Architectural remains believed to be part of an eighth-century rulers’ palace complex have been found at the Mingtepa site in Jambay district, Samarkand region, Uzbekistan’s Cultural Heritage Agency reported.
The excavations are being led by Amriddin Berdimurodov, Khusniddin Rakhmonov and Nigora Makhkamova of the Yahyo Gulyamov Samarkand Institute of Archaeology.
The structure of the suspected palace was uncovered in the settlement’s citadel, or Ark. The complex is dated to the first half of the eighth century, and its construction techniques and layout are being studied for evidence about medieval urban planning, architecture and governance.
Archaeologists also found examples of eighth-century sculpture in the hall section of the complex. The pieces remain under scientific study.
Researchers expect the finds to refine understanding of Mingtepa’s political and cultural life and the region’s development during the early medieval period.
