Silk Roads: Fergana-Syrdarya Corridor

Description

The exact historical journeys of the Silk Roads on the territory of modern Tajikistan and Central Asian countries were never static. Cities, towns, caravansaries and trade stations were gaining and losing importance in the different periods of time due to different internal and external factors. However, today we can identify several main sections of the most intensive trade activities on the Silk Roads that were taking place between major centers of urban cultural tradition. One of these sections is the Fergana-Syrdarya Corridor, located along the modern countries of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. This corridor includes component parts situated in the territory of Sugd region in the Republic of Tajikistan.  

The Silk Roads: Fergana-Syrdarya Corridor is characterized by well-preserved cultural landscapes of oases and cities historically situated on the major rivers of the region, such as the rivers of Arys, Shu and Syrdarya, and now located in the middle of the mountain, desert, semi-desert and steppe natural landscapes. In Tajikistan, the caravan routes between these historical areas were following the Syrdarya River.

Nom(s) de l’élément/des éléments constitutif(s)

Description de l’élément/des éléments constitutif(s)

TJ-01 Mausoleum of Hazrati Shoh

Mausoleum of Hazrati Shoh is an architectural monument of Samanid period (9^th – 10^th centuries) located in the north-eastern part of Chorku settlement, Isfara district, Sugd region. It is one of the oldest wooden constructions in Central Asia and a rare type of a memorial mosque with authentic ornamented wood carved elements and inscriptions reflecting pre-Islamic artistic traditions and unique spatial planning. The Mausoleum also serves as a pilgrimage site representing living heritage of the Silk Roads.

TJ-02 Mausoleum of Shaikh Muslihiddin

Mausoleum of Shaikh Muslihiddin is an architectural complex of the 14^th–16^th centuries located in the city of Khujand, Sugd region. It is constituted by the main cruciform space of the ziyoratkhona and adjacent gurkhona with a carved wooden tombstone and six corner hujras. The planning structure of the complex with ceremonial tomb space and khonako functions is typical of religious monumental centers along the Silk Roads in the 14^th  – 16^th centuries.

TJ-03 Khujand fortress

Khujand fortress is an archaeological site dated from the 6^th century BC to the 19^th century AD and located in the modern Khujand city, Sugd region. It bears an exceptional testimony of the interchange of human values over the span of time under the influence of several state and cultural entities, including Achaemenid Empire, Alexander the Great Empire, Kangju Kingdom, Dayuan, Usrushana, Fergana, Chach, Ilaq and Zhetysu. Due to its location on the shore of Syrdarya river, it served as a key trade and transport node of the Silk Roads, connecting agricultural and nomadic civilizations of Central Asia.

TJ-04 Shirin settlement

Shirin settlement is an archaeological site dated from the 6^th century BC to the 8^th century AD and located in Spitamen district of Sugd region. It is a fortified settlement with a necropolis constituted by a group of cave crypts. It represents a unique testimony of pre-Islamic urbanization, namely during the Usrushana period. It also contains the remains of the Medieval city of Kurkat that was one of the key nodal points of the Silk Roads on Syrdarya and a contact zone for the agricultural and nomadic civilizations of Central Asia.

TJ-05 Abdulatif Sultan Madrasa-Mosque

Abdulatif Sultan Madrasa-Mosque is an architectural monument of the 16^th century located in Istaravshan city, Sugd region. It is an example of the development of vaulted-domed structures along the Silk Roads, representing a rare type of the mosque with a longitudinal axis and courtyard as the core of its spatial composition.

TJ-06 Ancient Bunjikat

Bunjikat is an archaeological site dated from the 5^th century BC to the 16^th century AD centuries and located in the Shahriston district, Sugd region. It contains the remains of three fortified settlements, Kalai Kakhkakha 1-3, and several castles reflecting the various aspects of life in the capital of Usrushana Principality as well as a major political, economic and cultural center along the Silk Roads.

TJ-07 Asht Complex of Petroglyphs

Asht Complex of Petroglyphs is dated to the 3^rd – 2^nd centuries BC – 6^th – 8^thcenturies AD and located in Asht district, Sugd region. The site encompasses a large concentration of petroglyphs with over 11 000 items in the western part of Qurama Mountains as well as several archaeological sites, including campsites, settlements and burial sites. As the cult and memorial centre of the North Syrdarya Saks, it reflects the interchange of beliefs along the Silk Roads. 

Justification de la Valeur Universelle Exceptionnelle

Criterion (ii): The vastness of the Silk Roads: Fergana-Syrdarya Corridor, the extremely long period of its functioning, the diversity of the archaeological heritage sites and the forms of cultural exchange, the variety of the geographical environments are its components, clearly demonstrates numerous extensive interactions along the Silk Roads, especially between the nomadic steppe region on the north and north-east and agricultural-oasis-pastoral region on the south and south-west. As a result, the present corridor of the Silk Roads is a clear manifestation of the dynamic cultural interchange across the central part of the Eurasian Continent.

