warlords and wicked emirs.