The age of the city of Samarkand will be re-evaluated as 3,000 years

A decision on this matter was adopted yesterday at the regular session of the Samarkand Regional Council of People’s Deputies.

At the beginning of this year, on the initiative of the regional governor, a public council was established under the khokimiyat to study the history, culture, architecture, and archaeological monuments of Samarkand. The council, consisting of well-known historians, archaeologists, and intellectuals, began research work in several directions.

The group tasked with clarifying the age of Samarkand conducted comprehensive excavations using interdisciplinary research methods at the Afrasiab and Koktepa sites, as well as at the site of Amir Temur’s citadel located at today’s Kok Saroy Square.

“Research into the ancient origins and age of Samarkand has been ongoing for more than 150 years. At first, it was concluded that the city was founded 1,500 years ago, later 2,000 years, and in 1970, 2,500 years”, said Mominxon Saidov, director of the Samarkand Archaeological Institute, speaking at the session.

“In the 2000s, however, the Uzbekistan–France joint expedition revealed new information and confirmed Samarkand’s age as 2,750 years. But even this was not the final conclusion, which is why research on the city’s chronology has continued in recent years. In particular, this year’s excavation data, based on analysis of the work carried out at the Koktepa site (25 km from Samarkand) between 1993 and 2006, has led specialists to new perspectives”.

Members of the Uzbekistan–France joint expedition M. Isomiddinov, Claude Rapin, and M. Hasanov by reanalyzing materials discovered so far at Koktepa and Afrasiab, have put forward the idea that the formation period of Samarkand dates back 3,000 years. It is noted that in the early 1st millennium BCE, around 3,000 years ago, a large city that included the ruler’s residence and a temple had developed in this area. This corresponds with the terms “Gava Suguda” and “Sugud” mentioned in the Avesta. “Gava Suguda” referred to an agricultural region, while “Sugud” denoted an administrative center believed to have been located precisely at Koktepa. By the 7th–6th centuries BCE, the center of Sogd shifted to the current Afrasiab hill. In March of this year, large-scale excavations were carried out at several points of the Afrasiab site, including the citadel and shahristan area near the defensive wall.

During the excavations, it was revealed that the ancient defensive wall was built of domed-shaped mudbricks laid over natural loess soil. The research identified a newly discovered section of the wall extending up to 22 meters westward. This made it possible to clarify the architectural plan of the citadel in the 7th–6th centuries BCE. Artifacts from periods ranging from the 7th–6th centuries BCE to the 12th century CE were found in the citadel area. From the lower layers beneath the wall’s foundations, archaeological materials such as pottery fragments, animal bones, and organic matter were identified. At a depth of more than seven meters, a complex defensive system dating to the 7th–4th centuries BCE was uncovered and studied. Archaeobotanical and archaeozoological finds from two excavations were sent for analysis to laboratories in France, Germany, and Japan. These analyses are currently underway. To date, the collected scientific data has been submitted to the relevant authorities, including the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan and the Scientific Council under the Cultural Heritage Agency, from which positive conclusions have been received.

At the session, it was resolved to accept the presentation materials from the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan, the Samarkand Archaeological Institute, and international partner organizations indicating that the earliest urbanization of Samarkand dates back to the end of the 2nd millennium BCE and the beginning of the 1st millennium BCE for informational purposes, and to submit the archaeological finds, scientific data, and documents obtained from excavations at Afrasiab and Koktepa to the relevant ministries and agencies.