Gyaur-Kala is dated back to IV-XIIIth centuries BC. Excavations are still being carried out until today. The cultural layer of this city, according to archeologists, reaches 10 meters. The contours of the ruins indicates about the massive fortress and religious temples that once were located there. Their findings suggest that Guyar-Kala was a busy trade and handicraft center.
Gyaur Kala (or Qala) meaning infidel fortress was a name given by the Arab conquerors of the Khwarezmian empire. There are actually three Gyaur Kalas in the region, one not to far away across the river and south beside the Sultan Uvays hills and the other in Turkmenistan's Marv area in the old Avestan country of Mouru.
The fortress appears to have been constructed and occupied by the 4th century BC during the height of the Persian Achaemenian empire. It also appears to have been destroyed by fire towards the end of the 2nd c. BC and then rebuilt and in use from the 1st to the 4th century AD until it was destroyed yet again.
No comments:
Post a Comment