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In Uzbekistan along the Silk Road archaeologists discovered two cities that remained lost for centuries.
This find may completely change the perception of what is already known about the ancient trade route, writes Independent. The cities were discovered in rocky mountains only 3 km from each other using laser remote sensing technology.
Their location in the mountains, around 2000-2200m above sea level, is particularly interesting, as such an altitude would have ensured very cold winters - with temperatures at which only 3% of the world's population lives today.
The researchers also said that the discovery of these cities, which were apparently mysteriously abandoned hundreds of years ago, could change the understanding of the economic and cultural landscape of historical Central Asia.
"The main conclusion of this study is the existence of large, fortified and planned cities at high altitude, which is still rare, but much more exceptional in ancient times," commented the leader of the study Michael Fracetti of Washington University in St. Louis.
Tugunbulak, the larger of the two cities, existed from about the 6th to the 11th century AD. e., occupying an area of 300 acres. Researchers believe that tens of thousands of people once lived in it, and it is considered one of the largest cities of its time in the region.
The huge city had 5 watchtowers and a central fortress, all protected by thick stone and adobe walls.
After excavating one of Tugunbulak's fortified buildings, researchers discovered the remains of furnaces and furnaces, which led them to believe that it might have been an iron factory.
"Tugunbulak complicates much of the historical understanding of the early medieval political economy of the Silk Road by placing both political power and industrial production well outside regional 'granaries' such as Samarkand," Fracetti said.
Another city, Tashbulak, was about 10 times smaller than its neighbor, with a population of several thousand. It existed in a similar period from 730-750 to 1030-1050 AD.
Although Tashbulak is not considered an industrial center on the same scale as Tugunbulak, this smaller city has revealed interesting cultural aspects reflecting the early spread of Islam.
Researchers have excavated 400 graves of men, women and children, including some of the oldest Muslim burials ever discovered in the region.
"The cemetery does not correspond to the small size of the city. There is definitely something ideologically oriented around Tashbulak, which is why people were buried there," said Fracetti.
Scientists first discovered Tashbulak in 2011 and then discovered Tugunbulak a few years later.
With the help of additional research, they hope to find out why people of that time chose to live in the mountains, which deviated from the norm of typical agricultural societies of the time. “These people were not the barbarian horse hordes that history often portrays them to be. They were mountain peoples, probably with nomadic political systems, but they also invested in large urban infrastructure. This changes all our ideas and knowledge about the history of Central Asia," the scientists concluded.
