Bukhara state university faculty of history

Varakhsha is the ruins of an ancient city. It is located 40 km northwest of Bukhara in the ancient Rajfandun oasis of Dashti Urgenji Lake. Varakhsha is preserved in the form of a huge hill with an area of ​​9 hectares and a height of 10-20 meters. V.A Shishkin (1937-39, 1947-54) conducted extensive archeological research in and around Varakhsha; A. Muhammadjanov (1975-77), O. V. Obelchenko (1977-79), G. V. Shishkina (1987-90) also conducted excavations in some parts of Varakhsha. Archaeological excavations have revealed that Varakhsha mil. av. In the 2nd century, it was built in the form of several fortified villages connected to each other. To the northwest of the Varakhsha ruins, the outer wall of one of the ancient fortresses and the semicircular interior of the 4.5 × 5 meter tower were excavated. The wall is 1.8-1.9 m thick and measures 37 × 41 × 10 cm. It is made of raw bricks. The walls and towers have pitch-shaped target holes 38-40 cm inside, 75-80 cm outside and 20-22 cm wide. 2nd-1st centuries BC In the 1st and 2nd centuries, cultural life flourished in and around Varakhsha. In the 3rd and 4th centuries, Varakhsha was in decline. In the 5th century, Varakhsha was revived and became the residence of the ancient rulers of Bukhara - the Bukhara gods. During this period, Varakhsha was surrounded by a strong wall, and an arch was built in its southern part. It was especially prosperous in the 8th and 10th centuries. Varakhsha and its environs are irrigated by 12 canals and have become one of the largest and central fortresses in the Rajfandun oasis. The caravan route between Bukhara and Khorezm passed through Varakhsha. Every fifteen days, a one-day market festival is held in Varakhsha, and at the end of the year a 20-day bazaar festival (Navruz kasho varzon, the farmers' New Year) is held. With the settlement of the Bukhara gods, Varakhsha became a large city. In the 11th and 12th centuries, its territory was more than 6 km wide. In the 12th century, life in the Varakhsha oasis suddenly came to an end for unknown reasons
The ancient ruins of the city, known as the old Nakhshab, Nashebolo, Nasaf, are located in present-day Yerkurgan, one and a half kilometers from the northern boundaries of the administrative territory of the modern city of Karshi in the area of ​​the present-day Sheykhali station. The territory of the fortress is surrounded by various heights, consisting of the ruins of the old city, on the border of the inner and outer walls. The greatest height was found to be the ruler's palace. as well as a citadel (a fortress inside the castle), a city temple, a mausoleum, a Zoroastrian temple, and artisan neighborhoods. Around Yerkurgan, there were completely destroyed, densely populated pre-city buildings, and in the first half of the first millennium, a well-equipped suburban area stretched westward to the banks of the Kashkadarya River. The city of Yerkurgan was burned and destroyed by the combined forces of the Turkish Khanate and the Iranian Sassanids during the Hephthalite occupation in the 6th century. Numerous artifacts from the excavations of the city of Yerkurgan provide ample evidence that the history and culture of the Karshi oasis and the capital city developed in several stages.
The first central city of the oasis was first surrounded by defensive walls in the 8th and 7th centuries. The wall was later demolished, and its remains were found in the lower part of the pottery neighborhood. In the 6th century, cities expanded and new walls were built. The old wall remained in the city and, due to its uselessness, was used by potters as clay for making pottery. There is also a pottery team, which functioned until the end of the history of Yerkurgan. The ancient wall, or rather its remains, came to the beginning of the present century and was buried under the cultural remains of the potters' team. The ancient wall of Yerkurgan, or rather its remains, was completely buried under the cultural layer of the area of ​​pottery near the beginning of AD.

Regarding the history of the ancient city of Yerkurgan, we can say the following: When the Kashkadarya River enters the oasis from the valley, it divides into several streams and forms a dry delta; In the lower VIII-VII centuries BC, scattered peasant settlements began to appear in the lower part of the left bank of the stream flowing through the delta. Its central part is surrounded by a protective wall. In this way, the first capital centers of the Kashkadarya oasis were formed.

By the middle of the 1st millennium BC, the city was expanding. Some of the new retaining walls have retained a height of up to 8 meters, and the base was 3 meters thick. Thick and high walls protected the city from the cavalry, but the wall could not resist the destructive weapons. It covered an area of ​​about 40 hectares. During this period, conical cylindrical pottery was as common in the Karshi oasis as in Sogdia and Bactria. These vessels were made on slow-moving pottery equipment.
Excavations at the ruins of the city's temple in Yerkurgan have uncovered the remains of two other structures during a stratigraphic excavation of the city. The upper layer belongs to the Hellenistic period, and the lower layer Av. It dates back to the middle of the 1st millennium. Scholars have speculated that the temple, built in the 3rd and 4th centuries, may have been built on the ruins of the city's oldest temples. This is evidenced by the fact that the open part of the lowest structure consisted of a brick platform and was the height of a man. It is separated from the mainland by a thin layer of coal. We know that the Zoroastrians held their religious ceremonies in the open. This sanctuary is located on a platform that is about a mile long. Av. It belongs to the 1st millennium. Beneath the platform, there is a pile of ash that has accumulated as a result of clearing the area.^13v