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Dalverzintepa Site


Dalverzintepa Site

Dalverzintepa Site, located at a distance of 60 kilometers from Termez takes a special place among the many monuments of Kushan times in the south of Uzbekistan. Once a large Kushan town, the center of Saganian Province lying on one of the most important Great Silk Roads, it occupied the area of 36 hectares.

The ruins of its surviving fortification walls stretch for about 2.5 kilometers in length and are up to 10 meters thick. The walls were reinforced with watch-turrets, inside of which there were galleries and prison cells; on the top of the walls there were special platforms for slingers and catapults. In the northern elevated part of the town the archeologists excavated the ruins of the citadel with entrance gates. In ancient times the whole settlement and the citadel in particular were protected not only with strong fortification walls but also with water barriers formed by the ancient river Karmaki-Say, a canal and a number of moats.

In the center of the settlement there were blocks of dwelling houses, including large ones with ceremonial halls and facility yards, and potteries.

Beyond the fortification wall of the town archeologists discovered ruins of a Buddhist shrine. The coins found on the site prove that the shrine dates back to the 1st century BCE. So far this shrine is believed to be the oldest Buddhist monument in Uzbekistan. Still surviving is the rectangular base of the stupa, with a corridor around it for ritual circumambulation. In the northern part of the temple there was a joss-house with huge three men’s size statues of Buddha surrounded by figures of monks, as well as very impressive statues of noblemen whose faces had a portrait similarity. In the other section, namely “the Hall of Kings”, there were sculptures of the rulers of Saganian Province. The surviving statues of Buddha, nobleman and kings, as well as architectural fragments, bear vividly noticeable stamp of Hellenistic traditions.

In the northwest part of the settlement is the temple of a Bactrian goddess. In the temple there was found a wall painting depicting a cult scene with priests and babies.

In 1972, in one of the unearthed dwelling houses, which had a hall and lots of rooms for rest, there was discovered a treasure trove in a ceramic container. It consisted of 100 objects, which weighed 32 kilograms in total. Among them were gold and silver jewelry with precious stones, and ivory chessmen.

The ruins of Dalverzintepa still hold a lot of treasures and secrets of Kushan kings.

Sightseeing Places in Termez

Hakim at-Termezi Architectural Complex Kyrk-Kyz Hanaka
Sultan-Saodat Memorial Buddhist Cult Centers Koratepa and Fayaztepa
Buddhist Stupa The Ancient Settlement of Old Termez
Dalverzintepa Site Khalchayan Site
Zartepa Site Airtam Site