Khujand fortress description and photos - Tajikistan: Khujand (Topic)

Khujand fortress description and photos - Tajikistan: Khujand. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photos and a map showing the nearest significant objects.

Photo and description

The Khujand fortress, erected in the 6th-5th centuries BC, for a long time occupied the place of the central link of the city's fortification system. According to the data provided by one of the research groups, the first Khujand fortress was enclosed by a massive earthen embankment, and later by a thick wall of unbaked clay. The citadel was surrounded by a wide and deep moat filled with water. Ruins and traces of primary fortifications were found in the central part of what is now the old city.

As the economy, trade, political importance and population grew, the city grew. By the VI-VII Art. it became necessary to build a new fortress, which consisted of a citadel, a central part and a commercial and industrial suburb. The medieval Khujand fortress was known among the buildings in Central Asia as being well-defended and impregnable.

During the invasion of Genghis Khan (1219-1220), a 25-thousand army with 50 thousand mercenaries from Central Asia besieged the city. The battles for the Khujand fortress and the island on the Syr Darya entered the folk legends and epics of Tajikistan. After the Mongol conquest, the fortress in Khujand was destroyed.

According to the records of historians, at the beginning of the 15th century, ruins lay on the site of the citadel, but by the end of the century a castle-residence of the local ruler was erected here.

Today, the original fortress consists of sections of gates, defensive walls and buildings, as well as fenced-in areas where research and excavations are conducted. Besides,

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Topic: Khujand fortress description and photos - Tajikistan: Khujand.