The first use of drone-based lidar in Central Asia has enabled archaeologists to uncover details of two newly discovered medieval trade cities high in the mountains of Uzbekistan.

The team used this cutting-edge technology to map the archaeological scale and layout of the cities, which are among the largest ever documented in the mountainous parts of the Silk Road, a broad network of ancient trade routes that connected Europe and Eastern Asia.

The research, led by Michael Frachetti, professor of archaeology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, and Farhod Maksudov, director of the National Center of Archaeology in Uzbekistan, was recently published in Nature.

High-Resolution Insights into Ancient Urbanism

The drone-lidar scans provided remarkably detailed views of the plazas, fortifications, roads, and habitations that shaped the lives and economies of highland communities, traders, and travelers from the sixth through 11th centuries in Central Asia. The two cities are located in rugged terrain 2,000 to 2,200 meters above sea level (roughly comparable to Machu Picchu in Peru), making them unusual examples of thriving mountain urbanism.

Unveiling the Complexities of Mountain Urbanism

The smaller city, today called Tashbulak, covered about 12 hectares, while the larger city of Tugunbulak reached 120 hectares, “making it one of the largest regional cities of its time,” Frachetti said.

“These would have been important urban hubs in central Asia, especially as you moved out of lowland oases and into more challenging high-altitude settings,” he said. “While typically seen as barriers to Silk Road trade and movement, the mountains actually were host to major centers for interaction. Animals, ores, and other precious resources likely drove their prosperity.”

“This site had an elaborate urban structure with specific material culture that greatly varied from the lowland sedentary culture,” Maksudov said. “It’s clear that the people inhabiting Tugunbulak for more than a thousand years ago were nomadic pastoralists who maintained their own distinct, independent culture and political economy.”

Technological Advancements in Archaeological Exploration

Lidar technology is commonly used to map archaeological landscapes blocked by dense vegetation, but it has additional value where vegetation is sparse, such as the mountains of Uzbekistan. “Drone operation is strictly regulated in Uzbekistan, so this discovery is also thanks to the political support and permissions we received through local partners and government,” Frachetti said.

The centimeter-level scans allowed for advanced computer analysis of the ancient archaeological surfaces, providing an unprecedented view of the cities’ architecture and organization. “These are some of the highest-resolution lidar images of archeological sites ever published,” Frachetti said. “They were made possible, in part, because of the unique erosion dynamics in this mountain setting.”

A Blend of Modern Tech and Ancient Discovery

Frachetti, Maksudov, and their team first discovered the highland cities using predictive computer models and old-fashioned foot surveys between 2011 and 2015, tracing presumed routes of the Silk Road in southeastern Uzbekistan. The project took years to materialize. The extra time ultimately proved to be a blessing, allowing the researchers to make the most of the latest advances in drone-based lidar. “The final high-res maps were a composite of more than 17 drone flights over three weeks,” Frachetti said. “It would have taken us a decade to map such large sites manually.”

Frachetti and graduate students in his Spatial Analysis, Interpretation, and Exploration (SAIE) Lab compiled the drone-lidar data into 3D models, which were passed to Tao Ju, a professor of computer science and engineering, and Xiaoyi Liu, an undergraduate student, both at the McKelvey School of Engineering at WashU. Ju and Liu applied computational algorithms to analyze the archaeological surfaces and auto-trace millions of lines to predict likely architectural alignments. The final step was to match the digital output with comparable architectural cases, revealing a huge ancient city otherwise invisible to the naked eye. “The project reflects a truly interdisciplinary effort,” Ju said. “The analysis techniques have potential applications in many domains that utilize lidar scans.”

Future Excavations and Implications

Both cities warrant much closer inspection, Frachetti said. Preliminary digging at one of the fortified structures at Tugunbulak suggests that the fortress — a building protected by three-meter-thick rammed earth walls — might have been a factory where local metalsmiths turned rich deposits of iron ore into steel. Such industry would have been a key feature of the city and its economy.

