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1. BORDER-GUARD DEFENSE WALL. Jamoat Andarob. Was located 1-1.5 km at about the village Khaskhorugh, descending from a mountain slope going till the river Panj (right bank). The length of the wall is 1.5-2 km (?). It is laid from stones, masonry on clay mortar (width – 1 m). Findings. No findings. Dated XVIII-XIX centuries. Has not been preserved. 2. GARMCHASHMA III. Sanctuary. Jamoat Andarob. Was situated on the top part of the valley of the river Garmchashma (right tributary of the river Panj), on a terrace by the sources of eastern hot springs. It consisted of an altar – several niches in a rock, where there were lamp standing; a cave, where lived a saint, in front of which there is a yard enclosed by a wooden fence, where from underneath have come several hot springs. Findings. Clay lamp (chirogh) of an ordinary type, a copper one in the form of cup on a stand with twisted handles. Over the altar on a shelf there was laying an iron hand (paw is a symbol of the Ismailis). Dated XIX-beginning of XX centuries. Explorers, researchers. O. Olufsen, 1898-1899; B.A. Fedchenko, 1901,
1904. The castle had towers (northern and southern ones had been fixed). Walls were built of stones, masonry on clay mortar. Findings. Earthenware moulded crockery: nimbuses of boilers (3), pots
(6), vessels (11), bowls (8), lamps (many). Iron articles: a knife.
Dated XVIII-XIX centuries. Destroyed. 4. BAGHUSH 1 A. Tupkhana. Jamoat Kozideh. Was situated on the right bank of the river Baghushdara (right tributary of the river Panj), above the village Baghush. Its precise location is not known. Findings. No findings. Dated XIX. Has been destroyed. 5. KHOJA RAJAB. Oston. Jamoat Kozideh. Situated in the village Barshor, on the right bank of the river Panj. A small quadrangle construction with flat roof and small wooden door.
Kiiks’ horns covered the edges of the roof, several horns were there
in the centre. Inside there is a short rectangular gravestone from clay,
coated with alabaster. At the head-side there stood a slab with hook-form
hollow, in which they burnt gifts during the festivals. Chiroghi/ Lamps
were set on a short wooden stand in the form of a cylinder. 6. BARSHOR. Tupkhana. Jamoat Kozideh. Was situated 1 km above the village Barshor, on the right bank of the river Panj. Findings. No findings. Dated XIX. Has been destroyed. 7. ZEBAKJANGAL I. Castle. Jamoat Ishkashim. Situated between the village Sumzhin and the ravine Darai Obkharv, on the right bank of the river Panj, on top of a rock with steep impregnable slope from the river side. The ground is enclosed by a wall (width – 0.7-0.6 m), in the southern wall there have been preserved loop-holes of rectangular form. The western side because of its being impregnable is not defended, while north-eastern part of the castle is narrowed and pulled out forward. Here, in the northern wall are located the entrance and interior by the gates building consisting of two adjoining premises. The second, quadrangle in scheme premise is situated by the northern wall around the bend, while the third one was located in the south-eastern corner (dimensions of the castle – 32x47.5 m; 15.5x18 m). Walls are laid of stones, masonry on clay mortar. Findings. Earthenware moulded crockery: walls of vessels (4). Undated.
