Alternative name | Varakhsha |
---|---|
Location | Uzbekistan |
Coordinates | 39°51′49″N 64°04′23″E / 39.86361°N 64.07306°E |
Type | Settlement |
Site notes | |
Condition | Ruined |
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.
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]