Bukhara Prison
Native name Uzbek: Buxoro zindoni
Bukhara prison
Location	Bukhara, Uzbekistan
Nearest city	Bukhara
Coordinates	39/46/44/N/64/24/50/E
Built for	Prison
Current use	Museum

Bukhara Prison is a fortified building that traditionally served as the prison of the Amir of Bukhara, in Uzbekistan. In the late 18th century, during the reign of the Mangits, it was built and was one of the largest prisons of the Bukhara Emirate. After the Bukhara Revolution, the collapse of the monarchy, and the formation of the Bukhara People's Soviet Republic, it was closed. Currently, it is considered one of the noteworthy places in the city. At the same time, the Museum of Legal and Judicial History of Bukhara is located here. ^[1]

History

The prison was built in the 2nd half of the 18th century, during the Mangit dynasty, and is located in the northwest corner of the ancient city, in the vicinity of the Hoja Nizamiddin Bolo burial site, around a hundred meters northeast of the Ark fortress, dating back to the middle centuries. ^{[2] [3]}

Architecture

The surroundings of the prison are enclosed by a solid meat wall, and above it rises a high adobe structure with walls reinforced by buttresses. ^{[2] [4]} The entrance to the prison is through a small arched and two-story ancient wooden door frame. ^[4] The prison is divided into two parts: the upper prison called "zindon-i bolo" and the lower prison called "zindon-i poyon". ^[5] The first part consists of several rooms for prisoners. During those times, every month, prisoners in this part were subjected to public flogging twice, suspended from a pole with chains. The detainees endured the punishment barefoot, without any protection. ^[5] The second part is a deep pit with a diameter of 5 meters and a depth of 6.5 meters, surrounded by a high wall topped with battlements where criminals were placed, and their food was also lowered in the same manner. ^{[4] [5] [2] [6]}

In many Muslim states of that era, deep pits were used for disgracing prisoners or those convicted of serious crimes. It was specially designated for high-ranking officials who had fallen into disgrace for various reasons. Most often, rebels, murderers, thieves, bandits, debtors (if the death penalty was not imposed on them), those awaiting execution (if the death penalty had not yet been carried out), and conspirators awaiting trial were thrown into the prison. ^[6] The courtyard contains buildings made of various types of adobe, belonging to different historical periods. These include the prison guard's room, tax collectors' quarters, debtors' rooms, and cells for political prisoners as well as those condemned to death. ^[6] Bukhara Prison is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the overall heritage of Uzbekistan. In 2020, some episodes of the film about Behbudiy were shot in the prison. ^[7]

Gallery

• Gallery
• 
  A group of prisoners in Bukhara, 1899
• 
  Bukhara prison, 1902
• 
  Executioners at the door of Bukhara prison, 1909
• 
  Bukhara. Photo of S. M. Prokudin-Gorsky, 1915
• 
  The process of beheading those sentenced to death in Bukhara, 1913
• 
  Prisoners in Bukhara.

References