Archaeology handicrafts and science and technology sites to visit Central Asia

In this region of Khorezm to the east of its first capital, Kath, formed a network of fortified citadels defending the territory while enriching their position on trade routes and on the border of the nomadic worlds. Their military and commercial role was broken by the Mongolian tornado, but their many ruins left behind still scattered the desert of their enigmatic forms carved by centuries of erosion. The archaeological team of Professor Tolstov was born and explored more than sites dating from the th century before our age until the th century after the th century. Only about sites abandoned in the desert were searched, others wait for them to wake up. Since 1972, the kolkhozes have colonized these desert steppes and come closer to ancient cities to identify them, as is the case for Toprak Kala. Unfortunately, they use the walls of enceinte to fertilize the desert… most of the fortified cities of Du are in Qoraqalpoghiston or Turkmenistan. Starting from Uzs or Ourgentch, a great Day is enough to see half a dozen in the Berouni area. Further distances, such as Ayaz Kala or Jampik kala, require more time. If you leave Uzs, there is a great chance that the taxi driver will know the way to have it with other tourists. If you leave Ourgentch, be more suspicious, you may lose time with a more loose driver than you yourself, to find, after hours of research, in front of a small pile of land and pieces of bricks: there are around sites scattered around the ancient Amu Darya courses, in a distance far from the straight line.

Gouldoursoun. 40 km from Berouni towards Tourktoul. A first site surrounded by walls of wall is called the little Gouldoursoun. The big Gouldoursoun is 10 km along the same road. Fortresses controlled and protected irrigation canals. A legend tells how the daughter of the dekhan who reigned on the city fell in love with one of the enemies who besieged the city and how she betrayed her own by leaving the army into the walls. The unfortunate was then abandoned by his lover and the city fell into the hands of the enemies. The same legend is told in Mizdakhan, the ancient city near.

Toprak. About kilometres from Berouni. A ruined fortress dating from the first century B.C. became a regional capital under the Kouchans, in the th century, it underwent repeated attacks by the Huns Hephtalites who, by destroying irrigation channels, were right for the royal city. In the life of the century, she went into oblivion. Led by Professor Tolstov, archaeological excavations began just before the Second World War. The frescoes that were discovered there are in St Petersburg today; The Hermitage Museum has phagocyté or protected, according to interpretations, most of the testimonies of the ancient cultures of Central Asia. However, a collection of objects, found on the sites of Fouille by Igor Savitsky, is exhibited at the Musée museum. Here, in Toprak Kala, you can still see the traces of the many pieces and gardens of the Royal Palace, including the hall of kings, the ballroom and the black guard hall, and imagine what the temple of worshippers of the fire or the large clan houses gathered under one roof of the families of more than members. At 3 km from Toprak Kala, the high walls of Kyzyl Kala were housed in the old fortress.

Koi Krilgan Kala. About kilometres from Toprak Kala, south-east. The most famous archaeological sites with Toprak Kala. A large circular citadel, fire temple where funeral rituals were used and used as an observatory. Dated th century BC in the fourth century of our era.

. Kala. miles from Toprak Kala, direction Kyzyl Kum. . Kala is probably one of the most impressive sites. The ensemble consists of two perched citadels on hills of different heights. At the foot of the hills there are traces of homes and irrigation. The ruins offer an admirable view of the surrounding desert and Sultan Uvays mountains. The citadels kept a good part of their walls. From spring, you can eat lunch or even sleep under yurts installed behind citadels: Camping Ayazqala, contact Karimberdieva Dilbar Ziyatdinovna, tel: 221 07 07 or 350 59 09, e-mail: [email protected]).

Kirkiz. Even more enfoncé in the desert, the site, which dates back to the th century BC, is saved by kolkhozes. Photogenic ruins.

