Hissar Fortress

Gissar Fortress represents a palace of one of the beys of the Bukhara Emirate. The fortress with walls 1 metre thick with loopholes for guns, rose above the pitch of a hill and was guarded. There were a swimming pool and a garden inside the fortress. Opposite the fortress bustling bazaar square was located with caravansary and a great number of shops. A number of different legends has to do with the Gissar Fortress. According to one of these legends the fortress was built by Afrosiab to defend against Rustam (famous heroes of Firdowsi’s work The Shahnome), another legend says that pious caliph Ali came to this site on his horse Dul-Dul (to the north of Gissar). In the guise of acrobat rop-walker he stole through the fortress, but was recognized and captured. But his faithful horse came to the rescue and brought him his sword with the help of which he managed to destroy all enemies, including evil magician, who possessed the fortress.