The 3,000th Anniversary of Samarkand Officially Recognized

Following a reassessment of historical data, the age of Samarkand has been officially established as 3,000 years.

The decision was made at a regular session of the Samarkand Regional Council of People's Deputies, based on the findings of a joint Uzbek-French expedition, which conducted a renewed analysis of discoveries at the sites of Koktepa and Afrasiab.

Muminjon Saidov, Director of the Samarkand Institute of Archaeology, noted that the study of Samarkand’s ancient origins and age has been ongoing for over 150 years. Initially, it was believed that the city was founded 1,500 years ago. In the 2000s, a joint Uzbek-French expedition revealed new data indicating that the city was 2,750 years old. However, even that was not considered the final conclusion.

New perspectives emerged particularly after the analysis of excavations carried out between 1993 and 2006 at the Koktepa archaeological site, located 25 kilometers from Samarkand.

During the excavations, researchers discovered a mudbrick wall and artifacts such as ceramics, animal bones, and organic materials dating back to the 7th–4th centuries BCE. These findings were sent for analysis to laboratories in France, Germany, and Japan.