8. DARAI OBKHARV IV (DARAI ABKHARV, ABKHARVDARA). Tupkhana (?). Jamoat Ishkashim. Precise location is not known. Findings. No findings. Undated. 9. GANDARV I. Sanctuary. Jamoat Ishkashim. Situated on the left bank
of the river Gandarv (a right constituent of the river Darai Obkharv),
above its mouth. Findings. No findings. Undated. Condition (?). 10. GANDARV II. Tupkhana. Jamoat Ishkashim. Situated on the right bank
of the river Gandarv (a right constituent of the river Darai Obkharv),
approximately in the middle part of the ravine, on a road leading to
the valley of the river Skhokhdara. Has not been excavated. Findings. Data came from G.N. Navruzov, 1986. 11. ISHKASHIM II. Fortified Settlement. Jamoat Ishkashim. Situated on the left side of the ravine Kharavik (Didor ?), on a rocky jut near the district centre Ishkashim. Has not been excavated. The settlement is rectangular in scheme, walled in (31x13, width of the exterior wall – 1.2x1.3 m). The northern wall that faces the upper reaches of the ravine is defended by rectangular loop-holes, situated in two rows, and by two corner towers of semi-rounded and rounded forms. The entrance is positioned on the eastern side. Within, the whole area of the fortification is occupied by premises, located along the perimeter of the walls and divided by a single street. There are sufas and fireplaces in the premises. The walls are built of stones, masonry on clay mortar. On the western side below the settlement there is an old graveyard. Findings. Earthenware moulded crockery: nimbuses of vessels (of pots,
jugs, bowls), bottoms (3), handle of a vessel vertical and rounded in
section. Undated. Collection. ÊÏ 1214. 11. STONE CALENDAR. Jamoat Ishkashim. Was located to the north of the village Rin. Information on the place where the stone was positioned and its description has come from the eldest locals Garibsho Kholdorov and Kurbonbek Paishanbeev. Initial construction: there was knocked a longitudinal narrow slit in the centre of the stone monolith to its middle, covered from the top with a flat stone. Through the slit in the stone the observer watched the solar movement, and when the Sun appeared in the hollow (catapult) between the two peaks of the mount Bashga (a spur of the Ishkashim Ridge) [it revealed that] the spring equinox (March 21) had come. Observation of the Sun’s movement was carried out by Abib Mamadjonov (senior) and Longarboi Oshurmamadov (both died during 1941-1945). In 2000 the azimuth direction was identified. The calculations of an astronomer N.A. Konovalova confirmed the fact that in the village of Rin, using the Calendar according to the Sunrise they managed to identify the day of the spring equinox (March 21). Findings. No findings. Dated first half of XIX century. Has not been
preserved. 12. RIN II (RANG, RANCH, RIN, KHABKHARV, KALACHA). Castle. Jamoat Ishkashim. Situated on a rocky jut (a spur of the Shokhdara Ridge), rising approximately 500 m above the river Panj’s flood plain. A good view of the terrain and crossing across the river Panj. Excavations: a bore pits in the centre of the castle (3x2), a trench by the eastern front of the wall. The castle is of triangle-shape form (area – 300 square m), walled in along south-west – north-west lines, the contour of the wall corresponds to the contours of the rocky jut. The wall (width – 0.9 m) is reinforced by three semi-rounded corner towers. Entrance is from the northern side, a sideway [entry] is blocked by a tower. By the northern wall on the outside there are remains of a building. The cultural stratum consisted of mass of ashes, fragments of ceramics. Walls are built of stones (foundations of the walls and towers) and raw brick (32-30x32-30x8-9 cm), laying on clay mortar. Findings. Earthenware moulded crockery: nimbuses of thin-walled vessels of red baking (2), a tray of a vessel; handle of a vessel, vertical and rounded in section; walls of vessels of crude work, thick-walled, [there is] dash of mice in the mix. Red engobing had been used. Dated III century BC-VII century AD. Explorers, researchers. O. Olufsen, 1898-1899; B.V. Stankevich, 1901;
A.A. Bobrinsky, 1901; A.D. Babaev, 1960, M.A. Bubnova, 1976. Collection. ÊÏ 1214. TGNU. Science-Research laboratory on archaeology, ethnography and folklore of Tajikistan. 