A team of Uzbekistan's archaeologists, chaired by Ahmadali Askarov, has been excavating an ancient settlement called Tunkat in the Akhangaran district since the summer of 2023. The settlement, located 12 km northeast of Almalyk in the Tashkent region, has exceeded the team's initial research plans. The team aimed to research Shahristan, Rabat, and the cemetery part of the settlement. However, during the research, they discovered more than ten medieval premises. They also found over 200 objects of glazed and unglazed ceramics, about 20 coins, about 10 lamps, many fragments of glassware, metal objects, and remnants of molten metal slag. These discovered items date from the 9th to 11th centuries.
The glazed vessels found at the site are particularly noteworthy. Some of these vessels were decorated with images of birds and animals, while others were decorated with words of the Kufic script of the Arabic alphabet. Decorated with white angob and patterns of red, yellow, green, black, and other colors, such decorative dishes are found not only in Akhangaran but also in other regions of Uzbekistan. Scientists date them IX-XI centuries.
The lamps and enamelled utensils decorated with kuphic writing in black paint also show how art evolved during the first Muslim renaissance in historic Turkestan. Among the coins found were those from the Chacha coins of the VII-VIII centuries to the coins of the Karahanid dynasty of the early XI century. Some of these coins featured pictures of the queen (khatun) next to the ruler.
The historical building's entrance that the scientists discovered was through a door located on the east side. Crude bricks and straw were widely used in the construction, and burnt bricks of the Samanid period were used for various purposes. The bricks of the four side walls of most rooms were arranged in four different styles, demonstrating that it was a traditional form for the ancient tuna.
Archaeologists are currently continuing their research at Tunkata. According to preliminary data, the coins represent an anthropological image of the VII-VIII centuries, showing that the position of women in the administrative sphere was significant. Other coins include the names of Yahya ibn Ahmad, Nasr ibn Ahmad, the representatives of the Samanids, Nasr ibn Ali of the Karahanids, and other rulers.
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