It’s already clear that Tashbulak and Tugunbulak weren’t just remote outposts or rest stops. “The Silk Road wasn’t just about the endpoints of China and the West,” Frachetti said. “Major political forces were at play in Central Asia. The complex heart of the network was also a driver of innovation.”

Frachetti hopes to use the same combination of on-the-ground detective work and drone-based lidar to get pictures of other high-altitude settlements along the Silk Road and beyond. “We could really change the map of urban development in medieval Asia,” he said.

Reference: “Large-scale medieval urbanism traced by UAV–lidar in highland Central Asia” by Michael D. Frachetti, Jack Berner, Xiaoyi Liu, Edward R. Henry, Farhod Maksudov and Tao Ju, 23 October 2024, Nature.
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-08086-5

The expedition was supported by the National Geographic Society.

Source

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Mary Lawlor, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, said that the dissolution of human rights NGOs signals a deteriorating environment for civil society and human rights defence in Tajikistan. She reiterated that Tajikistan must reconsider its attitudes towards civil society and view human rights defenders as allies instead of enemies.

Earlier in November 2023, Tajikistan Minister of Justice announced that 700 NGOs in the country had been liquidated over an 18-month period.

UN Special Rapporteur Mary Lawlor said, “Human rights defenders in Tajikistan working on so-called ‘sensitive’ issues have been reportedly subjected to threats and intimidation.”

“Human rights defenders working on so-called sensitive issues, including freedom from torture, the right to housing and compensation for requisitioned land, minority rights, freedom of belief and good governance, political rights, and particularly the right to free and fair elections have been reportedly subjected to threats and intimidation,” the Special Rapporteur said.

“Some of those NGOs had been in operation for over 20 years,” the UN expert continued. “This decision also affects those working on early intervention on disability issues, expanding access to education, supporting victims of domestic violence, protecting the environment and promoting public access to land.”

Some organisations were forced to close following unrest in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) in 2022. Official statistics show that after these events, the courts ordered many public organisations to shut down while several other organisations self-dissolved. It is reported that in GBAO, of 300 registered organisations in early 2022, only around 10% can continue operating.

Several NGOs decided to self-dissolve after their directors were repeatedly summoned to the Department of Justice or local executive authorities. They were then reportedly placed under pressure or coerced into shutting down their organisations ‘voluntarily.’

“Interfering with the activities of NGOs and forcing civil society organisations to cease activities will have a serious knock-on impact on a whole range of human rights in Tajikistan,” Lawlor said. “I call on the government to reverse these closures.”

Source

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Shodiev — not his real name — says that every week he treats about 15 clients who ask him to expel what they believe is an evil spirit, or jinni, possessing them, or to rid them from “an evil eye.”

The 53-year-old cleric has been practicing exorcisms — which he learned to do from his father — for more than two decades. Most of Shodiev’s clients come from Dushanbe and nearby districts, but some to travel from faraway regions to seek his help.

Shodiev says he doesn’t have a set fee for performing the Islamic rite. “It’s up to the clients how much to pay.”

Three Tajik clerics who spoke to RFE/RL claimed the demand for exorcisms is on the rise in the predominately Muslim country.

There are no official statistics in Tajikistan on exorcisms or the number of people performing the centuries-old practice, which survived decades of religious crackdowns during the atheistic Soviet era and most recently the Tajik government’s attempts to restrict exorcisms.

Tajik laws do not ban the procedure. But several men who perform exorcisms have been jailed in recent years on charges of fraud, sexual molestation, or practicing the occult.

Some Tajiks see the ongoing efforts by the secular government as a way to keep a tab on “all things religious.” As part of that campaign, Islamic hijabs have been banned in schools and offices, while growing a long or bushy beard is frowned upon for young men.

Exorcisms are practiced among the followers of Islam, Christianity, and some other world religions.

There is a belief among Muslims that an evil spirit or jinni can possess a person but can be driven out of the possessed person’s body through an exorcism that includes reciting certain verses from the Koran.

