Numerous historical documents suggest that the whole process of the construction of the fortress began around 1865 and lasted until 1872. Numerous archaeological excavations have revealed that the new fortress was built on the site of the once destroyed citadel of Muhammad Ali Khan.
The construction process was decided to entrust the best architects of that period. The best experts from Bukhara and Kokand were invited. It was decided to entrust the main project to the well-known master Mir Ubaydallah. His project provided that the complex would be built on a large hill. At the base of the complex, for security reasons, it was to lay a brick foundation.
Historians have managed to restore the appearance of a fortress
Numerous studies have revealed that initially the area of the complex was about 8 hectares. The total perimeter of the fortress was reliably protected by a chain of well-fortified walls, the base of which had a deep moat. The Citadel, which included more than a hundred different rooms, was divided into four functional parts:
• The palace interior courtyard, covering an area of 69 meters by 143meters;
• The fortress or external palace;
• Middle palace;
• Luxurious garden.
All four parts had their own reliable gates, built strictly on one axis directed from west to east. The period of active conquest battles in this place inflicted irreparable damage to the entire complex. To the dismay of archaeologists, most of the complex, for example, the outer courtyard of the complex, the harem and others were irretrievably lost. Only a few parts of the former complex have survived:
1. The hall with a massive dome;
2. A small terrace;
3. About twenty rooms.
From 1925 it was decided to open a historical museum in the fortress-palace, where everyone can get acquainted with numerous artifacts.