Tajikistan - The Site of Ancient Town of Pyanjekent

The site of ancient town of Pyanjekent is the center of one appannage possession of Sogd of V-VIII centuries. It consists of a vast citadel with three belts of fortifications; the city proper- shahristan, defended by fortress wall and suburban country houses and grounds, and a necropolis. The site of ancient town was built in the V century. Primery idea was enlarged several times and was broke up outside and inside town. The total area is 35,5 hectares. From V century central part of Pyanjekent's shahristan was formed as a sacred place with two temples. They were identical by planning. Every temple had two yards; west and east one. It can go out into the street through the east yard. The temple rebuilt many times, but the main paculiarities of its planning were kept. The base of a composition of the temple yard was a road from east to west, from the entrance column portico to narrow ramp, by means of it they climbed a platform of the main building. The building of the temple had a wide portico, after that there was four columns hall, which had no east wall. There was a door in the depth of the hall, which opened into the right-angled cell of the temple. There is a gallery from three sides of the hall and the cell. There was a special place for the sacred fire in the south temple (number 1); in the probability the north temple (number 2) was devoted to water element. Vast blocks of buildings with shops, bazaars, workshops, network of streets and side-streets occupied the most part of the shahristan. The buildings had different number of rooms. Area of an ordinary dwelling is about 60 sq.m. a dwelling palace of a rich man have a territory of 2100 sq.m. One third part of the building was intended for cerimony, the rooms were decorated by carving and wall-painting. The houses belonged to landowners and merchants. Meeting halls usually had an area from 30 to 250 sq.m. they are square or right angled. In the suburb the town necropolis was investigated. Archaeologists found nauses; they are small right-angled vaults; there were ceramic ossuaries with bones of the dead.