Afrasiyab (Samarkand)
39.67142166.987548700Koordinaten: 39 ° 40 ' 17.1 "N, 66 ° 59' 15.2 " E
The Tell of Afrasiab ( Uzbek Afrosiyob ) is located north of Samarkand ( Marakanda ) in Uzbekistan. It consists of a citadel ( Shahr -i - stan) and the actual fortified town. It is approximately 220 ha in size and triangular in shape. He has four phases. The city has a system of rectangular paved streets and the appropriate blocks of flats. Even mosques and workshops have been excavated.
Name
The name of Afrasiab (Persian افراسياب ) is brought popular with the name of the legendary king of Turan in conjunction, but scientists see the name as a corruption of the word Tajik Parsīāb at ( Sogdian Paršvāb ), which means " Above the black river " - the flow Sīāh - Āb, " Black River ", flows north of the city.
History
Afrasiab was already in Graeco - Bactrian period ( about 250 BC to 10 AD), an important settlement. After the latter case, the end of the 2nd century, it became part of the Kushan Empire.
After the end of the Sasanian Empire by 628 Sogdiana and thus Afrasiab came under Chinese influence. From 636 the Arab conquest, which reached 651 Merv began. After 670, the Chinese Central Asia lost to the Tibetans, Sogdians fell in the sequence from 673 to the Umayyads. in the 7th century were minted its own coins here. From this period murals that show the receipt envoy from China and Korea come.
In Sogdian time was in Afrasiab the palace of the ruler of Samarkand ichschidischen. Since the 9th century presented here, probably because of the declining export porcelain from China a manufactory white ceramic with abstract and floral underglaze paintings here, which influenced, among others, the Byzantine pottery production. The community was rich and powerful by controlling the Silk Road.
Before the Mongol conquest of Central Asia Afrasiab was part of the kingdom of Khorezm Shah. After Bukhara had already fallen in 1220, Genghis Khan attacked Samarkand. The Turkmen garrison ran to the Mongols, but they were massacred. After five days of stubborn resistance Afrasiab fell and was completely destroyed.
Afrasiab is also known from a poem by the Persian Sa'adi ". The spider weaves the curtains in the palace of the Caesars, the owl calls of Afrasiab towers the hour of " These lines on the transience of worldly power to Mehmed II Fatih after the conquest Constantinople in 1453 have cited during the visit of the ruins of the Great Palace.
Murals
Extensive murals seem to be typical of Sogdian palaces. Except in Afrasiab they are also found in Pendschikent, fire Christan and the Bulgarian Palace in Waraschscha. You are in a palace in the southern city in a hall of 10 × 10 m size. Sogdian inscriptions inform you of the identity of the sitter and so provide important information about the national costume s time. On the south wall of the reception of ambassadors of the Huns under the leadership of Bur - Satak from Tschangian is presented at court. Among them was an ambassador from Korea is represented. On the east wall of spear- reinforced tabs are displayed on the tiger hunting in sogdischem style, while the north wall shows Chinese style on a blue background.
Terracotta figures
In Afrasiab variety of terracotta figures were unearthed. These include a helmeted Athena, Terrakottas by Arethusa style, Sogdian and Turkish horsemen, boys and girls with royal headwear, demonic creatures as well as an armed Sogdian Paladin.
Burials
Bones were kept by Zoroastrian tradition in beschmückten ossuaries.
Museum
The Museum of Samarkand was founded in 1896. It contains finds from Afrasiab of 4 - 13th Century
Excavations
Shortly after the Russian conquest of Central Asia excavations took place here, including by Lieutenant Colonel Krestovskij 1833 and Major Borzenkov 1874. It mainly drew narrow search trenches and so covered building, but could not clarify the stratigraphy and history. After the military, the archaeologist I. Veselovskij took over the excavations, since the beginning of the 20th century was here V. L. Vjatkin active, then I. A. Terenoschkin. For 13 years digging a French- Uzbek expedition F. Grenet and M. Ch Isamiddinov in Afrasiab.
The layers Afrasiab II and III are from the Greco -Bactrian time. Already, the city was a center of ceramic production. In Afrasiab III a very fine fabric with red coat and red glaze was prepared. In the structures found for the first time using burnt bricks. Even at the time of the Kushan Empire Afrasiab was an important settlement.
Shah -i - Zinda
The Shah -i - Zinda ( Persian: " The Living King ") is a street of tombs on the outskirts of Afrasiab. Among other things, the scholar Kadi Zade Runi and female members of the ruling family of Samarkand are buried. The grave of Abbas ibn Kusam, the nephew of Mohammed is the center of the burial ground. He is considered the ' living ruler '. According to legend, he was beheaded in the conquest of Central Asia by the infidels, but then increased with the head under his arm into a hill, where he remains hidden to this day. On this hill stands today a monument from the 15th century