13. KAAKHKA I. Castle. Jamoat Ishkashim. Situated on the right bank of the river Panj, on an isolated rocky eminence, stretched along the river, 1 km to the east of the village Namadguti Poyon. Excavations of one tower, cleaning out of two towers have been accomplished; the towers are with arrow-form loop-holes; bore pits are cluttered up on the bastion (1.5x1.5 m) and in the citadel. The castle’s oval-pulled out form repeats the rocky eminence’s contour (length from west to east – 675 m, from south to north – 220 m). Defended by double lines of wall (maximum height – 8.6 m, width along the foundation – 8-12 m, along the crest – 4-6 m), reinforced with 56 towers of rounded (diameter – 3.6-3.8 m) and square (3.5-4.2 m) forms with arrow-form and rectangular loop-holes, cut through every 2-5 m (in the towers – every 1-1.5 m). A small rectangular bastion is located at the highest southern part of the castle. The north-west entry to the castle is defended by two square towers. In this part, by the entrance the south-western wall is decorated with ornaments, laid out from brick: semi-rounded niche with a composition in the form of radially dispersing lights laid out from bricks in butt, in the centre there is a triangle. The gates were on the southern side between two towers. One particular tower on the eastern side (4x8 m, height – 12 m) presents special interest – description according to A.N. Bernshtam, 1947: “Two third of it [the tower] is laid of slab stone, the upper [part] – from raw brick. In the upper raw [brick] part of the tower there are made seven loop-holes in the form of arrows, moreover on the sketch of the arrow, laid from three bricks inserted the same small town of “Sasanid type” as on the front of the wall”. Citadel is located in the south-west part of the castle, entrance is from the southern side. In the centre, on top of the highest place, there are remains of a rectangular in scheme construction (of palace type), consisting of two adjoining premises. One more building was located in eastern corner. The cultural stratum consisted of construction material, ashes and, rarely, ceramics. Foundations of the wall and towers are laid from stones, the main part of the walls – from ïàõñîâûõ building blocks (up to 80 cm in size) and raw bricks (48-45x35-23x9-12 cm, 40x40x10 cm, 37-35x27-25x9 cm, 27x27x5 cm). Findings. Earthenware moulded crockery, (according to A.D. Babaev): nimbuses of jugs, bowls, bottoms of vessels on disk- and ring-form trays. Red engobing had been used, glossing/ polishing on the red background (over the exterior surface of the crockery) was also employed. Ornamentation – in the form of a design with black paint (2). The dash of mice in the mix is a distinctive feature. Earthenware moulded crockery (according to A.N. Bernshtam): vessels, thick-walled, crude [work], pottery fragment with gruss and dash, handles rounded in section, twisted without polishing/ glazing; (rarely) fluted decorative patterns. Pottery: thin-walled vessels, with flanks slightly being curved inwards, edges are smooth, cut off. Iron articles: tips of arrows. Coins (treasure). Dated III century BC-VII AD. Explorers, researchers. T.E. Gordon, 1873-1874; O. Olufsen, 1898-1899;
B.V. Stankevich, 1900; A.A. Bobrinsky, 1901; N.L. Korzhenevsky, 1903;
A. Stein, 1915; A.B. Stanishevsky, 1929, 1931; P.M. Maisky, 1930, 1932;
A.N. Bernshtam, 1947; A.D. Babaev, 1960-1962; A.N. Zelinsky, 1962; M.A.
Bubnova, 1976, 1983, 2007. Collection. 1214. TGNU. Science-Research laboratory on archaeology, ethnography and folklore of Tajikistan. Collection, collected by A.N. Bernshtam and A.N. Zelinsky have not been preserved. 13. SHOHI MARDON (SOKHIYA GLOBA MARDONA) HAZRAT ALI. Sanctuary. Jamoat Ishkashim. Located opposite the castle Kaakhka I (# 13) in the territory of the village Namadguti Poyon. Quadrangle in scheme construction (3x3, height – 2 m), it stands in
a garden, surrounded by a high wall from stone. The entrance is with
a wooden door, on both sides of which on the outside there are small
sufis. Inside the premise there is a whitewashed clay altar in the form
of a cube (height – 1 m) with a niche for lamps in the centre and a
small sideway ledge-shelf. There is a small rectangular eminence in
front of the altar, where two copper bowls stood on rods, stuck into
a wooden plank. To the altar’s left a white tail of yak was hanging
on the wall. On the two sticks that with their lower ends leaned on
the altar, but their upper parts passed through the roof via special
holes, banners of red and white colours streamed. The ends of the sticks
were pinned with vessels: two tinned copper and a clay vessels, covered
with glaze. P.M. Maisky saw another altar: stones of 15-16 kg in weight
were laid in [tiny-] pyramidal form, on top of which they laid a small
rounded stone of regular form. 14. RICH. Castle. Jamoat Ishkashim. Located on a rocky ledge over the river Panj on its right bank, above the village Darai Sang. Half-destroyed premises were located on the ledge. The walls built of stones, masonry on clay mortar. Findings. Earthenware moulded crockery: nimbuses of boilers (3) with
horizontal sheer semi-oval in section handles, pots (8), bowls (4);
polishing over the red background had been made use of; design is finely-moulded,
performed by ïóíñîí. Dated VI-VII centuries. 15. BAIBAR. Castle. Jamoat Ishkashim. Was situated to the west of the village Ramanit on a rocky eminence. A border-guard castle was built on the ruins of an old castle. Findings. An iron arrow tip in the form of rhombus, flat with a bulge.
