The site

Afrasiyab is the site of ancient Samarkand's earliest city, a Sogdian settlement in what is now Uzbekistan that flourished from roughly 500 BCE until its destruction in 1220 CE. Perched above the modern town, its layered mounds mark more than a millennium of urban life along the Silk Road. Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it preserves the deep foundations of one of Central Asia's great trading cities.

Field notes

civilizations

Sogdian

types

City

occupied

500 BCE — 1,220 CE

country

Uzbekistan