Varakhsha, also Varasha or Varahsha, was an ancient city in the Bukhara oasis in Sogdia, founded in the 1st century BCE.[1] It is located 39 kilometers to the northwest of Bukhara. Varakhsha was the capital of the Sogdian dynasty of the kings of Bukhara, the Bukhar Khudahs.[1][2] It ultimately never recovered from the Muslim conquest of Transoxiana.
 Ruins of Varakhsha | |
  Shown within West and Central Asia  Varakhsha (Uzbekistan) | |
| Alternative name | Varakhsha |
|---|---|
| Location | Uzbekistan |
| Coordinates | 39°51′46.5″N 64°04′23.5″E / 39.862917°N 64.073194°ECoordinates: 39°51′46.5″N 64°04′23.5″E / 39.862917°N 64.073194°E |
| Type | Settlement |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | Ruined |
MuralsEdit
Beautiful murals have been recovered from the palace area, dated to the 8th century CE.[3][1] They show a king and his retinue riding elephants and fighting tigers and monstruous beasts.[4]
Varahsha mural from the red room of the Palace. Museum of Arts of Uzbekistan.
Varahsha, Relief of a hunter, 5th-7th century CE. State Museum of History of Uzbekistan
Varakhsha high-relief, end of 8th century.
ReferencesEdit
- ^ a b c Azarpay, Guitty; Belenickij, Aleksandr M.; Maršak, Boris Il'ič; Dresden, Mark J. Sogdian Painting: The Pictorial Epic in Oriental Art. University of California Press. p. 201. ISBN 978-0-520-03765-6.
- ^ Starr, S. Frederick. Lost Enlightenment: Central Asia's Golden Age from the Arab Conquest to Tamerlane. Princeton University Press. pp. 118–119. ISBN 978-0-691-16585-1.
- ^ Azarpay, Guitty; Belenickij, Aleksandr M.; Maršak, Boris Il'ič; Dresden, Mark J. Sogdian Painting: The Pictorial Epic in Oriental Art. University of California Press. p. 49. ISBN 978-0-520-03765-6.
- ^ "A painting on the palace - wall at Varaksha shows a king hunting a tiger riding on elephant back along with his retenue" in Kumāra, Braja Bihārī. India and Central Asia: Classical to Contemporary Periods. Concept Publishing Company. p. 6. ISBN 978-81-8069-457-8.