Dated VII-VIII centuries (?), XII-XIII centuries. Collection. ÊÏ 1214. 16. DARSHAI I. Tupkhana. Jamoat Shitkharv. Located at the very entrance
to the ravine, wherefrom the river Darshai (right tributary of the river
Panj) flows. Findings. No findings. Undated. Has not been preserved. 17. SHITKHARV I. Tupkhana. Jamoat Shitkharv. Located by the exit of the river Rostodzhirav (right tributary of the river Panj) out of ravine. Findings. No findings. Undated. Has not been preserved. 18. SHITKHARV III. Fortified Settlement. Jamoat Shitkharv. Located on the left bank of the river Rostodzhirav (right tributary of the river Panj). Has not been excavated. The settlement is in the form of stretched rectangular in scheme, tapered/ narrowing to the north (40x18), where there is a square tower, there is one more - corner one – in south-eastern corner. Entry is from the eastern side. Along the walls of the fortified settlement, apart from eastern wall, there is a line of single/ individual adjoining premises. The walls are built of stones, masonry on clay mortar. Findings. Earthenware moulded crockery: walls of vessels. Glazed crockery:
found by locals. Dated X-XI centuries (?). 19. SHAH ISOMUDDIN (SHO SAMIDDIN, SHA HASAN MEDINA). Sanctuary. Jamoat Pitup. Located by the village Pitup. The construction is quadrangle in scheme, with an entrance. The walls are built of stones, masonry on clay mortar. Findings. No findings. Undated. Has not been preserved. 20. YAMCHUN I (SIYAPUSH, (SIYOHPUSH), KAFIRKALA). Castle. Jamoat Pitup. Located above the village Yamchun, on a stony slope, separated from the main mountain mass of the Vakhan Ridge by deep ravines of the two rivers – Yamchun from the east and Vadkhud from the west (both are right tributaries of the river Panj). The stony slope consist of several terrace-shaped ledges. Excavations have been accomplished in two towers of the castle. The citadel is triangle-form in scheme and occupies the upper ground.
The northern corner has the shape of a stretched to the north-west direction
ravelin, ending with a massive square tower. On this section of the
citadel a wall with a parapet (height – about 9 m) has been preserved.
At the height of 2 m from the preserved top, there is a ground of the
parapet in the form of high platform (1.5x2 m) surrounded by wall. Exit
was located on the south-eastern side. The entire wall enclosing the
citadel is reinforced with 9 rounded in scheme towers (diameter – 4
m), with slit-form loop-holes (on the tower # 4, which is 4 m high,
have been preserved 8 loop-holes, located in three tiers staggered:
height from outside is 1 m, width is 0.2 m, from the inside: height
is 0.4 m, width – 0.3 m). Inside, premises are situated along the perimeter
of the walls, mainly rectangular and square-form in scheme. The walls
of the premises that face the yard have slit-form openings. Findings. Earthenware moulded crockery: nimbuses of vessels (15), including
of KHUMS; a bowl, bottoms of vessels (10); among which crude thick-walled
– 7, thin-walled – 18. Fragments of boilers of spherical flat-bottomed
and round-bottomed, small thick-walled and thin-walled with handles
in the form of flat, curved/ bent upwardly ledge on disk-form tray.
Engobing (blach, brown), polishing/ glossing, ornamentation had been
made use of. Glazed crockery: a nimbus of a cup with light-green gravy.
