2011-12-06

Proto-urban site of Sarazm




Sarazm

Sarazm
Town and Jamoat
Location in Tajikistan
Coordinates: 39°31′N 67°34′E / 39.517°N 67.567°ECoordinates: 39°31′N 67°34′E / 39.517°N 67.567°E
Country Tajikistan
Province Sughd
District Panjakent District
Time zone TJT (UTC+5)
Proto-urban site of Sarazm *
Country Tajikistan
Type Cultural
Criteria ii, iii
Reference 1141rev
Region ** Asia and the Pacific
Coordinates 39°30′28″N 67°27′37″E / 39.50778°N 67.46028°E
Inscription history
Inscription 2010 (34th Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List
** Region as classified by UNESCO

Sarazm is an ancient town and jamoat in north-western Tajikistan. It is located in Panjakent District in Sughd province.

The archaeological site of the ancient city of Sarazm is located near Durman, a town situated in the of north-west Tajikistan in the Sughd province near the border with Uzbekistan.

Site description

The site indicates an early steppe presence in the Zarafshan Valley. About 5000 years ago it was "the largest metallurgical center of Central Asia engaged in export". It was abandoned after the arrival of the Indo-Iranians, around 2000 BC.

The city is believed to have been revived as a mining point to collect from nearby sources of turquoise. Established no later that 1500 BC, the city also served as an important regional agricultural and copper production center.

World Heritage Status

The proto-urban site of Sarazm was inscribed on the World Heritage List in July 2010 as "an archaeological site bearing testimony to the development of human settlements in Central Asia, from the 4th millennium BCE to the end of the 3rd millennium BCE". It is the first World Heritage Site in Tajikistan.

References

Neolithic Settlement Sarazm - UNESCO World Heritage Centre Retrieved 2009-03-04.

Anthony, D.W. (2008), The Horse, the Wheel, and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World, Princeton University Press. ISBN 0691058873

Central Asian river | PRI's The World Retrieved 2009-03-04.


Retrieved from : http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sarazm&oldid=457281791