Criterion (iii): Some of the most important cultural traditions demonstrated by the component sites of the Fergana-Syrdarya Corridor of the Silk Roads in Tajikistan are the system of agricultural water canals used for the irrigation, the fortification constructions and the coexistence of different religions on the territory of urban settlements. These are reflected in a number of archaeological sites along the Silk Roads: Fergana-Syrdarya Corridor. They remained as evidence of the ancient cultural, economic, and religious traditions. The active archaeological studies of these sites started in the second half of the 20^th century and continued in our days.

Criterion (v): All the components of the Silk Roads: Fergana-Syrdarya Corridor are geographically situated in the territory of numerous river valleys. The courses of these rivers were constantly changing during the long period of functioning of the Silk Roads. As the result, the local communities get used to adapt their daily life, major economic activities and forms of urban development to the changes of the river courses. This outstanding form of interaction between the natural landscape and human life is well demonstrated by a large and complicated network of water facilities such as canals, wells, reservoirs and cultivated fields.

Déclarations d’authenticité et/ou d’intégrité

Authenticity

All the proposed components of the Silk Roads: Fergana-Syrdarya Corridor under active architectural and archaeological research activities that have proven their good state of the authenticity. The natural factors that could have the negative impact of the site are the climate changes, erosion and out-washing of the soil, temperature drops. As for the anthropogenic factors, the main risks are related to the economic exploitation of the territory inside and around the nominated component parts, modern constructions and uncontrolled tourism and visiting of the sites. As far as the authorized state institutions provide the adequate management and monitoring of the state of conservation of the nominated component parts, the property would correspond to the requirement of authenticity. 

Integrity

The integrity of the Silk Roads: Fergana-Syrdarya Corridor is related to the presence of all the attributes and dynamic functions, including different geographical zones and well-retained at archaeological sites and architectural monuments of different functional categories. The location and architectural forms of the component parts in the Republic of Tajikistan remained unchanged and preserved with main attributes retained. Architectural planning, decoration elements, remaining of walls, functional features reflect the values representing the integrity of the component parts. The remnants of ruins are sufficient to fully understand the functional features and processes reflecting the values of the component parts. Boundaries and buffer zones of the component parts are clear and defined as well as under the state protection. Although development pressure affects some component parts in terms of urbanization, tourism development and new technologies, it is controlled by relevant governmental organizations in charge of preservation and utilization of cultural heritage in the Republic of Tajikistan. Moreover, state laws on the protection of cultural heritage are well organized and integrated in all development processes at local, regional and national levels, ensuring the intactness of the component parts in the Republic of Tajikistan.

Justification de la sélection de l’élément/des éléments constitutif(s) en relation avec la future proposition d’inscription dans son ensemble

All the proposed components of the Silk Roads: Fergana-Syrdarya Corridor situated on the territory of the Republic of Tajikistan are representing the heritage of large political, economic and cultural urban centers and settlements connecting the network of the routes along Syrdarya river. The component parts are the most studied archaeological sites and architectural monuments of the region. However, together these sites were playing the same important role for the functioning of the system of the Silk Road corridors by providing protection and trading industry to the commercial activities of the past.

Comparaison avec d’autres biens similaires

As of 2023, 12 cultural routes have been inscribed to the World Heritage List, including the Silk Roads: Initial Section of the Silk Roads, the Routes Network of Tian-shan Corridor (2014), which is the first inscribed corridor of the Silk Roads Transnational Serial World Heritage nomination as well as the Routes of Santiago de Compostela: Camino Francés and Routes of Northern Spain (1993); Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France (1998); Land of Frankincense (2000); Quebrada de Humahuaca (2003); Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range (2004); Incense Route-Desert Cities in the Negev (2005); Mount Wutai (2009); Camino Real de Tierra Adentro (2010); Birthplace of Jesus: Church of the Nativity and the Pilgrimage Route, Bethlehem (2012),  Qhapaq Ñan, Andean Road System (2014). The comparative analysis with the existing World Heritage cultural routes was based on the following values: influences (criterion ii); testimony (criterion iii); and land-use (criterion v) and revealed that the Silk Roads: Fergana-Syrdarya Corridor belonging to different geocultural and chronological framework represents a unique complex interchange of both human values and influences, encompassing trade, social and economic values, architecture and urban planning, culture and arts, science and technology, between the peoples of East and the West from the  2^nd  BC to 16^th century AD. Moreover, the nominated property is an exceptional testimony to several cultural traditions that go beyond trade and religion, encompassing the complex cultural phenomena of Central Asia. As regards human-nature interaction, Silk Roads: Fergana-Syrdarya Corridor presents the example of human interaction not only with deserts, but also with piedmont, dry-steppe, oases and fertile valleys, and arid-desert zones with the interaction centered around the water resources of Syrdarya river and the use of elaborate hydraulic management and irrigation systems in the development of the Silk Roads.