Djampik. kilometres from the entrance of the Bala Tugaï nature reserve. From the th-century fortified town, there are still large sections of the wall and part of the apartments of the dekhan. Such huge sculptures stand in the vastness of the banks of the Amu Darya, dominating the desert on one side and Bala Tugaï forest on the other. By way of cutting, we can appreciate the technique of constructing the walls, made of land and bricks between which were planted layers of straw. A strength that did not save the citadel of destruction, but which allows its ruins to keep still standing seven centuries later. If you go to August, you may have the chance to see the unique occupants of the citadel, eagles coming to nest between wooden poles that go beyond walls. The first role of these poles was that convicts were placed there. A truly superb desolation, which inspired the sculptor Joldasbek Koumimouratov, the most famous artist of La and companion of Savitsky, who wanted to make it a city of artists. Dreams are what they are, and the ruins remained abandoned. If you cross someone in the fortress, ask him for news from the black rock knocking behind the walls in the centre of the citadel. According to warned observers, it grows from year to year with approximately five fingers left out. One of the mysteries of the desert…

Chilpik. In the vicinity of the village of Bestam, one hundred kilometres from Berouni. Perched on a hill, the walls of Chilpik Kala dominate the desert steppe. Round of silence or fire fortified post dating from the second in the th century. This fortress can be easily visited if you go to, from which it is perfectly visible, left of the road.

The city was fortified as soon as it was created. The Ark was a citadel surrounded by high walls, and the shakhrestan, the inner city, also possessed its place. And to protect itself from the nomadic attacks, the oasis of Bukhara was surrounded by a wide circle of tens of kilometres. It was consolidated in the th century after the Arab conquest. In the image of the city, these fortifications were frequently destroyed and rebuilt. At the end of the th century, Ismail Samani again rebuilt the wall surrounding the Bukhara oasis: " As long as I am alive, he said, I'll be the walls of Bukhara. During the reign of Abdul Aziz Khan, in 1540, the imposing walls protecting the city of the outside world were 12 km long and 11 m high, with 11 solid doors in two paved sides of turrets which remained closed during the night. The walls endured some affronts during the feudal wars but protected the city until the Russian conquest. In 1920, the Bolshevik army left only a few kilometres away, of which we still can see large swathes in the bazaar area and in the southwest of the city. The best preserved parties are just north of the mausoleum Ismail Samani, around the Talipoch Gate, once decorated with gold nails, and one of the only two that survived until the contemporary era. It was behind this door that, until the arrival of the Russians, the slave market, was replaced by the great Bazar bazaar. On Sunday, the bazaar goes far beyond the Allées Park where fowls is also organized.

The ancient city of Afrosyab, whose foundation dates back to the end of the 220 th century BC, is based on a plateau of ha, north of Samarkand. Baptized Maracanda by the Greeks, this ancient city took the name of the mythical king of Touran described by the poet Firdaussi in the Shahnamé. Since the th century, generations of archaeologists have studied the traces of the different civilizations that lived there, from the ancient iron age to the Mongolian conquest. The Franco-Uzbek archaeological mission, led by Professor Paul Bernard from 1989, then by Franz Grenet and Mukhammadjon Issamiddinov, worked mainly on the very rich prémongole period. You can see the result of their excavations in the museum at the entrance to the territory, which bears the name of the hill. The foundations of the city present a typical pattern of the ancient Asian cities, usually located on agricultural land and near a river, with a long enclosure surrounding a very large area, encompassing a very dense residential area and a zone of official buildings, «the high city» where the palace is located. The ramparts built on the edge of the cliff were more than 5 km long. Consolidated under the Achéménides, they were partially destroyed around the doors during attacks by Alexander the Great, and rebuilt with square bricks. Even today, one can see a part of the Hellenistic fortifications, an impressive ramparts to the killers in the form of arrows. The walls were built in the original barracks and originally included an internal gallery on two or three levels of soldiers. As for the rampart area, it was 13 km! Excavations, together with the study of testimonies reported by the Greek historian Arrien, found the palace of the achéménides satraps in the northern part of the city. It was at a banquet in this palace that Alexander the Great murdered his companion Cleitos. A few years ago, the young son of archaeologist Mukhamadjon Issamiddinov, who often accompanied his father on the excavation site, discovered a golden silver plaque that was part of the ornament of a buried harness in loess. In-depth excavations have uncovered more than two hundred of these ornamental pieces and a document that permits precise dating. In 1220, the rider who hid his harness too visible in the bottom of this well, at the gates of the city, was forced to flee the Mongols who besieged the city. Perhaps he was hoping to put him in the shelter after the war, but he certainly did not imagine sending a message over the centuries. During the kouchan period and the development of the Silk Road, the city sogdienne enjoyed real development. In the museum you can admire a th century fresco discovered in the palace of Varkhouman. A procession of ambassadors offering present to the Sovereign of Samarkand, perhaps on the occasion of his marriage: Bactrian pleasure on camels, Tûrks with long hair, double pappus Koreans, and a Chinese princess with her next. When Arab conquerors captured the city in the th century, the palace was destroyed, as was the Fire temple, the fabled «temple of idols» of Samarkand, whose archaeologists found traces under the mosque built in the th century. These successive constructions on the same foundations create an incredible underground enchevêtrement, which sometimes reaches 10 m deep with five different levels of construction, sometimes more. In the th century, the Mongolian conquest ended almost two millennia of city existence on this hill of loess and, after the destruction of the irrigation system and the arrival of water, the inhabitants climbed towards the bottom of the town where the new Samarkand de Timur was founded.

