Ancient Khuttal

Description

Khuttal was a historical and cultural region and a medieval kingdom. It occupied the territory surrounded by the Pamir piedmont on the North and the Amu Darya River on the South, naturally bounded by the Vakhsh River on the West and North and by the Panj River on the East and South.

Having been a geographical region, known probably since the campaign of Alexander the Great, the first written mention of the Khuttal dates from the end of the 7th century. Due to its strategic location, the region was visited by many travellers and missionaries of Persian, Arabic, Chinese and Korean (Buddhist) origin mentioned Khuttal in their written accounts.

With the decline of the Hephthalite Empire in the 8th century and the expansion of the Western Turk Empire, Khuttal was among the groups of powerful semi- independent principalities in the region of Tokharistan. There was a local dynasty with an established order of succession whose rulers bore the Iranian title of khuttal-shah or sher-i Khuttal and were subordinated to the Tokharistan confederation of kingdoms. At that time the chief city of Khuttal was Hulbuk.

The principality of Khuttal was in contact with China, as testified by ambassadors and gifts exchanged. Khuttal also was one of the few local kingdoms that resisted much longer during the Islamic conquest of Transoxiana due to its substantial military forces. Nevertheless, around the 720s, Khuttal relatively acknowledged the dominance of Umayyads, and at the beginning of the 750s, the Abbasids completely took control of the region.

From the second half of the 9th century, the Iranian Banijurids ruled the Khuttal region. Despite being the vassals of the Samanids, the region retained a special status. Khuttal then remained autonomous within the Ghaznavid Empire at the beginning of the 11th century making Khuttal a strategic base for their military campaigns against the Qarakhanids. Within the Seljuk Empire (11th-12th centuries) Khuttal was ruled by local commanders. After having been a part of the Mongol Empire and Chagatai Ulus 13th – 14th centuries), Khuttal once again had autonomy after the disintegration of the Ulus. The name Khuttal disappeared from the records when the Shaybanid dynasty controlled the region in the 16th century.

Regarding the languages of the Khuttal region, the Turk nomadic population of the Turkic language permeated. From the 7th century the early mixed Iranian- Hephthalite sedentary population came to Khuttal, using New Persian, Tokharian, and local languages. Then, during the Islamic conquest in the 8th century, the Islam religion and the Arabic language.

Khuttal possessed fertile soils, lush pastures, and lands abundant in mineral resources and precious metals. Thus, livestock farming was widespread in Khuttal. The region was well-known in the east for breeding “kuttali” or “tukhari” horses which were exported to China. The agricultural development of Khuttal started early, since their inhabitants due to the rich and irrigated lands, cultivated cereal and oil-seed crops together with legumes and fruits. The region was noted for its rich harvests of corn and melons.

Khuttal was well-known for its salt extraction, and gold and silver mines in the Bottaman mountains. During the Hephthalites and throughout the Abbasids time, the Khuttal rulers struck coins. Khuttal was an important regional trade center with branches giving way to the Silk Roads.

There is significant art and architectural evidence of the achievements of Khuttal as an independent region. One example was the Palace of Hulbuk with its stucco panels and complex relief ornamentation. The general practices of town planning together with the pre-Islamic painting and construction traditions, are reflected in the Buddhist monastery of Ajinatepa, and continued their development with the Islamic madrasas, mosques, and caravanserais.

In addition to historical records, poets such as Ferdowsi and Nasir Khusraw mentioned Khuttal. In the Shahnameh Khuttal, Ferdwosi introduced it twice: in the mythologic part and in the historical one. In the poems of Khusraw there are references to the Khuttal toponym.

01- Ajinatepa Buddhist monastery

Ajinatepa Buddhist monastery is located in the valley of the Vakhsh river in Kushoniyon District, Khatlon Region. It dates to the 6th-8th centuries AD. Its structure as well as numours founds, including a twelve-meter Buddha in Nirvanna, reflects the mix of the traditions of Indian art with local, Bactrian and Tokharistan traditions. It is also a testimony of the spread of Buddhism in Khuttal, highlighting the role of this historic region in the transit of Buddhism to the east. It is currently an archaeological site.

02a-Kalai Hulbuk

Kalai Hulbuk is located in the valleys of the Surkhob and Yakhsu Rivers in the central part of the Mekhrobod Village, Vose District, Khatlon Region. It dates to the 9th -11th centuries. The site includes the remains of a palace complex and a fortress that once represented the grandiose capital of Khuttal. Khulbuk is vital for the understanding of the political, economic, architectural, engineering and water supply practices in Khuttal. It is currently an archaeological site.

