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The Zindan is a former 18th-century prison used by the Emirs of Bukhara, notorious for its pit cells — deep, dark holes from which prisoners could never escape. Now a museum, it offers a sobering look at the brutal justice system of the Emirate.
The Zindan was built in the 18th century adjacent to the Ark fortress. It gained international infamy when two British officers, Colonel Charles Stoddart and Captain Arthur Conolly, were imprisoned and eventually executed here in 1842 for diplomatic transgressions. The prison remained in use until the 1920 Russian conquest.