Paykend or Poykent (), an ancient city in

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 ...

, is located in the lower stream of

Zarafshan River The Zarafshon is a river in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in Central Asia. Its name, "spreader of gold" in Persian language, Persian, refers to the presence of gold-bearing sands in the upper reaches of the river. To the ancient Greeks it was known ...

and was one of the largest cities of the

Bukhara oasis Bukhara Oasis () is a fertile area in the south-eastern part of Uzbekistan formed by the Zerafshan River. The oasis is heavily populated and Bukhara is the largest city. The oasis has been inhabited for at least two and a half millennia. Af ...

. The city consisted of a citadel, two settlements, and a ''rabod'' (suburb). Paykend is currently under consideration for inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

History

In the early eight century, the city was a great trade center and was protected by great

mudbrick Mudbrick or mud-brick, also known as unfired brick, is an air-dried brick, made of a mixture of mud (containing loam, clay, sand and water) mixed with a binding material such as rice husks or straw. Mudbricks are known from 9000 BCE. From ...

walls and an inner citadel. When the Arab conquests reached the region in the eight century, the population were forced to pay tribute. However, they rebelled in 706, according to some stories due to the Arab governor trying to take advantage of a local girl or possibly simply as the inhabitants did not want to pay tribute any more. The Arab governor of Khurasan,

Qutayba ibn Muslim Abū Ḥafṣ Qutayba ibn Abī Ṣāliḥ Muslim ibn ʿAmr al-Bāhilī (; 669–715/6) was an Arab commander of the Umayyad Caliphate who became governor of Khurasan and distinguished himself in the conquest of Transoxiana during the reign o ...

, decided to set an example and besieged the city. He undermined the walls and though the miners died during the collapse of the wall, the city fell. In the aftermath, all fighting men were systematically killed and the women and children taken into captivity. The Arabs acquired an enormous quantity of booty, melting down many ancient artifacts of silver in order to pay the Muslim soldiers. The city never recovered from the sack and was soon overshadowed by the neighbouring city of

Bukhara Bukhara ( ) is the List of cities in Uzbekistan, seventh-largest city in Uzbekistan by population, with 280,187 residents . It is the capital of Bukhara Region. People have inhabited the region around Bukhara for at least five millennia, and t ...

Site description

According to the archaeological research, Poykent was founded as a small village in the 4th century B.C., and was later transformed into a fortress. During that period, it was a trade center, as the city connected Southern countries (Bactria, India, Iran) with Northern countries (Front of Ural, Coast of Volga, Northern Caucus). Poykent was one of the important military and trade centers of the Western borders of the

Sogd Sogdia () or Sogdiana was an ancient Iranian civilization between the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya, and in present-day Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. Sogdiana was also a province of the Achaemenid Empire, and l ...

. Due to the development of the Great Silk Road and joining with Poykent fortress have been founded first and second sites of ancient settlement. Hence the city Poykent was founded. According to Chinese chronicles, this city was under the "An" (

安 The surname Ān is a Chinese surname () which literally means "peace" or "tranquility". It also serves as an abbreviation of ''Ānxī'' (安息), meaning "Arsacid" in Chinese and can be romanized as ''On''. Visitors to China who came from Arsacid ...

) kingdom and was the centre of the "Bi" ( 毕)

khanate A khanate ( ) or khaganate refers to historic polity, polities ruled by a Khan (title), khan, khagan, khatun, or khanum. Khanates were typically nomadic Mongol and Turkic peoples, Turkic or Tatars, Tatar societies located on the Eurasian Steppe, ...

. It has also been noted that in Poykent there was no khokim (governor), the city was ruled by traders' council, and in the full sense of the word the city was a republic in the 6th-7th century. The scientists of Institute of Archaeology of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan have carried out scientific research in the ruins of the city for a long time. As a result,

Zoroastrian Zoroastrianism ( ), also called Mazdayasnā () or Beh-dīn (), is an Iranian religion centred on the Avesta and the teachings of Zarathushtra Spitama, who is more commonly referred to by the Greek translation, Zoroaster ( ). Among the wo ...

temples, a palace, and a mosque, built in the 9th century, and remnants of a tower were found in citadel. In the inner part of city were discovered defensive walls, a gate, roads, and the remains of

iving Iving may refer to: *Intravenous therapy Intravenous therapy (abbreviated as IV therapy) is a medical technique that administers fluids, medications and nutrients directly into a person's vein. The intravenous route of administration is commonl ...

quarters (makhallas), while on the outside rabads (suburbs) of the city - there are pottery centers and caravanserais. According to the researcher, due to the inaccessibility of the lower flaw of Zarafshon River, the city ceased to exist in the middle of the 9th century.

World Heritage Status

This site was added to the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

Tentative List on 18 January 2008, in the Cultural category. It was finally listed as a World Heritage Site in 2023 as part of the Silk Roads: Zarafshan-Karakum Corridor listing.

Notes

2. https://journals.openedition.org/asiecentrale/pdf/1841

References

https://journals.openedition.org/asiecentrale/pdf/1841

Sources

* Archaeological sites in Uzbekistan Populated places in Uzbekistan World Heritage Tentative List {{Authority control