Fayaz Tepe, also Fayoz-Tepe, is a Buddhist archaeological site in the

Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

region of Bactria, in the Termez oasis near the city of

Termez Termez ( ) is the capital of Surxondaryo Region in southern Uzbekistan. Administratively, it is a district-level city. Its population is 182,800 (2021). It is notable as the site of Alexander the Great's city Alexandria on the Oxus, as a center ...

in southern

Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...

. Located 15 km west of Termez off the main M39 highway. Bus number 15 runs past the turn-off to Fayaz Tepe, from where it is a 1 km walk without shade. The foundations of the site date to the 1st century CE, with a peak of activity around the 3rd and 4th centuries during the

Kushan ''Kushan'' or Kushana may refer to: * 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 ...

period, before experiencing a fatal decline around the 5th century CE, probably with the invasion of the Kushano-Sassanian, whose coinage can be found at the nearby site of Kara Tepe.

History

The Fayaztepa complex is located in

, near the northwestern ruins of the old Termez. In 1968, a sculpture of

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...

made of alabaster was found in the dunes by Absadom Beknaev, which was later transferred to the local history museum. Between 1968 and 1976, this finding was studied by L. I. Albaum. After the square of Fayaztepa was cleared of sand dunes, the architecture of the monument began to be studied. Fayaztepa consists of three monumental structures: a temple in the central part, a monastery in the northwest, and utility buildings in the southeast. The total area of the complex is 1.5 square kilometers. One distinctive feature is an unusual

stupa In Buddhism, a stupa (, ) is a domed hemispherical structure containing several types of sacred relics, including images, statues, metals, and '' śarīra''—the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns. It is used as a place of pilgrimage and m ...

located not in the central part but outside the area, parallel to the sacred altar. These parts are connected by a brick and stone path that crosses the square. In the temple, whose walls are adorned with various colorful paintings, there is a monument to

(Bodhisattva). Along the walls of the temple, there were once monuments dedicated to

, with a height of up to four meters. Originally, many of the monuments were red in color but were later covered in gold paint. On the southern part of the temple, there is an image of Buddha wearing red robes. On both sides of

, the silhouettes of two figures dressed in long robes with buckles on their shoulders are depicted. One of these figures is shown in the act of bowing to Buddha. Traces of once-painted wall paintings can also be seen on the eastern wall of the shrine.

Clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolinite, ). Most pure clay minerals are white or light-coloured, but natural clays show a variety of colours from impuriti ...

fragments from the interior of the room bear images of various people's faces. On one of the clay fragments measuring 60x80 cm, there is an image of two men, their faces turned toward

. Based on these two figures, who are shown worshiping the

Bactria Bactria (; Bactrian language, Bactrian: , ), or Bactriana, was an ancient Iranian peoples, Iranian civilization in Central Asia based in the area south of the Oxus River (modern Amu Darya) and north of the mountains of the Hindu Kush, an area ...

n Buddha, it can be concluded that Buddha was an object of

worship Worship is an act of religious devotion usually directed towards a deity or God. For many, worship is not about an emotion, it is more about a recognition of a God. An act of worship may be performed individually, in an informal or formal group, ...

. In this room, there are many gypsum fragments of statues. The temple courtyard is in the shape of a rectangular

polygon In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure made up of line segments connected to form a closed polygonal chain. The segments of a closed polygonal chain are called its '' edges'' or ''sides''. The points where two edges meet are the polygon ...

, measuring 33x20 meters, with doors to the monks' rooms on all four sides. Inside the courtyard is a large continuous hall, with its walls adorned with colorful paintings, preserved only on its lower parts. Along this hall is a stupa. In the northwest part of the courtyard is a small trapezoidal pond made from marble fragments. There is a special opening at the bottom of this pond in the shape of a lion's mouth. The water in such ponds was clean and meant for drinking. This lion dates back to the era of

Kushan art Kushan art, the art of the Kushan Empire in northern India, flourished between the 1st and the 4th century CE. It blended the traditions of the Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara, influenced by Hellenistic artistic canons, and the more Indian Mathura ...

and represents a strong and powerful

. The second part of the religious complex was a

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

connected to the temple by a door leading to the courtyard. The rooms on the monastery's grounds housed monks and students, while dormitories for

pilgrim The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often vocalize it as ...

s were located in classrooms and offices. Special shelves were constructed on the room walls to hold lanterns with wicks. Along the walls of certain rooms, pedestals were built for placing

Buddha statues Much Buddhist art uses depictions of the historical Buddha, Gautama Buddha, which are known as () in Sanskrit and Pali. These may be statues or other images such as paintings. The main figure in an image may be someone else who has obtained B ...

