How was the Kushan treasure discovered?

For thousands of years, dozens of dynasties and hundreds of kings and sultans ruled over the territory of our homeland. One of these powerful states was the Kushan Kingdom, which reigned from the 1st to the 4th centuries CE. During its peak, approximately 60 million people nearly 20 percent of the world’s population at that time lived within the borders of this empire. Over its 400-year rule, trade, craftsmanship, architecture, and culture flourished in the Kushan state. The people of the empire spoke various languages and practiced different religions, including Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, and Hinduism, with temples and shrines dedicated to these faiths rising across the realm.

 

Who were the Kushans?

 

At a time when the Greco-Bactrian state formed as a successor to Alexander the Great’s empire was in decline, a tribe from the East known as the Yuezhi entered the region. Its leaders seized control and established dominance.

 

According to some sources, a commander named Garay founded this state. However, other accounts state that around 20 CE, the leader of the Guishuang tribe, Kujula Kadphises, unified five major tribes and ascended to the throne, thus founding the Kushan Empire.

 

There are still various theories regarding the origin and language of the Kushans. Many scholars believe their language belonged to the Eastern Iranian language group. However, there are also claims that they were ancestors of the Turks. This is supported by the fact that Kujula Kadphises held the title “Yabghu” (King of Kings), which was also used by Eastern Turkic Khagans. The term “Yabghu”, explained in Mahmud al-Kashgari’s Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk, also appears on Kushan coins. This significant evidence suggests that the Kushans may have primarily been a confederation of Turkic peoples.

 

Map of the Kushan Empire

 

Later, the Kushan king launched military campaigns into neighboring territories, conquering northwestern India, the banks of the Amu Darya, Kabul, Kandahar, Parthia, Afghanistan, and Kashmir. Thus, during the Kushan dynasty, Uzbekistan’s statehood reached the level of a major empire for the first time in its history.

 

Under the reign of Vima Kadphises, who succeeded Kujula Kadphises on the throne, the Kushan Empire expanded to encompass territories reaching northwestern India. Soon, a powerful state emerged stretching from Bactria to the Indian subcontinent. In honor of Vima Kadphises, a stone statue was erected in the Indian city of Mathura.

 

Unfortunately, there are very few written sources about the Kushan Empire, which lasted for four centuries. Limited information comes from Chinese, Armenian, and Persian sources, as well as from ancient inscriptions, archaeological discoveries, sculptures, and inscriptions on coins. These provide only a partial understanding of the state.

 

Expression of Religious Tolerance

 

Findings from the Kushan Empire, particularly from the Surkhandarya region, show that various religious beliefs coexisted in this area.

 

It is known that when the Kushan state began to form, Zoroastrianism had already spread in the southern regions of present-day Uzbekistan. By the reign of King Kanishka, Buddhism was established as the state religion throughout the empire. Alongside its doctrines, Buddhist art also entered these lands. During this period, Buddhist temples, monasteries, and other structures were built in and around the walls of Termez. The city became one of the sacred pilgrimage sites of Buddhism.

 

Nevertheless, it is evident that people within the empire were free to practice the religion of their choice. This is supported by archaeological discoveries from the region that include not only remnants of Buddhist temples and statues, but also Zoroastrian dakhmas and naoses.

 

In 1993, an inscription stone dating to the reign of Kanishka I (78–123) was found at the site of Rabatak in Afghanistan. This inscription mentions the names of both Zoroastrian and Hindu deities side by side. All of these examples demonstrate that even two thousand years ago, a policy of religious tolerance was practiced in our land.

 

One of the Pillars of the World

 

 

The Kushan Empire was based on a monarchical system, with the king as the head of state wielding immense power and authority. He was also considered the high priest, while the council of elders that operated in his court served as an advisory body. Although this council included the king’s close relatives, trusted associates, and tribal leaders, it was the king himself who independently enacted laws and decrees.

 

As the territory of the Kushan Empire expanded and its political and military influence grew, titles such as “king” and “king of kings” became increasingly common on the empire’s coins. These developments reflect the recognition of the Kushan Empire’s military might by many other states. Several historical sources describe the Kushan Empire as one of the great pillars of the world.

 

During the reign of Vima Kadphises, a monetary reform was carried out with the aim of establishing trade monopoly. Gold coins were minted to facilitate foreign trade. These gold coins weighed 8 grams, equivalent to the Roman coins of the same era.

 

According to archaeological evidence, especially during the reign of Kanishka, social and economic relations flourished significantly in the Kushan Empire. At that time, nearly all regions of Central Asia developed both irrigated agriculture and livestock breeding. Numerous irrigation structures were built in Khorezm and the Zarafshan region. Equal trade relations were established with the world’s most advanced civilizations of the time Rome, Parthia, and China. During the reign of Kanishka I, the city of Kanishkapura was founded in the Kashmir region.

 

The Return of the Kushan Gold

 

The Kushan Empire was indeed immensely wealthy and powerful. As a result, its treasures attracted the interest of various countries and dynasties. Naturally, a large portion of these riches were looted during wars and invasions. In 1972, an expedition of Uzbek scholars, researchers, and students was dispatched to Termez to study the Dalverzin Tepe site. Among them were renowned archaeologists and historians such as B. Turgunov, G. Pugachenkova, and E. Rtveladze.

 

On September 25 of that year, Uzbek archaeologists unearthed the first major treasure ever discovered on the territory of our country. Buried for centuries beneath layers of soil, they found 115 gold items with a total weight of over 36 kilograms inside a clay jar.

 

This “treasure of the century” included various shaped gold ingots, ornaments, and jewelry for both men and women. One striking piece was a golden pectoral bearing a repoussé image of the mythical hero Heracles holding a lion’s head an example of Greco-Bactrian jewelry craftsmanship. A dome-shaped ring, artistically crafted, featured an unknown predatory animal at its center and was adorned with precious stones around its edges. Further analysis revealed that the treasure dated back to the era of the Kushan Empire.

 

Archaeologists B. Turgunov and E. Rtveladze transported the 36-kilogram cache of pure gold artifacts through neighboring Tajikistan to Dushanbe without any armed escort, and from there, they flew to Tashkent. In this way, the Kushan treasure became the property of the Uzbek people.

 

Today, these rare finds now known as the “Dalverzin Treasure” are preserved by the Precious Metals Agency of the Central Bank of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

 

In August 2019, an exhibition of the “Dalverzin Treasure” was held as part of the international cultural heritage week titled “Uzbekistan – Crossroads of Great Roads and Civilizations: Empires, Religions, Cultures,” organized by the World Society for the Study, Preservation and Promotion of the Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan.

 

It is planned that the Kushan treasure will also be featured in the Center of Islamic civilization’s “Pre-Islamic Civilizations” exhibition.