FROM THE HISTORY OF THE EXPLORATION OF THE TASHKENT OASIS

Аннотация

This article analyzes the research conducted in the 1950s and 1960s on the study of the oasis. It provides information on archaeological expeditions, historical and ethnographic research, as well as the contributions of local historians and amateur archaeologists to the study of the region. The discovered cultural monuments, the significance of excavations, and the scientificconclusions drawn from thesestudies are also examined. Keywords:archaeology, history, ethnography, expedition, local historian, amateur archaeologist, cultural monument, excavation, scientific research, museum, collector, orientalist, academy of sciences, numismatics, source studies, ancient cities, archaeological findings, scientific expedition. The physical and geographical characteristics, natural resources, and diversity of raw materials of a particular historical and cultural center ultimately played a significant role in shaping social, economic, and trade relations in the region. Initially, valuable natural resources were exploited, followed by the use of household items and materials widely employed in daily life, contributing to the local economy. These resources were also exported to neighboring areas, facilitating scientific and technological advancement and the development of scientific, cultural, historical cities as economic hubs, powerful states, and international trade relations and integration. One such region in Central Asia with abundant natural resources and favorable geographical location is the Chach region. This region has significant economic potential due to its fertile lands in the Chirchiq and Ohangaron valleys, vast well-irrigated pastures suitable for livestock, and extensive areas along the left bank of the Syr Darya river. Since ancient times, the region has been renowned for its mining activities and craftsmanship. Precious stones and colored metals such as gold were mined in Qushbuloq, and silver was mined in Lashkerik, contributing to the region’s prominence during antiquity. Turquoise mining in Ungurlikon also played a significant role in Chach’s history and its position as a major hub on the Silk Road in laterperiods. The archaeology of the Tashkent oasis and the history of its ancient cultures have been a subject of study for many years. Y. F. Buryakov has noted that trade between ancient Eastern countries started sporadically in the era of the first civilizations. Scholars have named roads identified from the Bronze and Early Iron Ages after the most valuable goods of that time. For traders, certain routes were identified as convenient and relatively safe, such as the Lapis Lazuli, Fur (Olmakhon), and Nephrite routes. The Lapis Lazuli route, which carried Lapis lazuli from Badakhshan to Iran and Syria, was actively used in the mid-first millennium BCE, according to archaeological evidence. During the Achaemenid period, the “Royal Road” facilitated the transportation of gold, carnelian, lapis lazuli, and salt from Sogdiana and Bactria to Susa, the capital ofPersia. [1,18-45] During the archaeological surveys and excavations carried out in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, 80s in the Tashkent oasis, burial mounds associated with the late Bronze and Early Iron Age page1574 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ISSN:2692-5206,ImpactFactor:12,23 AmericanAcademicpublishers,volume05,issue03,2025 Journal: https://www.academicpublishers.org/journals/index.php/ijai pastoralist culture were discovered. Additionally, settlements with a settled agricultural lifestyle were identified. This early settled farming culture, which developed based on simple irrigation techniques, was locally known as Burghulug (introduced into the scientific community as Burganlik). To date, more than 25villages related to this culture have been identified and studied in the Chirchik and Ohangaron river basins. One of the largest villages of the Burghuluk culture, Shostepa, was discovered in the southwestern part of modern Tashkent near one of the branches of the Yun river. Its location close to running water and fertile soil made it highly suitable for settled life. It is well documented that the ancestors of today’s Central Asian people underwent all major social, economic, cultural, and interactional processes that shaped human history. Since the post-World War II era, particularly from the 1950s and 1960s, several Paleolithic sites in Tashkent have been systematically explored, and thisresearch isstillongoing. According to official scientific sources, the territory of Uzbekistan is a significant historical region where some of the earliest ancestors of humankind lived. In the 1930s, for example, Soviet archaeologist A.P.Okladnikov conducted excavations in the Selungur Cave located in the Sukh district of the Fergana valley. His findings included stone tools and ashes dating back to approximately 40,000-30,00 BCE, which belonged to late Paleolithic tribal societies. [2, 38-62] Subsequently, Uzbek archaeologists, led by U.Islomov,