25/08/2015
Tour to the ancient city SARAZM . UNESCO’s list of the World Heritage. Come visit Tajikistan. [email protected]
Sarazm, which means “where the land begins”, is an archaeological site bearing testimony to the development of human settlements in Central Asia, from the 4th millennium BCE to the end of the 3rd millennium BCE. The ruins demonstrate the early development of proto-urbanization in this region. This centre of settlement, one of the oldest in Central Asia, is situated between a mountainous region suitable for cattle rearing by nomadic pastoralists, and a large valley conducive to the development of agriculture and irrigation by the first settled populations in the region. Sarazm also demonstrates the existence of commercial and cultural exchanges and trade relations with peoples over an extensive geographical area, extending from the steppes of Central Asia and Turkmenistan, to the Iranian plateau, the Indus valley and as far as the Indian Ocean.
Discovered in the mid 20th century, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is wonderfully preserved, allowing visitors to walk through the same doorways that stood there almost 5,000 years before.
Discovered in 1976 by the Soviet archaeologist Abdullojon Isakov, it is remarkable for both its size and its antiquity. The Sarazm settlement originally spread across 130ha, and carbon dating confirms it was already inhabited by 3500bc, peaking at the start of the Bronze Age when it was likely the largest metallurgical centre in central Asia. It thrived until the third millennium bc and was added to UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites in 2010 in recognition of its historical significance. It was the first UNESCO site in Tajikistan.
Sarazm is divided into three main areas, each covered by a corrugated roof to protect it from the elements. The walls of the different buildings are superbly preserved: you can easily still walk through their doorways and follow the grids of streets. As with ancient Penjikent, Sarazm’s most important archaeological finds have been removed to major museums in Dushanbe and abroad, but a small collection is still housed in the Sarazm Museum. The artefacts demonstrate this was a well-developed city with sophisticated agriculture, metallurgy (bronze, copper and precious metals) and craftsmanship, and that it had trading partners as far afield as Iran and India.
- The site indicates an early steppe 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 Andronovo settlers, around 2000 BC.
The city is believed to have been revived as a mining point to collect from nearby sources of turquoise.[2] Established no later that 1500 BC, the city also served as an important regional agricultural and copper production center.[3]
The town was discovered in 1976 by a local farmer named Ashurali Tailonov who found a copper dagger protruding from a nearby construction site.[4] It was excavated by Abdullo Isakov and French archaeologists beginning in 1977.