Zindon Prison Bukhara
One of the reasons for my trip to Bukhara, other than visiting the Ark of Bukhara, was to check out the dreaded Zindon Prison in Bukhara. This prison saw two British officers being imprisoned here for years inside a bug pit and then executed. This prison was famous for its Bug Pit where dreaded criminals were left to die after being bitten by poisonous scorpions and other insects. Unfortunately for these two British officers, they had to face this before their execution.
History Of Zindon Prison
The word “Zindon” means prison in Persian so there is no actual name for this prison. This prison is set to have been built somewhere in the second half of the 18th century. This was a functional prison till around the early 20th century. There were two prisons in Bukhara, one was located inside the Ark of Bukhara which was a smaller one and the other was this Zindon. At the moment this is a ticketed tourist attraction and houses a small museum.
The Great Game
During the 19th century, there was great rivalry between the British Empire and the Russian Empire regarding their influence in Central Asia. For the British, it was India that they had to protect; they knew that they had to stop the advance of Russian influence to its south, which could easily reach the borders of India through Afghanistan. Russia had already Iran (Persia) in their grasp and was looking to solidify that position by influencing the Central Asian kingdoms. At the crossroads of this was Bukhara which historically was part of the famous Silk Route. Bukhara was also a major trading hub and thus was of common interest to both parties.
This great game also became a game of spies for the British and the Russians. Each of them sent spies to keep track of each other and also sent official messengers and diplomats to the Emir of Bukhara to gain influence.
This game of cat and mouse led Britain to send an English officer as a diplomat to Bukhara to sway the Emir in its favor. Things did not go according to plan and that is the reason why the Zindon Prison in Bukhara became a legend.
Colonel Charles Stoddart
Born on the 23rd of July 1806 in Ipswitch, Colonel Charles Stoddart was an English officer who acted as a diplomat but in reality, was a spy who worked for the crown. As a part of The Great Game, he was dispatched to Bukhara to meet Amir Muhammad Nasrullah Bahadur Khan the emir of Bukhara.
There are two versions of what happened to him, the first one being arrested instantly on arrival in 1838 as he did not adhere to the customs of the land on how to meet the emir. He arrived at the fort on his horseback back which had angered the emir and landed him up in jail.
The second version, which seems more logical, is that Colonel Charles Stoddart being a spy was not trusted by the emir and he was arrested and released a few times during his stay in Bukhara. A part of his job was to gather intelligence on the Russian influence and how much the emir of Bukhara was involved in all of this.
Whatever the actual reason may be he was arrested and imprisoned at the infamous Zindon Prison. He was tortured to get a confession and to get to the bottom of the truth. As a part of the punishment, he was put inside the Bug Pit where he languished for years before being executed in front of an audience on the 24th of June 1842.
Captain Arthur Conolly
His story was linked to Colonel Charles Stoddart as he was sent to Bukhara to get his release from prison. Born on the 2nd of July 1897 in London, he was a British intelligence officer assigned the task of reaching Bukhara and securing the release of the prisoner. He joined the army at a very young age and sailed all the way to Calcutta in India.
He was a well-traveled officer who had actively participated in the espionage of The Great Game while traveling across Russia, Central Asia, and Afghanistan. His next challenge was Bukhara and meeting its emir, he was worried that the Russians might be influencing him, whereas the emir was apprehensive about bout the Russians and the British knowing very well that both of them were a threat to his rule and influence in this region.
In 1841, he reached Bukhara from Afghanistan to rescue Colonel Charles Stoddart but he ran out of luck. Amir Muhammad Nasrullah Bahadur Khan, the emir of Bukhara, had him arrested and put him inside the same dreaded Zindon Prison. He was also put inside the Bug Pit along with his comrade Colonel Charles Stoddart where they both languished for a year before being executed on the same date along with Stoddart.
What To See At Zindon Prison
The prison looks like a mini version of the Ark of Bukhara, especially when it comes to the outer wall. It looks like the front position of a ship. From the main road take the flight of steps to reach the ticket counte,r where one needs to first buy an entry ticket. It’s a small section of the old prison that has been restored and renovated. Inside you will get to see a museum depicting the life of the convicts of the prison. The rooms within the prison have mannequins placed to show the life of the convicts inside the prison.
The star attraction of this place is the Bug Pit where dangerous criminals were placed and was the very place where Colonel Charles Stoddart and Captain Arthur Conolly were kept before their execution.
Overall, it’s a nice place to visit and can be easily clubbed with the visit to the Ark of Bukhara. It will take around forty-five minutes to one hour to visit this place.
Location Of Zindon Prison
This building is located behind the Ark of Bukhara and can be easily reached on foot, taking around ten to fifteen minutes.
Vlog Of Zindon Prison
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