The Farob necropolis brings Zoroastrian culture back to light

The ruins of several medieval tombs discovered by chance in the area of what was once the ancient city of Sogda are arousing great interest among archaeologists. Among the discoveries are mixed forms of burial, not typical of the strict canons of this religious tradition.

This is an opportunity to relaunch the rediscovery of Tajikistan's own history. Dushanbe (AsiaNews) - In the village of Farob in Tajikistan, in the mountains near the medieval city of Pandžakent, the ruins of a unique and mysterious necropolis have been found, which seems to hide the secrets of the Zoroastrian culture of ancient Sogda.

An archaeological expedition organised by the Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnology of the Tajik Academy of Sciences, with the participation of the country's leading experts, has concluded its research, and the findings are truly sensational, with signs pointing to rather unusual burial rituals.

Three different naos, or burial chambers, have been identified. These are vaulted caves artificially dug into the loess massif that served as burial sites. Inside are arched niches, the remains of nine people, ossuaries (special containers for bones) and even a Sogdian coin.

However, what was of particular interest was the fact that, in addition to classical Zoroastrian practices, archaeologists documented for the first time mixed forms of burial, not typical of the strict canons of the Zoroastrian tradition.

As explained by the director of the National Museum of Antiquities, Abdurakhmon Pulotov, “this is the first case in which different forms of burial have been found in the same complex, from the classic naos to crypts and direct burials of bodies, which contradict the norms of the Zoroastrian religion”.

The expedition worked for two weeks last June, after obtaining official permission from the Agency for the Preservation of Historical and Cultural Heritage of the Government of Tajikistan, with a date currently estimated between the 4th and 8th centuries.

The location was not chosen at random; according to scholars, one of the oldest branches of the Keš River (today's Kaškadarja) originates here, confirming the importance of this region as a strategic and cultural centre of ancient Sogdia.

However, the first discoveries were made unexpectedly when, in 2023, some local residents reported finding a strange cave that had come to light after a landslide. Next to it, the first two naos were found, confirming that this was a vast necropolis and not an isolated tomb.

The Farob hills are not only a destination for archaeological research, but also a collection of layers of historical and cultural memory, capable of providing some answers to questions that have long interested specialists, one of which concerns the funeral rituals characteristic of the mountainous area of Sogdiana. This is in fact a frontier between different religious traditions, reflecting the anthropological peculiarities of the ancient population of these territories.

Archaeologists have planned extensive laboratory research, including DNA analysis of the skeletal remains of the deceased, in order to establish family ties between them and gain a deeper understanding of the structure of that society.

The characteristics of the Zoroastrian crypt naos are well known, where the body of the deceased was placed in a specially dug pit until it completely disintegrated, and the bones were collected in a large vase.

This was considered the “purest” ritual according to religious norms, expressing the people's self-awareness of their deep connection with their ancestors, fostering a sense of pride in belonging to a great nation among current generations and encouraging even the youngest to continue on the path of rediscovering this important heritage.

As Pulotov states, “we are dealing with a cultural space that deserves to be studied for several more decades, in an oasis of great prospects for further archaeological discoveries”.

The region also needs major conservation and protection measures against the destructive effects of climate change and other problems, and the discovery will be an important argument for pushing the Tajik authorities to take more decisive action.

Scholars reiterate that “we are only at the beginning” and that Tajikistan's history “is still capable of astonishing the whole world” and of finding in the past the motivation to build the future.