Stone articles: arrow-tips. Dated III-I centuries BC-V-VII centuries
AD; X-XI centuries. Collection. ÊÏ 517. TGNU. Science-Research laboratory on archeology, ethnography and folklore of Tajikistan. Sbori/ Collections of A.N. Bernshtam and A.N. Zelinsky has not been preserved. 21. YAMJ (YAMG). Stone Calendar. Jamoat Vrang. Located in the territory
of the village Yamj. Findings. No findings. Dated XIX-XX centuries. 22. DARGAVIYAMG. Shelter (Gurezgoh). Jamoat Vrang. Located to the north of the village Yamj in the Dargavi ravine. By the path under the rocky sheds there are remains of stone constructions. Findings. No findings. Dated XVII-XVIII centuries. 23. BRANG I. Tupkhana. Jamoat Vrang. Located on the first, right overhead-flood terrace of the river Panj, to the north-west of the village Vrang. The construction is quadrangle in scheme, the walls are built from stones, masonry on clay mortar. Findings. No findings. Undated (XIX century ?). 24. VRANG III. Buddhist Temple. Jamoat Vrang. Located on a moraine on the left side of the river Vrangdara/ Jirafivrang (right tributary of the river Panj). Apart from a separate section of the central yard, the temple has been fully excavated. The ground on which the Buddhist temple situates, is walled in (length
– about 180 m, width – up to 1 m). The planning of the temple was conditioned
by the contours of the twisting rocky ledge, only the eastern wall is
in a straight line. There are two towers on square pedestals on its
corners, monolith, one of them is cone-shaped/ conical (north-eastern),
the other is square (south-eastern). In addition, on the exterior side
two semi-circular grounds are attached to the eastern wall. There are
two entrances: one is on the south-eastern corner of the eastern wall;
the second, northern, - in the middle of the northern wall. Both entrances
had doors (thresholds have been preserved), at the same time the south-eastern
entrance had two doors. Possibly, both entrances had covered tambour-corridors,
one exterior (northern), the other interior. Remote corner tower (triangle
in scheme) was located in the north-western corner. Inside on the ground,
the central place was occupied by a triple-stepped mortar (12x12 m,
8x8 m, 4x4 m). From the southern side on a by-pass ground of the first
“step” in the centre there is a small rising ground, rectangular in
scheme. The ground in front of the southern front of the mortar was
divided from the yard by a wall, which ended with a quadrangle tower.
From a side between the wall and the pedestal, there was an entrance
with a wooden door (a wooden threshold has been preserved), in the centre
there was an open “terrace” walled in and defended by an exterior wall-barrier,
the latter connected the quadrangle south-eastern corner tower with
another tower on the south-western side. A passage in the form of ramp
divided from the terrace a ground-eminence, which was attached to the
southern front of the first step of the mortar. From the western side
to the ground-eminence a premise was built in. There was one more premise
at the edge of the precipice, on the western side. On the western slope of the ledge 11 cells were dug, analogical to those that were unearthed in the conglomerates of the Vrang II (Cells). In those times a path from the northern entrance led to them along the slope. Findings. Earthenware moulded crockery: nimbuses of boilers (90) with
horizontal handles in the form of lug and of the “ears” type, pots (49),
jugs (3), vessels (24) and bowls (66); bottoms of bowls (3); fragments
of vessels-baskets with reversible handles (3); sinks from jugs (2);
vertical handles in the form of short small pipes on cylindrical legs,
by which they have been tied up to the entity (2), vertical and oval
in section (2), an hinge-form ; bottoms of vessels (37), bottom with
a disc-form tray (109). Engobing glossing and polishing had been made
use of (light-red, light-brown). Ornament/ Design is fretted and performed
by black paint over light engobing with subsequent polishing. Clay articles:
ceramic disk-form ïðÿñëèöà from walls of vessels (3). Bronze articles:
bead, a ball-shaped bell, a stroke. Stone articles: whetstones (7).
