Kafir Kala Archaeological Site

"One of the most historical places of Samarkand and an impressive view of the territory around it. A visit here is strongly recommended"

Naturopata Elisabetta Sedda Ravenna

"Sogdian city remains before the invasion of Islamic Troops at 7th century"

winnie leung

"Just a 20-minute drive from the center of Samarkand, 12 kilometers south of the city, is the large archaeological complex of Kafir Kala. From the Arabic "fortress of the infidels", the site of Kafir Kala represents one of the most important monuments of the Sogdian period in the entire region. The site extends over 20 hectares, on the left bank of the Dargom, which is the great canal that once fed the ancient city. The fortress, quadrangular in shape, which with its height of 25 meters stands out in a particular way on the plain in front. It is therefore an imposing structure and, without a doubt, very scenic and suggestive, today as in the past. The fortress is built according to traditional architecture that combines raw clay bricks and paksha, and is in a fairly good state of conservation.

The location is particularly strategic: the complex was in fact defended by two natural drainage channels, the say, from east and west, and the Dargom to the north. importance, being located at the southern gates of Samarkand, the ancient capital of Sogdiana. In addition, the site was located at the center of a major communications crossroads along the southern Middle Valley route of Zeravshan and Kashkadarya.
During the Sogdian phase, a few miles below an important intersection of the Silk Road was to be found, which connected the site with India and Bactria to the south, while to the west it was possible to reach Persia, passing through Buhkara.
The complex is divided into various parts which reflects, in its small size, the typical conformation of the centers of Central Asia: in the center, there is the ark, or the fortified citadel, surrounded by a 30 meter wide moat, which separated it from the shahristan, i.e. the residential district. At the edge of the moat, there are six square towers. To the west, a second moat separated the residential district from the rabat, perhaps intended to house the military troops stationed here. The complex also includes a large necropolis to the south, and an artisan district to the west, where numerous kilns for the production of ceramics have been found.
Archaeological excavations have been in the Kafir Kala area at least since the early 1900s.
The first reconnaissance dates back to 1918, when M. E. Masson drew the first relief of the complex. Masson, based on the written sources of Ruy Gonzàlez de Clavijo, was in search of the Davlet-abad, the gardens built by Tamerlane.
During the excavations of the which involved the citadel area (KK-1), the Italo-Uzbek mission found over 500 cretulas between 2001-2005.
They were scattered on a floor, covered by a layer of wooden beams burned during the pre-Islamic phase and dating from around the 7th century. The presence of ash and coal is attributable to a traumatic event in the fortress, perhaps linked to a fire caused by the conquest of Samarkand in 712 AD. by the Arab army.
This is an exceptional discovery, representing the richest collection of cretula ever found in Central Asia. These seals are made of clay and measure approximately 1 to 4cm. The cretulas were used to seal documents, letters or mark goods and products. The presence of such a high number indicated the presence of an important administrative archive, perhaps the seat of an important political entity, perhaps the rural seat of the local governor, and which would see Kafir Kala play a role of primary importance within the panorama political and social of the Samarkand region. The cretulas portray very varied subjects: The richest group is the one that portrays human busts, mainly male figures portrayed in profile, although there are also images of whole figures, standing or seated, as well as representations of animals. it is possible to understand that the time span covered is decidedly large: taking as an example the seals of the nomadic princes, which represent the richest group of seals, the chronology dates back to between the 4th and 6th centuries AD."

Orlando Patone