. Thus, monks, their students, and pilgrims offered their prayers in the central part of the temple when religious events were temporarily paused.

Location

It is located in the northwest of the ruins of the Old

Termiz Termez ( ) is the capital of Surxondaryo Region in southern Uzbekistan. Administratively, it is a district-level city. Its population is 182,800 (2021). It is notable as the site of Alexander the Great's city Alexandria on the Oxus, as a center ...

city near the city of Termiz, 1 km northeast of the complex of Buddhist structures of Karatepa, in the neighborhood of

Al-Hakim al-Tirmidhi Al-Ḥakīm al-Tirmidhī (; ), full name Abu Abdallah Muhammad ibn Ali ibn al-Hasan ibn Bashir al-Tirmidhi (d. c. 869) was a Persian Sunni jurist (''faqih'') and traditionist (''muhaddith'') of Khorasan, but is mostly remembered as one of th ...

, Termiz district.

Destruction

Fayoztepa became a ruin as a result of the invasion attacks of the Iranian Sassanids. In the 1st half of the 5th - 6th centuries, the ruins of the temple were used by the Ephthalites as a hut. During the Arab invasion, Fayaztepa was completely destroyed, and later it was buried under shifting sands.

Site

The site of Fayaz Tepe is located a few hundred meters from Kara Tepe, not far from the city of

. Fayaz Tepe, Monastery and Stupa, model.jpg, Model of the Stupa and monastery Termiz, Fayoz-Tepe (6240998331).jpg, Site of Fayaz Tepe Fayaz Tepe columns.jpg, Fayaz Tepe columns Fayaz Tepe, Monastery, Court.jpg, Fayaz Tepe, Monastery, Court File:Fayaz Tepe stupa.jpg, Fayaz Tepe, Stupa File:Fayaz Tepe, Stupa, inside.jpg, Fayaz Tepe, Stupa, inside

Artefacts

From the site were recovered numerous Buddhist frescoes and reliefs, now mostly located in the

State Museum of History of Uzbekistan The State Museum of History of Uzbekistan ( Uzbek: ''Oʻzbekiston tarixi davlat muzeyi''; , ''Gosudarstvennyj muzej historii Uzbekistana''), previously known as the National Museum of Turkestan, was founded in 1876. It is located in Tashkent. For ...

Tashkent Tashkent (), also known as Toshkent, is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uzbekistan, largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of more than 3 million people as of April 1, 2024. I ...

. A famous niche showing the Buddha and two monks is dated to the 3rd-4th century CE. An inscription has been found recently, which mentions the Kushan king

Huvishka Huvishka ( Kushan: Οοηϸκι, ''Ooēški'', Brahmi: 𑀳𑀼𑀯𑀺𑀱𑁆𑀓; ', '; Kharosthi: 𐨱𐨂𐨬𐨅𐨮𐨿𐨐 ', ') was the emperor of the Kushan Empire from the death of Kanishka (assumed on the best evidence available to ...

. File:Fayaz Tepe, Seated Buddha.jpg, Niche with the Buddha and two monks, 3rd-4th century CE. Fayaz Tepe, Fountain.jpg Fayaz Tepe, Standing Buddha.jpg Fayaz Tepe, Wall Painting of a group of courtiers.jpg, A group of courtiers. Fayaz Tepe, Wall Painting of a seated Buddha.jpg, Seated Buddha Fayaz Tepe, wall painting of Alexander the Great.jpg, A devotee with horns, possibly a

Kushano-Sasanian The Kushano-Sasanian Kingdom (or Indo-Sasanians) was a polity established by the Sasanian Empire in Bactria during the 3rd and 4th centuries. The Sasanian Empire captured the provinces of Sogdia, Bactria and Gandhara from the declining Kushan Emp ...

motif. File:Fayaz Tepe, Miniature vessel.jpg, Fayaz Tepe, Miniature vessel File:Fayaz Tepe, Pottery with an Indian inscription.jpg, Fayaz Tepe, Pottery with an Indian inscription File:Fayaz Tepe, Sun god.jpg, Fayaz Tepe, Sun god File:Fayaz Tepe mural (men in caftan and boots).jpg, Fayaz Tepe mural (men in caftan and boots) File:Fayaz Tepe mural with horns.jpg, Fayaz Tepe mural of deity with horns

References