Tours To Uzbekistan

Paikend settlement

  Ancient settlement Paikend is located 60 km. from Bukhara, on the territory of Karakul region. It was built in IV-III centuries BC as a frontier fortress on the border with Iran.

  During its long history, Paikend was one of the main trade cities. There were found coins of Sasanid Iran, Samanids, Tang China, Merv and Fergana. Arab historians called the city “City of Merchants”. The first settlement appeared here in the III century BC. Later there was built a square citadel thickness of 30 metres. The town consisted of two parts: shahristan and citadel. There were ruler’s palace and his residence in the citadel. The samples of Sogdian military architecture of V-VI centuries (ruins of ten towers) were well preserved in the western part of the city. These are rectangular two-storey buildings with three rows of loopholes. In IX century Paikend became one of the centres of Islam. During the reign of Samanid dynasty there were built a large number of buildings in Paikend. Here was built a big mosque and the base of the minaret of IX centurywith a diameter of about 11 metres, as well as archeologists found the most ancient drugstore in Central Asia, dating to 790 year.

  Nowadays, the settlement is being carefully investigated by archeologists. During the excavations there were found many items of archeology. The museum of "The History of the settlement Paikend" is located not far from the settlement Paikend. The exposition of the museum has a lot of antiques (jewelries, porcelain, ceramics, kitchen utensils and coins of II-XI centuries). Thanks to the exhibits of the museum, you can find a rich and ancient history of Paikend settlement.

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