A vast ancient settlement to the north of modern Samarkand reminds of the location of pre-Mongolian Samarkand.
This settlement, Afrasiyab, was named after the king of Turan — one of the heroes of the Persian epic.
It was the very center of Samarkand starting from the 6th century BC until 1220 when Mongols destroyed the city.
Having survived the invasions of many conquerors, Samarkand, however, failed to recover from the raid of Genghis Khan who ordered to wipe out the entire city.
The inhabitants were so shocked that they did not dare to live on these hills again. After returning to the ruins of Samarkand, they decided to settle nearby.
The total area of the ancient settlement is 219 hectares.
Archaeologists have discovered 11 cultural layers of Afrasiyab that cover over two and a half centuries.
The ancient settlement was crossed by straight cobbled streets and divided into blocks (“guzars”).
It was surrounded by massive defensive walls to protect its citadel, Shahriston, along with temples, houses, and craft workshops.
Archaeological finds from the Afrasiyab settlement are exhibited in the historical museum of Samarkand, which was opened in 1970 in the eastern part of the settlement.
In 1965, archaeologists discovered a palace complex with wall paintings on the territory of Afrasiyab in Samarkand, which was a hallmark scientific discovery in the history of the material culture of Uzbekistan and the whole world.
This palace was built in the 7th century AD and therefore belongs to the pre-Arab period.
All four walls of the large square 11 x 11 meters hall boasted multi-color narrative paintings.
The paintings exhibited in the central hall of the museum at the Afrasiyab settlement were really unique for their historical period. They were found in the reception hall of the house only a few hundred meters west of the museum.
In addition, scientists discovered the ruins of a large aristocratic house.
This was most likely a palace or residence of the ruler himself in the third quarter of the 7th century.
This settlement, Afrasiyab, was named after the king of Turan — one of the heroes of the Persian epic.
It was the very center of Samarkand starting from the 6th century BC until 1220 when Mongols destroyed the city.
Having survived the invasions of many conquerors, Samarkand, however, failed to recover from the raid of Genghis Khan who ordered to wipe out the entire city.
The inhabitants were so shocked that they did not dare to live on these hills again. After returning to the ruins of Samarkand, they decided to settle nearby.
The total area of the ancient settlement is 219 hectares.
Archaeologists have discovered 11 cultural layers of Afrasiyab that cover over two and a half centuries.
The ancient settlement was crossed by straight cobbled streets and divided into blocks (“guzars”).
It was surrounded by massive defensive walls to protect its citadel, Shahriston, along with temples, houses, and craft workshops.
Archaeological finds from the Afrasiyab settlement are exhibited in the historical museum of Samarkand, which was opened in 1970 in the eastern part of the settlement.
In 1965, archaeologists discovered a palace complex with wall paintings on the territory of Afrasiyab in Samarkand, which was a hallmark scientific discovery in the history of the material culture of Uzbekistan and the whole world.
This palace was built in the 7th century AD and therefore belongs to the pre-Arab period.
All four walls of the large square 11 x 11 meters hall boasted multi-color narrative paintings.
The paintings exhibited in the central hall of the museum at the Afrasiyab settlement were really unique for their historical period. They were found in the reception hall of the house only a few hundred meters west of the museum.
In addition, scientists discovered the ruins of a large aristocratic house.
This was most likely a palace or residence of the ruler himself in the third quarter of the 7th century.