Authorities in Uzbekistan’s Samarkand region have officially increased the age of the ancient city of Samarkand from 2,750 to 3,000 years, according to the state news agency UzA.
The revision follows extensive archaeological work by a scientific team that conducted research at key sites, including Afrasiab, Kuktepa, and the former Amir Temur fortress near Kuksaroy Square. The most compelling evidence came from excavations at Kuktepa, which confirmed that Samarkand had already begun to take shape as a major urban center in the early 1st millennium BCE. These findings became the decisive factor in reassessing the city’s historical timeline.
Samarkand’s age has been revised several times over the past century. Initially believed to be about 1,500 years old, estimates were increased to 2,000, then to 2,500 years in 1970. In the 2000s, a joint Uzbek-French archaeological expedition updated the figure to 2,750 years. The latest discoveries made in 2024 now justify the new estimate of 3,000 years.
Dr. Muminhon Saidov, Director of the Samarkand Institute of Archaeology, confirmed that urbanization in the region began between the late 2nd and early 1st millennium BCE, aligning with the revised age.
All artifacts and materials from the excavations will be handed over to relevant ministries and scientific institutions for further research and classification. The new data not only highlights Samarkand’s antiquity but also underscores the continuous evolution of archaeological science in Central Asia.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
July 28, 2025