Sarazm

Sarazm was a settlement in the Zarafshan valley occupied from around the fourth millennium BC, and what makes it important is the evidence of exchange: objects and materials found here came from the Turkmen steppe, the Iranian plateau and the Indus, showing that this was a node in a network long before anything that could be called a city existed. Excavated mudbrick foundations, a fire temple and workshops are shown under shelters. UNESCO inscribed it in 2010.

Background

Sarazm lies in the city of Panjakent in Sughd Region, near the village of Sohibnazar on the left bank of the Zeravshan and close to the border with Uzbekistan. Radiocarbon dates from the site range from 3900 to 2100 BC, and its culture is older than the Andronovo steppe culture, which reached South Central Asia in the 2nd millennium BC. The Proto-urban Site of Sarazm became a World Heritage Site in 2010. The modern jamoat of Sarazm has 21 villages and a population of 27,877 in 2015, with its seat at Chimqal'a.

Source: Wikipedia, "Sarazm"

What you'll find

• The mudbrick foundations - excavated houses and streets under protective shelters.
• The fire temple - the ritual structure identified within the settlement.
• The exchange evidence - materials found here from the Indus, Iran and the steppe.
• The metalworking - the workshops that made the settlement's copper goods.

When to go

April to June and September to October are the most comfortable. Summer in the valley is very hot with no shade. The site museum keeps limited hours.

What to expect

The remains are low mudbrick walls under metal roofs and take imagination. Interpretation on site is thin. Finds of consequence are in the museums at Penjikent and Dushanbe.

Nearby

Penjikent is east, and the Fann Mountains are south.

Key facts