Kafir-kala (Uzbekistan)

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)
Kafir-kala
Kafir-kala (Bactria)

39°34′19″N 67°01′17″E / 39.572013°N 67.021506°E / 39.572013; 67.021506 Kafir-kala ("Fortress of the infidels") is an ancient fortress beside the Dargom river,[2] 12 kilometers south of the city center of Samarkand in Uzbekistan, protecting the southern border of the Samarkand oasis.[3] It consists of a central citadel built of mudbrick and measuring 75 × 75 meters at its base. It incorporates six towers and is surrounded by a moat, which is still visible today.[3] Living quarters were located outside the citadel.[3]

Ruins

The citadel was first occupied, in the 4th-5th century CE, by the Kidarites, whose coinage and bullae have been found there.[4][5] A large number of seals were discovered in Kafir Kala, including seals associated with the Kidarites, a notable example being the one mentioning "the king of the Oghlar Huns, the great Kushanshah, the ǝfšyan of Samarkand".[6]

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.[7]

  • Ruined mudbrick walls of Kafir Kala
  • Ruins of Kafir Kala

Wooden gate

A charred wooden gate with elaborate decorations was discovered in 2017 in the throne room of the ruins of Kafir-kala, and was probably the gate to the throne room itself. The sculptures on the door represent adoration scenes honouring the goddess Nana, who is depicted centrally, seated in majesty on a lion throne.[9]

  • Charred wooden gate, decorated with Goddess Nana and worshippers. Kafir-kala, Uzbekistan, 6th century CE.[10]
  • Goddess Nana, 6th century CE. Kafir Kala, Uzbekistan

The worshippers are dressed in knee-length tunics and long boots worn over trousers - a clothing style reminiscent of that depicted in the Penjikent murals - and wear shoulder ribbons of the type associated with Hephthalite nobility.[9] The gate is dated to the first half of the 6th century CE (500-550 CE), and the destruction of the palace is attributed to the Islamic conquest of Samarkand in 712 CE. By a happy chance, the partial carbonising of the low-relief carvings has served to help in their preservation, when the aim of those who attempted to burn them was undoubtedly their destruction (which would have been achieved had they been reduced to ash, rather than effectively converted to charcoal).[9][11]

Some details of the attendants
Musicians and child
Devotees around a fire altar
Standing devotees
Standing devotees
Kneeling devotees

Artifacts

A Zoroastrian ossuary (with the shape of a cross, but unrelated to Christianity), dated 6-7th century CE, was also discovered in Kafir Kala.[12] Numerous seals and pottery items have also been found.

  • Kafir Kala pottery finds
  • Seal depicting a sheep or goat-like creature
  • Miniature pottery vase with geometric pattern

Parallels

Some of the attendants in the murals of Penjikent are similar to the attendants in the Kafir-kala gate: adorants dressed in knee-length tunics, with long boots over large trousers, large necklaces, and shoulder ribbons which have been associated with Hephthalite nobility.[9] These Penjikent murals are dated to circa 500 CE.[13]

References

  1. ^ "Antiquities of Samarkand. Kurgan in the Vicinity of Samarkand. Location of Kafir Kala". www.wdl.org. 1868.
  2. ^ Tomoyuki Usami et al. 2017 Archaeological Excavation and Documentation of Kafir Kala Fortress https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/sdh/article/download/23267/30042?inline=1
  3. ^ a b c 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. doi:10.1484/J.JIAAA.4.2017012. hdl:11585/572547.
  4. ^ "Administration, law and urban organization in the Late Antique and Early Medieval period". Universitetet i Bergen (in Norwegian Bokmål). Archived from the original on 2020-10-18. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
  5. ^ "The Kidarites in Bactria". pro.geo.univie.ac.at. Coin Cabinet of the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna. Archived from the original on 2020-10-18. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
  6. ^ Shenkar, M. (2020). "The Origin of the Sogdian Civic Communities (nāf)". Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient. 63 (3): 357–388. doi:10.1163/15685209-12341514. S2CID 219073423. Thanks to recently published seal impressions from Kafir Kala near Samarkand, we know that some time around the fifth century, Samarkand had a ruler of Hunnic descent, who used the Bactrian language and the title "the king of the Oghlar Huns, the great Kushanshah, the ǝfšyan of Samarkand.
  7. ^ Gariboldi, Andrea. "NUMISMATIC FINDS FROM KAFIR KALA AS EVIDENCE OF THE ISLAMIC TRANSITION IN SAMARKAND" (PDF).
  8. ^ Begmatov, Alisher (1 January 2020). "New Discoveries from Kafir-kala: Coins, Sealings, and Wooden Carvings (introduction, and drawings of wooden carvings)". Acta Asiatica 119: 13.
  9. ^ a b c d Frantz, Grenet (2022). Splendeurs des oasis d'Ouzbékistan. Paris: Louvre Editions. pp. 149–153. ISBN 978-8412527858.
  10. ^ "Splendeurs des oasis dOuzbekistan 2022" (PDF).
  11. ^ Begmatov, Alisher (1 January 2020). "New Discoveries from Kafir-kala: Coins, Sealings, and Wooden Carvings (introduction, and drawings of wooden carvings)". Acta Asiatica 119: 13.
  12. ^ a b Frantz, Grenet (2022). Splendeurs des oasis d'Ouzbékistan. Paris: Louvre Editions. p. 155. ISBN 978-8412527858.
  13. ^ a b Sims, Eleanor (2002). Peerless images : Persian painting and its sources. New Haven : Yale University Press. pp. 127–128. ISBN 978-0-300-09038-3.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)

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. hdl:11585/395975.
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