Dilberjin Tepe, also Dilberjin or Delbarjin (Persian: ''دلبَرجین''), is the modern name for the remains of an ancient town in modern (northern)
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
. The town was perhaps founded in the time of the
Achaemenid Empire
The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire, also known as the Persian Empire or First Persian Empire (; , , ), was an Iranian peoples, Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great of the Achaemenid dynasty in 550 BC. Based in modern-day Iran, i ...
. Under the
Kushan Empire
The Kushan Empire (– CE) was a Syncretism, syncretic empire formed by the Yuezhi in the Bactrian territories in the early 1st century. It spread to encompass much of what is now Afghanistan, Eastern Iran, India, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbe ...
it became a major local centre. After the
Kushano-Sassanids the town was abandoned.
Archaeological remains
The town proper was about in size. Dilbarjin had a city wall built under the Kushan rule. In the middle of the town there was a round citadel, built at about the same time. In the north-east corner of the town was excavated a temple complex. Here were found many wall paintings, some in a purely Hellenistic style. Originally the temple was perhaps dedicated to the
Dioscuri
Castor and Pollux (or Polydeuces) are twin half-brothers in Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology, known together as the Dioscuri or Dioskouroi.
Their mother was Leda (mythology), Leda, but they had different fathers; Castor was the mortal ...
, of which a mural in Hellenistic style has been recovered. A long inscription in the
kushan language was also discovered, dated to the early great Kushans, around the period of
Kanishka I
Kanishka I, also known as Kanishka the Great, was an emperor of the Kushan dynasty, under whose reign (–150 CE) the empire reached its zenith. He is famous for his military, political, and spiritual achievements. A descendant of Kujula Kadp ...
, on paleographic grounds, as it seems slightly younger than the inscription of
Surkh Kotal. Outside the city walls there were still substantial buildings. Finds include inscriptions in
Bactrian, most of them too destroyed to provide any historical information. There were fragments of sculpture and many coins.
Wall paintings
The paintings of Dilberjin Tepe belong to the 5th-6th century CE, or even as early as the 4th century CE according to some authorities, based on numismatic evidence.
The paintings have some similarity with those of
Balalyk Tepe, and some from
Bamiyan.
A comparison with
the swordsmen at
Kizil Caves would also suggest a date from the 5th century to the early 6th century CE. The same authors consider that the paintings at
Balalyk Tepe are about a century older than the paintings at Dilberjin, dating from the end of the 6th century to the early 7th century CE.
These murals are general thought to represent
Hephthalites
The Hephthalites (), sometimes called the White Huns (also known as the White Hunas, in Iranian languages, Iranian as the ''Spet Xyon'' and in Sanskrit and Prakrit as the ''Sveta-huna''), were a people who lived in Central Asia during the 5th to ...
, with their characteristic tunics with a single lapel folded to the right, cropped hair and ornaments.
A famous mural shows a row of warriors in kaftan, relatively similar to
the mural from Kyzyl.
A much later fresco showing an Indian scene, with
Shiva
Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...
and
Parvati
Parvati (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, pɑɾʋət̪iː/), also known as Uma (, , IPA: Sanskrit phonology, /ʊmɑː/) and Gauri (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, gə͡ʊɾiː/), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the Devi, ...
on the bull
Nandi, has been dated to the 8th century CE.
Coinage
Coins of many periods were found at the site, including Hephthalite coins, but those of the
Kushano-Sasanians and the
Kidarites
The Kidarites, or Kidara Huns, were a dynasty that ruled Bactria and adjoining parts of Central Asia and South Asia in the 4th and 5th centuries. The Kidarites belonged to a complex of peoples known collectively in India as the Huna people, Huna, ...
were the most numerous from the early Sasanian period to have been found on the site.
About 72 such coins were found, belonging to
Ardashir I
Ardashir I (), also known as Ardashir the Unifier (180–242 AD), was the founder of the Sasanian Empire, the last empire of ancient Iran. He was also Ardashir V of the Kings of Persis, until he founded the new empire. After defeating the last Par ...
,
Peroz I,
Hormiz I, as well as each type of the
Varahran I, that is, the coins first struck under Varahran, and then those struck on the model of Varahran by the
Kidarite rulers
Kirada,
Peroz and
Kidara I.
These coins suggest that the murals themselves should be dated to the late 4th century CE or early 5th century CE at the latest.
Pillaging and damage
In 2023, Iconem reported the detection of massive damage that had occurred to the site.
Paintings
File:Dilberjin Tepe, Dioscuri mural.jpg, Remains of the Dioscuri mural at the entrance (left side of the mural).
See also
*
Tavka Kurgan
*
Penjikent
*
Dalverzin Tepe
*
Kara Tepe
*
Fayaz Tepe
*
Balalyk tepe
References
Sources
*Warwick Ball: ''Archaeological Gazetteer of Afghanistan : Catalogue des sites archéologiques d'Afghanistan'', Paris 1982, p. 91-92
*
* И. T. Кругликова, ''Дилъбепджин'', Москва 1974
* И. T. Кругликова, Г.A.Пугаченкова, ''Дилъбепджин'', Москва 1977
*
External links
DELBARJĪN on Iranicaonline.org
{{Authority control
Archaeological sites in Afghanistan
Kushan Empire
Castor and Pollux
