Nurulin Timur
Abstract
In recent years, several cross-shaped structures have been discovered in Central Asia in the territory of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. Scientists associate this area with the ancient state of Kangju also called Kang or Kangha. There are cross-shaped structures in Kangju the purposes of which are unknown. Many researchers have made efforts to understand these structures of Kangju, to no avail. Instead, there are different interpretations. Some believe that they were cult buildings, while others suggest that they are fortifications. In this context, this article examines two crossshaped buildings in Tashkent: Shashtepa and Mingurik in order to establish their origins and the purposes.
The study uses a comparative analytical method within the framework of case studies as an approach. To obtain data, three research methods were used: a survey of literature, comparisons with analogies and interviews.
The article concludes that the cross-shaped buildings of Kangju, Shashtepa and Mingurik in particular, are religious buildings. Their original layouts, similar to the ancient Eastern mandala, comprise similar symbolism and reflect the sacred nature of these buildings. Shashtepa of the 2nd century BC is currently the oldest cross-shaped building in the region under consideration. Hence, it is obvious that it was the prototype of other cross-shaped layouts of Kangju. This monument, which has chronological priority and the form of an "ideal temple", absorbed the ideological ideas of the common Indo-Iranian space that had been formed over thousands of years. The further spread of cross-shaped buildings outside the Tashkent oasis indicates the development of this type of building and the possible expansion of the Kangju state.
Ссылки на статью:
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий