Archaeologists from Tatarstan carried out archaeological studies in Uzbekistan
From May 23 to June 10, 2023 the Institute of Archaeology named after A. Kh. Khalikov of the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences together with the Kazan Federal University and Nukus State Pedagogical Institute named after Ajiniyaz conducted research on Khayvan-Kala ancient settlement in the Nukus district of the Republic of Karakalpakstan (Uzbekistan).
The first examination of the Khaivan-Kala settlement was held in 1947 by the Karakalpak ethnographic team of the Khwarazm archaeological and ethnographic expedition. Surface finds made it possible to date the site to the VII-X centuries and localize in this place the urban settlement Kerder, known in the medieval Arab-Persian historical and geographical literature. In the following years the site was repeatedly investigated by the Institute of History, Language and Literature of the Karakalpak branch of the Academy of Sciences Uzbek SSR and by the archaeological team of the Nukus State Pedagogical Institute. During the study four relatively chronological periods were revealed, corresponding to the same number of building horizons into which the cultural layers of Khaivan-Kala were divided. However, there is still insufficient evidence to establish absolute dates for each of these periods.
2023 excavation with an area of 200 m2 was started in the central part of the settlement close to the excavation M, studied in 2014-2015 by archaeological team of Nukus State Pedagogical Institute. The excavation of those years revealed the remains of a structure with column socles, made of burned bricks. The construction was interpreted as a mosque. In 2023 field season the study of this construction was continued.
Beddings with a capacity of up to 1.6-1.7 m were uncovered in the course of works. Three premises of the 4th building horizon, which may be dated to IX-XI centuries based on archaeological materials, were discovered. About 2,000 artifacts of mass archaeological material, mainly pottery, were discovered. Besides, 186 solitary objects were found: copper coins, fragments of glass vessels, items made of ferrous metal and bone. All identified objects went through a conservation process. Excavations will be continued in 2024.