But several Tajik clergymen told RFE/RL that many clerics in the country refrain from performing exorcism because it requires special training.

In the meantime, the spike in demand for exorcisms has led to a rise in the number of self-proclaimed exorcists, and charlatans, according to the clerics and officials. Many of them perform exorcisms and do faith healings.

Some also mix in elements of the occult, which is outlawed in Tajikistan and prohibited within Islam.

Tajikistan’s Religious Affairs Committee said, “Muslims believe that the Koran has healing powers, therefore they seek help [from exorcisms] to treat certain mental health issues, but unfortunately there have been cases in which some [self-proclaimed exorcists] tried to take advantage of people’s [religious] beliefs.”

Exorcism Gone Wrong

Tajik law-enforcement agencies in recent years released what they called footage of self-proclaimed exorcists and faith healers molesting their female clients. The incidents were allegedly recorded by hidden cameras, which police installed after receiving complaints.

In 2021, police in the northern Sughd Province released a video that purportedly shows Alijon Ghaniev, a 50-year-old self-proclaimed exorcist and faith healer, performing an unusual ritual on a female client that ends with sexual intercourse.

According to local media, Ghaniev charged his 21-year-old client the equivalent of $14 for three exorcism and faith healing sessions.

State television showed what it described as Ghaniev’s exorcism tools, including several knives, tarot cards, various herbs, and a bunch of dried tree branches. Once in police custody, Nabiev told the TV channel that he regretted his actions “getting out of control under the devil’s temptation.”

It is not clear if Nabiev’s confession was voluntary or was made under pressure.

In a similar case in 2019, a court in Hisor district handed a prison sentence to Juraboi Sochaev, who was accused of sexually harassing his female clients during exorcism rites. Sochaev charged his clients up to $270 for a session, prosecutors said.

A probe is under way in the northern city of Khujand against a self-proclaimed exorcist, Abduvali Nabiev, 68, who was arrested in October on sexual harassment charges.

Police and prosecutors said none of the men has had religious education or medical training but claimed to have special abilities to expel jinni and treat ailments.

Exorcisms made shocking headlines in Central Asia recently when a woman died due to severe beatings during the ritual in the Uzbek capital, Tashkent.

Court documents say two men used a hammer, chain, and stakes in the procedure that broke several of the woman’s ribs and caused internal bleeding. The exorcists were sentenced to 2 1/2 and three years in prison.

Gone Underground

Asked about the tragic Uzbek case, Shodiev said he has never performed or heard of an exorcism that led to physical harm.

“We do use some tools, but we don’t beat the clients to death, we just tap their elbow, for example, with the blunt side of a knife,” Shodiev said.

Shodiev and many others in Tajikistan no longer perform exorcisms openly, fearing what they see as the government’s campaign against the practice.

About five to seven years ago, clients used to come to Shodiev’s house for the procedure, but nowadays he visits them in the evenings in their homes to perform the ritual.

“I don’t want to get accused of some made-up charges, like practicing the occult, for example,” he said.

For some Tajiks — such as Akmal Halimov, a 34-year-old resident of the Vadhat district — the scandals surrounding the exorcists have done little to erode their faith in the religious ritual.

Halimov believes an exorcism saved him after he “was possessed by an evil spirit” during his student years in Dushanbe.

“My relatives took me to a mullah who treated me for 10 days. After that I felt that something bad had left my body,” he said.

But in the rural district of Mastchoh, Zuhro Mukhtorova isn’t optimistic about receiving any benefits from an exorcism.

About a decade ago, the 34-year-old Mukhtorova developed an illness that affects her ability to speak. When medical treatments didn’t help, relatives suggested she must have been “possessed by jinni.” Mukhtorova has been to several exorcists, but despite her faith in them the rituals have not helped her.

She still speaks with difficulty and has given up on exorcisms.

Source: RFERL

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This was discussed during a meeting between Uzbekistan’s Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov and his Kazakh counterpart, Alikhan Smailov.

The delegation of Uzbekistan, headed by Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov arrived in Almaty (Kazakhstan) to participate in the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council and Digital Forum.

