Archaeologists from the Samarkand Institute in Kashkadarya, southern Uzbekistan, have announced a major discovery: the remains of a fortified city dating back 2,300 years. This significant archaeological find in Uzbekistan provides new insight into ancient Central Asian trade routes.
The ancient city was discovered on a mound near the village of Pastol, positioned at the eastern section of Kamashinsky District. Known locally as Baburtepa archaeological site, the location was continually occupied for roughly a millennium from the 3rd century BC to the 3rd century AD.
According to a current survey, the city covered a place of 6 hectares (14.8 acres) and likely served as a major trading centre that linked Bukhara with Khorezm. The ancient trading center Uzbekistan site features significant architectural remains.
Over the past two years, trenches opened across 3 sectors have revealed the foundations of the town`s fortifications, including a fort, guard posts, and shielding walls.
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| Image Credit : Samarkand Institute |
According to project co-lead Sanjar Abdurakhimov, the central region of the web site likely served as a palace or ceremonial hall. Archaeologists exposed a spacious chamber, adjacent rooms, and fragments of vividly colored ancient wall paintings, imparting unique perception into historic artistic traditions of the region.
Beyond enormous architecture, the town seems to were a thriving hub of craft production. Excavations found out pottery workshops, stone-slicing regions, garage vessels, and a wealth of ceramics. Figurines, amphorae, and funerary urns display extraordinary craftsmanship, with positive patterns suggesting cultural ties to the Seleucid and later Kushan empires.
The Kashkadarya discovery comes amid a surge of archaeological interest within the Kashkadarya oasis. In 2025 alone, researchers registered extra than one hundred previously undocumented sites.
The Samarkand Institute plans to hold with destiny excavations as a long time assignment, cause on uncovering the executive quarters and home regions that may offer solutions at the political agency and every day existence of the inhabitants of this ancient Central Asia history site.