This artisan embodies the 6 ^th generation of ceramists of his family and organized his house around the workshop, the oven, an "showroom" and of course a shop. His work is recognized throughout Uzbekistan and protegé by UNESCO. This dynasty of artisans works effectivemen according to a unique ancestral technique. You can admire the products in the small «branch» opened in Bukhara on the left between the bazaar of the chapeliers and that of joailliers. After you have discovered the working techniques, you will have access to the shop and all the beautiful products from the furnaces. Take advantage of the visit to admire the techniques of manufacture of the suzanis, these large traditional embroidered panels, produced by the master craftsman Moustabchira Barakaeva and coloured by the wife of Abdullo, Mavliouda Narzullaev, who uses natural colors such as fruit, roots, bark…. Note that three small rooms do a B & B office if you want to stay a little longer in Samanids, and stay off the beaten tracks ($ 50 per double room).

Varaksha's limoneuses hills hide one of the largest sogdian cities in the region. Founded in the first century BC, it was the residence of Des-Khudat, the hephtalites kings that reigned after the fall of the Kouchan empire. The city then exceeded that of Bukhara, and when the Arab conquerors seized, they killed King Soukan and destroyed his palace, then they firent Bouniat, a military leader who tried a rebellion. The city lost its political power but until the th century it remained an important economic centre. Archaeological excavations have shown that, on the eve of the Mongolian attacks, raba spans a radius of 2 km around the citadel. The city was then famous for its market in Navrouz that lasted twenty days. But Varaksha did not have the luck of Bukhara and, after the Mongols destroyed its irrigation system, étiola and quickly transformed into a ghost town. Excavations allowed to discover frescoes that decorate the palace of the th century. This is a hunting scene, where the prince, mounted on a white elephant, gets attacked by two huge leopards. The faces are erased, signs of the damage caused by Muslim warriors. The fresco is exhibited at the Historic Museum in Tashkent.

The vast façade of the land and its 2,5 m thick walls have given rise to one of the most beautiful legends of Termez. In the 40 pieces on the two floors of this building were murdered by the troops of Genghis Khan the 40 women of Termez's Khan who résistèrent gloriously to the invader when he attacked the children. In reality, according to archaeologists, it would simply be a building built by the rich so that they could get refuge in the strong sand storms, frequent in the region. The building was originally closed by the roof. Fine windows opened on both floors, and the result of a clever calculation, the rays of the sun could reach the centre of the building at some hours of the day. Today, it is rather a playground for kids who go out of school, but a short walk in the venerable corridors will allow you to convince you of the impact of the legend: in the hallway facing the entrance at its left end, a votif tree proves that it is still alive. In the current state of the building, it is difficult to appreciate the complexity of its architecture, but it will be a better idea by comparing it with the model of the Archaeological Museum of Termez. A part of the walls has indeed been restored, but the interior instead evokes a field of ruins s on themselves a little more each year. A renovation program is envisaged, but no date is determined at the moment.

A few kilometers from the mausoleum always on the same road. Open every day 8 h -18 h, 2 800 hospitals entry, 2 000 hospitals cameras, 4 000 hospitals cameras., Fayaz Tepe, a th century Buddhist complex, includes a stupa, temple and monastery. Its renovation was completed in 2004 with the support of UNESCO. The stupa is now sheltered by a dome, and it can only be seen through a window. The small neighbouring museum welcomes the search results and attempts to trace the history of Buddhism in the Termez region. Here you can admire the reproductions of numerous frescoes and statues discovered on the sites and whose originals are exhibited in Tashkent.

This stupa is what remains of a Buddhist complex erected in the vicinity of Termez in the st century. The original height of this tower of brick, where Buddhist monks came to table their offerings, is not known. Today, its 16 m high dominates a vast range of cotton fields and desert fields. The Soviet ruins were transferred to Russia.