Remains of a 3,000-year-old city discovered in Surkhandarya

Uzbek and Chinese archaeologists have discovered the remains of an ancient city in Surkhandarya region dating back about 3,000 years, Heritage Daily reported.

According to the report, excavations at the Bandikhon II archaeological site uncovered traces of a settlement that was founded in the 10th century BC and remained inhabited until the 8th century BC.

Researchers said the find could help explain how early Iron Age settlements were built and what functions they served.

Excavations in the eastern part of the site also confirmed that the lower cultural layers date to the same period. The site is considered one of the largest and best-preserved residential complexes in the Bandikhon oasis. Surkhandarya region is one of Uzbekistan’s richest archaeological areas, with numerous monuments dating to the Iron Age.

According to scholars, the architectural remains and artifacts discovered at the site could offer valuable insight into the daily life, social relations, and technologies of ancient communities. The settlement may also have played an important role in ancient trade routes and cultural exchanges across Central Asia.

Earlier, archaeologists from the Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan, working with the support of the Tashkent regional administration, discovered a rare find during another day of excavations — wall paintings dating back to the 10th and 11th centuries AD.