Kafir-kala ("Fortress of the
infidels
An infidel (literally "unfaithful") is a person accused of disbelief in the central tenets of one's own religion, such as members of another religion, or the irreligious.
Infidel is an ecclesiastical term in Christianity around which the Church ...
") is an ancient fortress in the
Vakhsh valley in
Tajikistan
Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...
.
Fortress and Buddhist temple
It consists in a rectangular town surrounded by a wall with towers (360x360 meters), surrounded by a large ditch, and has one citadel (360x360 meters) in one corner, also surrounded by a wall. The citadel (70x70 meters) contained the palace of the rulers.
A
Buddhist temple
A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in Buddhism represen ...
was found in the palace complex of the fortress as well as a Buddhist
Vihara with Buddhist paintings, belonging to the "
Tokharistan school of art".
Inscriptions with apparently Buddhist content have also been found.
["A fragment of birchbark manuscript bearing a text of apparently Buddhist content has been found at Kafyr-kala in the Vakhsh valley." in ]
Artefacts
File:Adults in caftan and child, Kafyr Kala, Tajikistan, 7th century CE.jpg, Adults in caftan and child, Kafyr Kala, Tajikistan, 7th century CE. National Museum of Antiquities of Tajikistan
The Tajikistan National Museum of Antiquities ( tg, Осорхонаи миллии бостоншиносии Тоҷикистон, ''Osorhona-i milli-i bostonšinosi-i Tojikiston''; russian: Национальный музей древносте ...
File:Buddha head, Kafyr Kala, Tajikistan, 7th century CE.jpg, Buddha head, Kafyr Kala, Tajikistan, 7th century CE. National Museum of Antiquities of Tajikistan
The Tajikistan National Museum of Antiquities ( tg, Осорхонаи миллии бостоншиносии Тоҷикистон, ''Osorhona-i milli-i bostonšinosi-i Tojikiston''; russian: Национальный музей древносте ...
File:Hunting scene, Kafyr Kala, Tajikistan, 7th century CE.jpg, Hunting scene, Kafyr Kala, Tajikistan, 7th century CE. National Museum of Antiquities of Tajikistan
The Tajikistan National Museum of Antiquities ( tg, Осорхонаи миллии бостоншиносии Тоҷикистон, ''Osorhona-i milli-i bostonšinosi-i Tojikiston''; russian: Национальный музей древносте ...
File:Shard lion hunt NMAT 433.jpg, Hunting scene,Kafyr Kala, Tajikistan, 7th century CE. National Museum of Antiquities of Tajikistan
The Tajikistan National Museum of Antiquities ( tg, Осорхонаи миллии бостоншиносии Тоҷикистон, ''Osorhona-i milli-i bostonšinosi-i Tojikiston''; russian: Национальный музей древносте ...
Sources
*
References
{{Central Asian history
Populated places along the Silk Road
Cities in Central Asia
Archaeological sites in Tajikistan
Sogdian cities