At the meeting, the sides noted the rapid development of strategic partnerships and alliances between the two countries in the spirit of friendship, good neighborliness, and mutual respect, and representatives of both countries defined specific tasks for further development of multilateral relations.

They also emphasized positive growth dynamics between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan in all directions.

In particular, the volume of trade has more than doubled over the past 7 years, important joint projects are being implemented in various sectors of the economy, and interregional and cultural-humanitarian cooperation is expanding.

At the meeting, the parties exchanged views on these and other topical issues on the agenda.

Meanwhile, trade turnover volume between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan amounted to $4.3 billion.

Source: Trend

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The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) supports investment projects to enhance Tajikistan education sector. 

The press center of the Ministry of Finance of Tajikistan (MoF) says a loan agreement for 45 million US dollars and a grant of 25 million US Dollars were signed in Dushanbe on January 30 between the Government of Tajikistan, represented by Mr. Faiziddin Qahhorzoda, Minister of Finance, and the Islamic Development Bank, represented by Mr. Ibrahim Shukri, IsDB Regional Director for Central Asia.  

This soft loan provided by the IsDB and the grant provided by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) are reportedly allocated to co-finance the 2nd phase of the Quality Education Support Program designed to support the implementation of the Tajikistan’s National Development Strategy for the period up to 2030 priorities on expanding productive employment as well as enhancing the human capital development.

In addition, the Program is facilitating the implementation of the National Strategy for Education Development until 2030, as well as the commitments of the Government of Tajikistan towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals.

Tajikistan joined the Islamic Development Bank on November 27, 1996 and has a capital subscription of ID 18.2 million (0.04% of total IsDB subscribed capital).

The IsDB supports implementation of investment projects in education, healthcare, energy, transportation, agrarian and other priority socioeconomic sectors of Tajikistan.   To-date, the IsDB has reportedly accepted 86 investment projects in a total amount of 641 million USD, and US$286 million worth of 23 projects have been implemented in various sectors of Tajikistan’s economy so far.

The Islamic Development Bank is a multilateral development finance institution that is focused on Islamic finance for infrastructure development and located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.  There are 57 shareholding member states with the largest single shareholder being Saudi Arabia.

GPE is a shared commitment to ending the world’s learning crisis.  It mobilizes partners and funds to support nearly 70 countries to transform their education systems, so that every girl and boy can get the quality education they need to unlock their full potential and contribute to building a better world.

Source: Asia Plus

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In a report released at a news conference in Dushanbe, Obid Nazariyon, the First Deputy Minister of Culture, revealed on January 29 that the main objective of regulating the tours of foreign artistes to Tajikistan is in preventing porn and extremists contents from entering the country.

According to him, the tours of foreign artistes to the country will be regulated in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  

“The Ministry of Culture demands that programs of foreign artistes visiting Tajikistan have no porn or extremist manifestations.  Therefore, their programs must be coordinated with us,” Nazariyon noted.  

However, the deputy minister did not say how pornography and extremism are related to the tours of foreign artistes.  

At the same time, Nazariyon did not answer anything specific to the question regarding the tours of Tajik artistes abroad.  He just mentioned that “this is important for representing the nation and this (regulation) is not illegal.”  

Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service, known locally as Radio Ozodi, had earlier noted addendum made to the country’s new law on culture stipulates that domestic and foreign tours of Tajik artistes and their creative programs must be coordinated with the Ministry of Culture.  

The Parliament of Tajikistan endorsed the new draft law on culture at the end of last year and it officially came into force on January 18 this year.  

Source: Asia Plus

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He made the remark during the Digital Almaty 2024 forum.

“This year, the forum is dedicated to the digitalization of industrial sectors of the economy. Our industry must be digitized. This is not a tribute to a trend; this is necessary for competitiveness. The Environmental Code stipulates that enterprises that release ozone-depleting substances into the atmosphere must install certain sensors,” he said.

According to the minister, these sensors transmit information in real time to a central database.

