Kafir-kala (Uzbekistan)

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Kafir-kala
Ruins of Kafir-kala.[1]
Kafir-kala is located in West and Central Asia
Kafir-kala
Kafir-kala
Location of Kafir-kala

Coordinates: 39°34′19″N 67°01′17″E / 39.572013°N 67.021506°E / 39.572013; 67.021506

For the archaeological site in Tajikistan, see Kafir-kala (Tajikistan).

Kafir-kala ("Fortress of the infidels") is an ancient fortress 12 kilometers south of the city center of Samarkand in Uzbekistan, protecting the southern border of the Samarkand oasis.[2] It consists in a central citadel built in mud-bricks and measuring 75 × 75 meters at its base has six towers and is surrounded by a moat, still visible today.[2] Living quarters were located outside the citadel.[2]

The citadel was first occupied by the Kidarites in the 4th-5th century CE, whose coinage and bullae have been found.[3][4]

Many examples of coinage were excavated in Kafir-kala, which also show the transition from Sogdian to Islamic rule in the area of Samarkand with good precision.[5]

  • Ruins of Kafir Kala

  • Ruins of Kafir Kala

External links[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Antiquities of Samarkand. Kurgan in the Vicinity of Samarkand. Location of Kafir Kala". www.wdl.org. 1868.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c Mantellini, Simone (2012). "Change and Continuity in the Samarkand Oasis: Evidence for the Islamic Conquest from the Citadel of Kafir Kala". Journal of Inner Asian Art and Archaeology. 7: 227–253.
  3. ^ "Administration, law and urban organization in the Late Antique and Early Medieval period". Universitetet i Bergen (in Norwegian Bokmål).
  4. ^ "The Kidarites in Bactria". pro.geo.univie.ac.at. Coin Cabinet of the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna.
  5. ^ Gariboldi, Andrea. "NUMISMATIC FINDS FROM KAFIR KALA AS EVIDENCE OF THE ISLAMIC TRANSITION IN SAMARKAND" (PDF). Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

Further reading[]

  • Mantellini, Simone; Berdimuradov, Amruddin (2005). "Archaeological Explorations in the Sogdian Fortress of Kafir Kala (Samarkand Region, Republic of Uzbekistan)". Ancient Civilizations from Scythia to Siberia. 11 (1–2): 107–132. doi:10.1163/1570057054352934.
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