Sordid

Worse, we’re throwing piles of money at them.

They did. This is only the oldest, innermost fortification in the city. AFAIK additional layers of walls were build around it later.

No. https://i.imgur.com/wKgLVxA.png

It’s _/‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾\_ shaped. It’s not freestanding walls, the whole thing is an earthen mound with a flat top and its sides lined with bricks.

In defensive terms, no, not really. They had to build it like this because these aren’t really walls per se, it’s just brick lining on the outside of an earthen mound, and mounds are, well, mound-shaped. https://gomadnomad.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Bukharas-Ark-Palace.jpg