Samarkand's history extended by 500 years

At the latest session of the Samarkand Regional Council of People's Deputies, a decision was made to confirm the age of Samarkand as 3,000 years, Kursiv.media reported.

This conclusion was reached following archaeological studies at the Afrosiab and Koktepa sites, as well as at the former Amir Temur fortress near Kuksaroy Square.

According to Muminkhon Saidov, Director of the Samarkand Institute of Archaeology, research on the city's history has been ongoing for over 150 years.

Previously, Samarkand was believed to be 1,500 years old, then 2,000. In 1970, its age was declared as 2,500 years, and in the early 2000s, a joint Uzbek-French expedition re-evaluated it to 2,750 years.

However, new archaeological findings in 2024 in Koktepa, about 25 km from the city, have led to another reassessment of its history.

Researchers M. Isomidinov, Claude Rapin, and M. Hasanov analyzed both old and new discoveries, concluding that Samarkand developed as an urban center in the early 1st millennium BCE.

A presentation during the session highlighted that urban life in the area began at the end of the 2nd and start of the 1st millennium BCE.

It was decided that these scientific findings, materials, and documents will be handed over to relevant institutions for further research and preservation.