Tourist sites of Uzbekistan: the mystery of ancient Kabudan

As a result of archaeological research, the ruins of the ancient city of Kabudan have been identified in the Jambai district of the Samarkand region, information about which is given in ancient Chinese historical sources.

Specialists of the Samarkand Institute of Archaeology named after Y. Gulyamov at the Agency of Cultural Heritage of Uzbekistan make an invaluable contribution to the development of national historical science. Last year, they conducted more than 50 archaeological excavations and research in the regions, including with the participation of foreign specialists. As a result, the catalogues include more than 300 information about archaeological sites.
Comprehensive research is being conducted in the Jambai district of the Samarkand region, where more than 200 archaeological and architectural monuments belonging to different historical periods have been identified. At the beginning of this year, during one of the scientific expeditions in this location, the ruins of the city of Kabudan, which existed from the fifth to the middle of the eighth century AD, were identified.
— Information about Kabudan is found only in ancient Chinese sources, — says Alisher Begmatov, senior researcher at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences (Germany), associate professor of the Department of Archaeology at the Historical Faculty of Samarkand State University. — Recent excavations at the Mingtepa settlement in the Jambai district have confirmed that this monument is Kabudan — one of the ancient cities formed at the dawn of our era in Sogda. It was the first settled settlement at the entrance to Samarkand from the north, from the side of Chacha (ancient Tashkent).
It took time and consolidation of the scientific potential of scientists from a number of countries to identify that the archaeological reserve of Mingtepa is the city of Kabudan, mentioned in historical sources of the Middle Kingdom. Archaeologists from Uzbekistan, the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and the Kyoto University of the Arts of Japan have been working at this site for four years.
— The urban part of the Mingtepa monument is about 40 hectares, — says Husniddin Rakhmonov, a junior researcher at the Samarkand Institute of Archaeology named after Y. Gulyamov. — Ruins of the citadel, defensive walls and watchtowers have been discovered here. Two-storey houses of the nobility in the western part of the city have been studied. During the excavations, coins and fragments of ceramic products were found. According to the conclusion of archaeologists, trade, crafts, architecture, and urban planning were well developed here. It was established that the city was supplied with water from the Bulungur River.
Archaeological investigations in this area are continuing. Historians receive unique materials on the development of pottery, building culture, and the economy of the early Middle Ages in Central Sogd. There are proposals to include the archaeological site in the UNESCO World Heritage List. However, it is necessary to take urgent measures to protect the historical heritage from the economic and household activities of the local population.
There is information that the remains of an ancient city have been discovered in the Surkhandarya region. According to archaeologists, its estimated age is two thousand years. The settlement was discovered by a joint Uzbek-Chinese archaeological expedition that conducted research on the territory of the Uzun district. During the excavations, ceramic vessels, weapons, jewelry, statuettes, as well as 4,000-year-old tombs and 2,000-year-old city ruins were found.
According to preliminary conclusions of scientists, archaeological finds date back to the II—III centuries BC. Research work on this site is ongoing.

Rinat Abdulmanov,
Narodnoe Slovo newspaper