Wooden articles: door thresholds (12), a door step-bearing, a catapult,
a bowl, a small box, a single-sided comb, nails (?) (2), various handmade
articles of unidentified function (37). Cotton fabric articles: fragments
of textiles with textile designs/ ornament (3). Articles from plant
fiber and crust: ropes (20). Articles form thick felt (11). Animal bones:
small cattle (sheep and goats), wild goat, roe deer. Dated IV (?)-VI-VII
centuries. Collection. ÊÏ 1214. 25. BRANG IV. Fortified Settlement. Jamoat Vrang. Located on an eminence, on the left bank of the river Vrangdara/ Jirafivrang (right tributary of the river Panj), over the Buddhist temple Brang III (# 24). There have been conducted site investigations without excavations. Plan has been drawn/ taken. The fortified settlement was located by ledges, with consideration of the relief of the slope, repeating/ reproducing in scheme the contour of the rocky crest – a bow-shaped stretched rectangular (area – about 500 square m). The eastern side that faces the river Panj, was defended by double (?) lines walls (width – at the foundation 2 m, at the top – 1 m). The entrance was from the northern side (from the side of the ravine). A part of the rectangular and quadrangle in scheme premises have been preserved. The walls are built of stone slab, laying on clay mortar. Findings. Earthenware moulded crockery: wall of vessels. Dating: possibly
concurs in time with the Buddhist temple Brang III (# 24). Collection. ÊÏ 1214. A.N. Zelinsky’s collections have not been preserved. 26. VRANG V. Tupkhana. Jamoat Vrang. Located to the north of the fortified settlement Vrang IV (# 25), in the ravine on the left bank of the Vrangdara/ Jirafivrang (right tributary of the river Panj). Has not been excavated. The tower is rounded in scheme. The walls are laid of stones, masonry on clay mortar. Findings. No findings. Dated: late Middle Ages (?). 27. ZUGVAND I (ZIGVEND). Stone Calendar. Jamoat Zong. Situated in the area of the village Zugvand. A special structure from big plane stones, laid in the form of the Cyrillic letter “Ï” - “small gates”. With the help of a stone, through which there was knocked a slit, possibly positioned in the village or in some other appropriate place, was conducted observation over the solar movement. When the Sun appeared in the slit of the “small gates”, this marked the arrival of the day of the spring equinox (March 21) – Navruz. Findings. No findings. Undated. 28. VISHIM-KALA (ABRESHIMKALA). Fortified Settlement. Jamoat Zong. Located at the southern extremity of a rocky spur of the Vakhan Ridge, on the left bank of the river Zongdara (right tributary of the river Panj). Several premises have been excavated. The settlement is rectangular in scheme (area – 1200-1300 square m), enclosed by a high wall (3-4 m), furnished with slit-form loop-holes. Two quadrangle towers are positioned in southern and western corners. The north-east tower, quadrangle in scheme, initially stood separately, but with rebuilding of the north-eastern group of premises it was joined to the latter. The entrance is of corridor-form, from north-western side. The premises are adjoining, located along the perimeter of the walls, double with exit to the interior yard prevail. There are sufas and fireplaces in the premises and niches on the walls. The walls are laid of stones, masonry on clay mortar. A sort of laying is applied, where stones are set pithy (the top part of the exterior wall and in some premises, all the walls entirely). Findings. Earthenware moulded crockery: nimbuses of boilers (5), vessels
(4), bowls (6). Dated: late Middle Ages (?). 29. KHAMCH-KALA. Watch-Tower/ Tupkhana (?). Jamoat Zong. Situated on a rocky crest of a rocky spur of the Vakhan Ridge, 0.5 km above the fortified settlement Vishim-Kala (# 28). Excavations: prospecting shaft have been installed, a sufa have been cleaned up. The tower is quadrangle in scheme with the entrance from the eastern side. within there is a sufa along the western wall, over the sufa there are two niches in the wall, [while] the third one is by the southern edge of the sufa. From the outside to the tower join two premises, rectangular in scheme: one on the western side (deaf?), the second one from the southern side with entrance on the eastern side and a through opening in the western wall. Findings. Findings. Earthenware moulded crockery: walls of boilers,
vessels. Undated. 30. ZONG II. Fire Temple. Jamoat Zong. Located at the edge of a ground of a rocky spur of the Vakhan Ridge, in a narrow gully 0.5 km above the watch-tower Khamch-Kala (# 29). Have been completely excavated. The temple consists of three parts: a small yard rectangular in scheme (13.2x13.5) is enclosed by a stone fence, entry form the western side. In an eastern corner of the yard there is a hole (diameter – 0.6-0.7 m, depth – 0.4 m), the mouth [of which] is covered round by stones. The temple proper – a cross-form building in scheme, maximal length across the cross-pieces is 5.5-6.5 m, entrance from the yard through a corridor from north-eastern cross-piece, which ended with a step. Inside each cross-piece there are sufas (width – 1.2-1.6 m, height – 0.5 m), thoroughly coated by clay. In the north-western cross-piece the sufa is doulbe-stepped, the edges are covered with stones and coated with clay (width of each step – 0.5 m). In front of the lower step there was made a step, in the middle of which there was a fireplace of semi-rounded form (0.21x040 m). The mouth of the fireplace joined with a box of rectangular form (0.4x1.2 m), where the ashes was collected, the edges on the inside are laid with thin slate slabs. From the north-western side from the outside to the temple were built in a residential premise, equipped with sufas, fireplaces, later there was laid and built a new, adjoining to it [premise/ building]. The walls of the temple and residential premises are laid of stones, masonry on clay mortar. In several meters to the south of the temple there is a small graveyard (5 graves). Findings. Earthenware moulded crockery: nimbuses of a jug, bowls (3),
loshenie/ polishing had been made use of. Iron articles: triple paddle-arrow
with figurative carvings at the basis of the head. Dated VII-VIII centuries.
