Kafir-kala (Uzbekistan)

Kafir-kala ("Fortress of the infidels") is an ancient fortress 12 kilometers south of the city center of Samarkand in Uzbekistan, protecting the southern border of the Samarkand oasis.[2] It consists in a central citadel built in mud-bricks and measuring 75 × 75 meters at its base has six towers and is surrounded by a moat, still visible today.[2] Living quarters were located outside the citadel.[2]

For the archaeological site in Tajikistan, see Kafir-kala (Tajikistan).
Kafir-kala
Ruins of Kafir-kala.[1]
Kafir-kala
Location of Kafir-kala
Kafir-kala
Kafir-kala (Uzbekistan)

The citadel was first occupied by the Kidarites in the 4th-5th century CE, whose coinage and bullae have been found.[3][4]

Many examples of coinage were excavated in Kafir-kala, which also show the transition from Sogdian to Islamic rule in the area of Samarkand with good precision.[5]

  • Ruins of Kafir Kala
  • Ruins of Kafir Kala

References
  1. "Antiquities of Samarkand. Kurgan in the Vicinity of Samarkand. Location of Kafir Kala". www.wdl.org. 1868.
  2. Mantellini, Simone (2012). "Change and Continuity in the Samarkand Oasis: Evidence for the Islamic Conquest from the Citadel of Kafir Kala". Journal of Inner Asian Art and Archaeology. 7: 227–253.
  3. "Administration, law and urban organization in the Late Antique and Early Medieval period". Universitetet i Bergen (in Norwegian Bokmål).
  4. "The Kidarites in Bactria". pro.geo.univie.ac.at. Coin Cabinet of the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna.
  5. Gariboldi, Andrea. "NUMISMATIC FINDS FROM KAFIR KALA AS EVIDENCE OF THE ISLAMIC TRANSITION IN SAMARKAND" (PDF). {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

Further reading
  • Mantellini, Simone; Berdimuradov, Amruddin (2005). "Archaeological Explorations in the Sogdian Fortress of Kafir Kala (Samarkand Region, Republic of Uzbekistan)". Ancient Civilizations from Scythia to Siberia. 11 (1–2): 107–132. doi:10.1163/1570057054352934.
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