02b-Shahristoni Hulbuk

Shahristini Hulbuk is located in the valleys of the Surkhob and Yakhsu Rivers in the central part of the Mekhrobod Village, Vose District, Khatlon Region. It dates to the 9th -11th centuries. It represents the well-preserved remains of the Hulbuk city, including its residential and industrial quarters as well as water supply systems and outer city walls, vital for the understanding the urban life of Khuttal. It is currently an archaeological site.

02c Makbarai Shohoni Khuttal

Makbarai Shohoni Khuttal is located in the valleys of the Surkhob and Yakhsu Rivers in the central part of the Mekhrobod Village, Vose District, Khatlon Region. It dates from the 9th-12th centuries. It contains the ruins of two closed structures with mihrabs and one semi-open structure reflecting the religious beliefs and elite funerary traditions of Khuttal. It is considered to be the burial place of the kings of Khuttal. It is currently an archaeological site.

03 Manzaratepa

Manzaratepa is located in Vose District, Khatlon Region. It dates to the 9th - 12th centuries. It contains the ruins of the second largest city of Hulbuk district as well as numerous remains of pottery kilns reflecting its craft centers. The site is example of the presence of large cities with urban density on the territory of Khuttal. It is currently an archaeological site.

04 Zoli Zard

Zoli Zard is located in Dangara District, Khatlon region. It dates to different periods including the 4th -1st centuries BC, 6th-8th centuries AD, 9th-12th centuries AD and 15th-20th centuries AD. It contains the remains of a large multi-layered settlement, which prospered from the Greco-Bactrian period to the late Middle Ages. The site is an example of the sustainability of urban life and interchange of cultures in Khatlon region. Its unique structure, including a large courtyard with a spring, is vital for understanding the water-use practices in Khuttal as well as its relationship with other Khuttal settlements in the northern part of the Dangara Valley. It is currently an archaeological site.

05 Makbarai Mavlono Tojiddin

Makbarai Mavlono Tojiddin is located in Dangara District, Khatlon Region. It dates to the 14th century. It was built on the citadel of the Kushan settlement. This monument is the mausoleum Mavlono Tojiddin, one of the leaders and teacher of the Naqshbandi sufi brotherhood. It is a living pilgrimage place and reflects the interchange of religious beliefs and other cultural traditions in Khuttal.

06 Halevard (Kofirkala)

Halevard (Kofirkala) is located in Dangara District, Khatlon region. It dates to two early periods of Khuttal, the 4th -5th centuries and 6th -8th centuries. It represents the early Medieval capital of Khuttal in the Vakhsh river. It reflects the material and spiritual culture of the early Medieval Khuttal, its urbanization and architectural achievements. The site is also vital for the understanding of the co-existence of Zoroastrianism and Buddhism in early medieval Khuttal. It is currently an archaeological site.

07 Shahristoni Zoli Zar

Shahristoni Zoli Zar is located in Farkhor District, Khatlon region. It dates to four periods 2nd – 3rd centuries, 7th -8th centuries, 10th – 12th centuries and 15th – 17th centuries. It contains the remains of a large settlement in the district of Hulbuk reflecting the connections of Khuttal with various regions of Central Asia. It also testifies the spread of the funerary Parthian traditions in Khuttal. It is currently an archaeological site.

08 Tohir Caravansarai

Tohir Caravansarai is located in Farkhor District, Khatlon region. It dates to the 9th-12th centuries. It represents the remains of a caravanserai with a unique structure of two mirrored buildings, particular in its kind. Tohir Caravanserai is a vital testimony of the existence of long-distance trade in Khuttal between the valleys of the Panj and Surkhob. It is currently an archaeological site.

09 Shahrtepa

Shahrtepa is located in Farkhor District, Khatlon region. It dates to two periods: the 7th -8th centuries and 10th – 12th centuries. It represents the remains of a large settlement reflecting the material and spiritual culture of the early Medieval Khuttal, its urbanization and architectural achievements. It is currently an archaeological site.

10 Khishttepa Buddhist temple

Khishttepa Buddhist temple is located in Khovaling District, Khatlon region. It dates to the 7th – 8th centuries. The remains of the temple reflect the religious beliefs and cultural traditions of early Medieval Khuttal and the spread of Buddhism in the region. The site is also vital for the studies of the languages used in Khuttal. It is currently an archaeological site.

11 Shohi Khomush

Shohi Khomush is located in Khovaling District, Khatlon region. It dates to the 7th -8th centuries. It contains the remains of authentic crypts reflecting the spiritual culture of the early Medieval Khuttal. It is currently an archaeological site.

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