Destroyed. Collection. ÊÏ 1214. 31. DARCHUBKASH (KIRCHABOK). Fortified Settlement. Jamoat Zong. Located to the west of the village Zong on a hilly section/ area, on the way to the crest on which there is situated a Fire temple Zong II (# 30). Occupies the upper/ top ground of one of the hills. Has not been excavated. A fortified settlement triangle in form (area – about 500 square m), is walled in, in places there have been preserved slit-form loop-holes, entrances are from western and eastern sides. Within, the northern corner is occupied by a yard. Also here, there is a quadrangle premise, in walls which there are slit-form loop-holes. 10 adjoining premises are concentrated in the south-western part, grouped in a way as to form three residential complexes. There are sufas and fireplaces inside the premises. The walls are built from stones, masonry on clay mortar. On one of the walls in the premise there is a restoring masonry from askancely laid stones. To the north of the fortified settlement there is rectangular ground, enclosed by a stone wall, laid from stones, masonry on clay mortar. Findings. earthenware moulded crockery: walls of vessels. Dated late
Middle Ages (?). Collection. ÊÏ 1214. 32. KAR-KALA. Castle. Jamaot Zong. Located to the east of the village Zong, on a rocky jut, gently descending toward the river Panj. The upper ground is occupied by three constructions, composing an integral whole with one general northern wall. As a result, the constructions are blended in one another. In the western corner of the first interior construction there is a hole – well, the edges of which are laid with thin slabs. On the second ground in the south-western corner there are two adjoining premises. The walls are laid of stones, masonry on clay mortar. Findings. Earthenware moulded crockery: nimbuses of boilers (2), bottoms
of vessels (5), handles of vessels – a vertical, oval in section and
a horizontal – of a bulge type. Ornamentation – askance notches over
super-imposed bolster. Dated: late Middle Ages. 33. ZINGIBAR (ISSOR, AISAR). Castle. Jamoat Zong. Located in the eastern outskirts of the village Issor, on an isolated rocky spur, closely approaching the foots of the Vakhan Ridge, stretched from south-west towards north-east. Excavations: prospecting shaft have been installed. At the end of XIX century, on the eye-witnesses’ account, the castle was enclosed by a wall of 7 m high (width – 1 m), which had 12 towers with loop-holes. In the 1960s there still were clearly visible the ruins of rectangular premises and towers, which defended the gates. Remains of three tanks for storing water have been preserved (rather shallow wells). From the old constructions presently, it is possible to see the laying of the walls of a group of adjoining premises, located in two rows in the form of the Cyrillic letter “Ô on the south-western ground, and several individual premises on the north-eastern ground. The remains of an old wall can be traced in separate sections (area – about 450 square m). Entrance was located from the south-western side. The walls were laid of stones, masonry on clay mortar. The cultural stratum consists of stone obstruction, remains of masonry, ceramics are being found. Findings. Earthenware moulded crockery: nimbuses of boilers (9), among
which ones with hirozontal handles-ledges, pots (10), bowls (8), vessels
(6), jar-form vessels (3); bottoms of pans (2); vertical handles of
vessels, oval and quadrangle in section (5) and one horizontal handle.
