Sarazm
Encyclopedia
Sarazm is an ancient town
and jamoat
in north-western Tajikistan
. It is located in Panjakent District
in Sughd
province.
The archaeological site of the ancient city of Sarazm is located near Durman
, a town situated in the Zarafshan Valley of north-west Tajikistan
in the Sughd
province near the border with Uzbekistan
.
presence in the Zarafshan Valley. About 5000 years ago it was "the largest metallurgical center of Central Asia engaged in export". It was abandoned after the arrival of the Indo-Iranians
, around 2000 BC.
The city is believed to have been revived as a mining point to collect from nearby sources of turquoise
. Established no later that 1500 BC, the city also served as an important regional agricultural and copper production center.
The town was discovered by a local farmer named Ashurali Tailonov in 1976 who found a copper dagger protruding from a nearby construction site. It was excavated by Abdullo Isakov and French archaeologists beginning in 1977.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
and jamoat
Jamoats of Tajikistan
The Jamoats of Tajikistan refer to the third-level administrative divisions, similar to communes or municipalities, in the Central Asia country of Tajikistan...
in north-western Tajikistan
Tajikistan
Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
. It is located in Panjakent District
Panjakent district
Panjakent District or Nohiya-i Panjakent is a district in Sughd province, Tajikistan. Its capital is Panjakent.-Administrative divisions:The district is divided administratively into jamoats. They are as follows .-References:...
in Sughd
Sughd
Sughd Province is one of the four administrative divisions and one of the three provinces that make up Tajikistan. Centered in the historical Sogdiana, it is located in the northwest of the country, with an area of some 25,400 square kilometers and a population of 2,132,100 , up from 1,870,000...
province.
The archaeological site of the ancient city of Sarazm is located near Durman
Durman
Durman is a town in north-west Tajikistan. It is located in Sughd province. -External links:*...
, a town situated in the Zarafshan Valley of north-west Tajikistan
Tajikistan
Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
in the Sughd
Sughd
Sughd Province is one of the four administrative divisions and one of the three provinces that make up Tajikistan. Centered in the historical Sogdiana, it is located in the northwest of the country, with an area of some 25,400 square kilometers and a population of 2,132,100 , up from 1,870,000...
province near the border with Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
.
Site description
The site indicates an early steppeSteppe
In physical geography, steppe is an ecoregion, in the montane grasslands and shrublands and temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biomes, characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes...
presence in the Zarafshan Valley. About 5000 years ago it was "the largest metallurgical center of Central Asia engaged in export". It was abandoned after the arrival of the Indo-Iranians
Indo-Iranians
Indo-Iranian peoples are a linguistic group consisting of the Indo-Aryan, Iranian, Dardic and Nuristani peoples; that is, speakers of Indo-Iranian languages, a major branch of the Indo-European language family....
, around 2000 BC.
The city is believed to have been revived as a mining point to collect from nearby sources of turquoise
Turquoise
Turquoise is an opaque, blue-to-green mineral that is a hydrous phosphate of copper and aluminium, with the chemical formula CuAl648·4. It is rare and valuable in finer grades and has been prized as a gem and ornamental stone for thousands of years owing to its unique hue...
. Established no later that 1500 BC, the city also served as an important regional agricultural and copper production center.
The town was discovered by a local farmer named Ashurali Tailonov in 1976 who found a copper dagger protruding from a nearby construction site. It was excavated by Abdullo Isakov and French archaeologists beginning in 1977.