The ancient city of Alexandria on the Oxus
24.07.2019
Ancient settlement was discovered by archaeologists of Uzbekistan. Presumably the ancient city of Alexandria on the Oxus site is located on the site of the settlement of Kampyrtepa.
During the press conference held in Tashkent, Deputy Prime Minister Aziz Abdukhakimov said:
"We have determined that the site of Kampyrtepa is actually the location of the legendary Alexandria on the Oxus. We are now preparing a lot of materials about this. We want to announce this so that this place appears on the world map. It will be good news for the whole world, will attract more attention from academics and tourists. We have all the necessary evidence. "
In accordance with the above, all the results obtained will be presented during the Week of Culture and Art of Uzbekistan. This event will be held in three cities of Uzbekistan - Tashkent, Termez and Samarkand. A 3D installation will also be presented, which will help to recreate the archaeological site in its original form.
The fortress was opened by Soviet scientist Edward Rtveladze in 1972 as a result of reconnaissance route studies in the territory of Northern Bactria. Originally, Kampyrtepa was interpreted as a small Kushan fortress town, which arose on the most important crossing over the Amu Darya.
Kampyrtepa is a fortress of the end of the 4th century BC – middle of the II century AD in northern Bactria. Located on a high loess terrace on the right bank of the Amu Darya River, 30 kilometers west of Termez. At present, Kampyrtepa is the most studied monument of antiquity in the territory not only of Central Asia, but also of the entire Middle East.
The fortress was founded on one of the main ferries across the Amu Darya River (Oxus River), during the Central Asian campaigns of Alexander the Great. Kampyrtepa reached its peak during the rule of the “Great Kushan Kings” - Wima Takto, Wima Kadfiz and Kanishka (the second half of I - the beginning of the II century AD).
Kampyrtepa consists of a citadel surrounded by a moat and a “lower city” enclosed on the floor side by a fortress wall with rectangular towers. The citadel, which has multimeter layers of Hellenistic time, began to be mastered at the end of IV c. BC.
The “Lower City” began to be built on a single plan at the beginning of the 1st century, during the reign of Sauter Megas (there are layers of the 3rd century BC in the eastern part) and existed until the time of Kanishka the 1 (the first third of the 2nd century).
The huge number of archaeological finds testifies to the fact that here for centuries have been peacefully coexisted representatives of various cultures and religions.