Engobing glossing (light-pink, yellowish and light-brown) and polishing
had been employed. Pottery: nimbuses of boilers (3), pots (10), jugs
(2), bowls (5). Glazed pottery: bottoms of cups (5), coated with colourless
and yellowish glaze/ sprinkling, on the bottom of one of them there
is a wattle-fence in circle and dots, performed by a black paint under
the light-green glaze/ sprinkling. Clay articles: stored up disk-form
ïðÿñëèö from vessels walls (2). Dated VI-XI centuries. Collection.ÊÏ 1214. 33. TIR (LUPDIRCH, DIRCH). Shelter. Jamoat Zong. Located at the summit of a rock over the village Langar. For the construction of the shelter a crack cutting a rock through was made use of. Empty space was used for taking shelter. They were overlapped by wooding stakes, covered with stones and earth. The length of the shelters is several tens of meters. Additionally, on the outside there was build a thick stone wall and one quadrangle tower (which is destroyed). Findings. No findings. Undated. 34. SHOH KAMBARI OFTOB (SHOH KUMBAR OFTOBI). Sanctuary. Jamoat Zong. Situated in the territory of the village Langar, on the right bank of the river Pamir (a right constituent of the river Panj). The construction is quadrangle in scheme, the walls are built of stones, masonry on clay mortar. Overlapped by branches, on which horns of argali are set. Findings. No findings. Dated XIX-XX centuries. 35. RATM I. Tupkhana. Jamoat Zong. Was located on the right bank of the river Pamir, 50-60 m to the south-west of the fortified settlement Ratm II (# 37). There is 2 km distance from the Tupkhana to the place of confluence of the river Pamir with the river Vakhandarya (a right and a left constituents of the river Panj). The tower is rectangular in scheme, narrowing down upwards. It stood on a metric foundation, representing earthen framework, reveted with a masonry in a single layer (4.6x5.6 m, the height of the preserved part of the tower was about 5 m). In the walls of the tower there were watch-slit/ window (10x15 cm), located in three layers. The floor-level in the tower was approximately 1.5 m high. The walls are built of stones, masonry on clay mortar. Findings. Earthenware moulded crockery: walls of vessels, analogous
to the ones found in the fortified settlement Ratm I (# 36). Dated III-II
centuries BC-VIII century AD. Destroyed. 37. RATM II. Fortified settlement. Jamoat Zong. Situated over a sloppy precipice to a deep canyon on the right bank of the river Pamir (right constituent of the river Panj), 3-4 km to the north-east of the village Langar. Several premises have been excavated. The contour of the cliff determines the planning – a pulled out rectangular, contours of which are broken by the premises expanded beyond its bounds on the north-western and south-western corners (area – 900-950 square m). The settlement is enclosed by a wall, reinforced with four quadrangle towers. One of the entrances was from north-eastern side, which led to the yard, out of which departed narrow passages-streets towards south-eastern entry. The inside is densely built up by adjoining premises, rectangular and quadrangle in scheme, more often individual premises, but there are also complexes joining from 2 to 4 premises (2.9x4.3 m; 4.6x5.0 m, width of the walls – from 0.4 to 0.5 m). Premises are furnished with sufas, niches in the walls, through slits (“okontsa”), fireplaces. The walls are built up of stones, masonry on clay mortar, the exterior wall and the walls of the premises are coated with clay. Findings. Earthenware moulded crockery: nimbuses of a khum, a vessel and bowls (4), a part of a bottom with a tray, a handle of a vessel vertical and oval in section. Engobing coating and polishing had been employed. Dated III-II centuries BC-VII-VIII centuries AD. Poor condition, had been used as an animal farm. Explorers, researchers. A.N. Bernshtam, 1947; V.N. Ratsek, 1951; A.D.
Babaev, 1960; A.N. Zelinsky, 1962; M.A. Bubnova, 1976, 1983, 2000. 38. KASVIR II A. Tupkhana (Castle?). Jamoat Zong. Was located in the ravine Kasvir. Its precise location is not known. Findings. No findings. Undated. Condition ? 37. MATS II (METS, MATS, ZERZAMIN). Tupkhana. Jamoat Zong. Located
on an sloppy bank of the river Mats (right tributary of the river Pamir). Findings. No findings. Undated.
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