"Building no. 1" of the palace of Termezshahs following the results of fieldwork in 2023)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24852/2587-6112.2026.4.260.271Keywords:
archaeology, Old Termez, Palace of Termezshahs, clay-made architecture, geophysical studies, magnetometry, Middle Ages, Central AsiaAbstract
The paper presents the preliminary results of archaeological and geophysical studies conducted in 2023 at the site "Building No. 1" of the archaeological assemblage "Palace of Termezshahs" (Old Termez settlement, Uzbekistan). The aim of the research was to identify this structure, the design features of which have remained unclear since the 1930s. During the excavations, a monolithic mud structure was discovered, constructed using horizontally layered clay masses. The obtained stratigraphic section and solitary finds of pottery allow the authors tentatively synchronize the "Building No. 1" with the main period of the palace assemblage functioning (XI–XII centuries), which clarifies the early dating proposed by M.E. Masson. The results of a magnetometric survey revealed a number of anomalies, the interpretation of which requires further investigation. The question of the possible initial purpose of an object morphologically similar to Buddhist religious buildings in the region, is being raised.
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