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Bukhara is one of the most ancient cities in Central Asia. Most of
the monuments in this romantic eastern city, which attracts tourists from all over the
world, date back to the Middle Ages. Nevertheless, archeological excavations conducted by
the Uzbek Academy of Sciences have revealed thick cultural layers, i.e. traces of ancient
settlements in location providing suitable conditions of life. It has been established as
a fact that Bukhara never changed its site but developed vertically. In archeological
cross-section of almost 20 meters thick there have been discovered the remnants of
dwellings, public buildings and fortifications. These have been dated on the basis of the
artifacts associated with them: ceramic pottery, fireplaces, coins bearing images and
inscriptions, jewelry, tools of artisan. The lower layers (3rd-4th centuries B.C. to the
4th century A.D.) of the periods of antiquity are the thickest. The upper layers are those
of the Medieval city (from the ninth to the beginning of the twentieth centuries). This
means that Bukhara is at least 2500 years old, just like Samarkand.
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