Ancient cities of Uzbekistan - Paykend and Varakhsha

In order to further develop the sphere of cultural heritage and familiarize with the historical monuments of our country, the State Unitary Enterprise “National PR-Centre” under the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Heritage has developed videos dedicated to the historical cities of Paykend and Varakhsha. To the visitor of these historical places, today's appearance may seem simple, but people familiar with history know that these ancient places are not inferior to the Registan in Samarkand and the Kalon minaret in Bukhara. These videos have been developed in collaboration with eminent architects specializing in the field of historical objects and archeology.

Paykend is an ancient city that arose at the end of the IV century BC. Strategically important, well-fortified border town on the western border of the Bukhara Emirate.

Paykend was located at the crossroads of trans–Eurasian communications of Eurasia, which united not only the great empires of the West and the East, but also the oldest cultures of the south - Bactrian and Indian, the Caucasus, the Black Sea region, Eastern Europe.

Paykend was an independent merchant city, where the silk trade was highly developed. It was a large city with many craft workshops, shops and caravanserais. 

It was during the development of the Great Silk Road in the VI-VII centuries, caused by the rapid demographic growth of the region's population, that the 1st and 2nd towns joined the Paykend fortress, and became a major city. 

With the arrival of the Arabs in Central Asia in the VII century, Paykend became an important religious center of Islam. The remains of a large mosque and a minaret were found in this area. 

Varakhsha was located on the trade route from Bukhara to Khorezm. At that time it was a fortified city that amazed travelers with its beauty.

The area of the settlement was 100 hectares . The core of the city is a fortress divided into two parts: the upper western and relatively lower Eastern. The western part of the fort is almost square, with sides of about 26 m, with steep slopes. The height of the fortress above the residential surface reaches 10 m, and above the surrounding terrain-about 20 m. The height of the foundation is about 15 m. Huge walls are built of mud bricks. The construction of the castle began at the end of the 5th century AD, later a large building was attached to it. 

These videos were prepared by the State Unitary Enterprise “National PR-Centre” in Uzbek, Russian and English. This is the main type of videos, and there is still work to be done on these videos. We hope that these guides will appeal to experts, tourists and anyone who wants to visit these historical sites.

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