“That is, we must ensure control of the entire environmental situation at all industrial enterprises. Today, this system has already been created, and enterprises are gradually connecting. Today, about 20 enterprises are already connected,” Bagdat Musin said.

As he added, these sensors are being developed in Kazakhstan.

“We also have experience in creating SCADA systems. Previously, we purchased these systems from abroad; today, there are already several Kazakhstani solutions. Kazakh designs are being installed throughout our entire energy system. And there are many such examples. We also focus on robotization. Industrial sectors of the economy must rely heavily on robots. Therefore, we have created a center for the development of industrial robots, which will help accelerate and scale robotization in industrial sectors of the economy,” the minister noted.

Source: Trend

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Iranian Ambassador to Tajikistan Alireza Haqiqian reportedly announced the above at a meeting with Faizullo Barotzoda, the head of Tajikistan-Iran Parliamentary Friendship Group, held in Dushanbe on January 25. 

According to Iran Daily, Iranian diplomat referred to the process of comprehensive development of relations between the two countries and hailed the role of parliamentary cooperation in deepening ties.

The visa waiver agreement is part of a larger package of bilateral treaties which include cooperation in transportation, the establishment of free economic zones, anti-drug trafficking efforts, and crisis management.

Mr. Barotzoda, for his part, reportedly emphasized the readiness of the Tajik Parliament to create a legal platform in order to further expand cooperation.

Recall, the Government of Tajikistan on January 3 issued a decree to approve a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Tajikistan and Iran on cancellation of visa requirements for holders of passports for international travels. 

The decree, in particular, orders the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant agencies to take necessary measures to ensure implementation of the mentioned MoU. 

Besides, the Foreign Ministry is instructed to notify the Iranian side about the implementation by Tajikistan of internal state procedures necessary for the entry of this MoU into force.

The MoU between the Government of Tajikistan and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran on cancellation of visa requirements for holders of passports for international travels for citizens of Tajikistan and Iran was signed in Dushanbe on November 8 last year during Iranian President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi’s official visit to Dushanbe.

In December, the Iranian Cabinet decided to unilaterally cancel visa requirements for visitors from 33 more countries, including Tajikistan. 

Source: Asia Plus

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According to the Kyrgyzstan Cabinet of Ministers, Japarov visited the site to inspect the progress of recovery efforts and chaired a meeting, where he provided directives to relevant state entities.

Specifically, the Ministry of Energy, in collaboration with the Mayor’s Office of Bishkek, has been tasked with leading the operational headquarters and presenting comprehensive information on the reasons for the incident and a plan for further actions to ensure the full operation of the capital’s thermal power plant by 5:00 PM (GMT+6).

The Ministry of Emergency Situations and the State Agency for Architecture, Construction, and Housing and Communal Services have been instructed to commence work on the restoration of the affected facilities at the thermal power plant.

The Ministry of Health is tasked with closely monitoring and providing necessary assistance to the affected employees of the thermal power plant.

The Ministry of Finance has been directed to promptly allocate the necessary financial resources for the restoration works.

Japarov emphasized that the primary task at present is to restore heat supply to the citizens’ residences and prevent the recurrence of similar situations.

On February 2, 2024, at 03:00 AM (GMT+6), the Bishkek TPP, a major electricity-generating facility in Kyrgyzstan, experienced an accident, resulting in equipment failure. The Ministry of Energy of Kyrgyzstan established an operational headquarters to restore damaged equipment and address the incident’s consequences. Five employees were injured and are currently receiving treatment.

Source: Trend

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“In recent years, I have always emphasized that every family in the country must have a supply of necessary food products for up to two years,” Rahmon noted in his congratulatory message on the occasion of the Sada festival on January 28.  

The head of state emphasized that climate change and deterioration of the socioeconomic situation in the world make this issue especially relevant. 

In this context, making two-year food stocks becomes an important measure to ensure the country’s food security, the president noted. 

The Tajik president’s official website says Emomali Rahmon has emphasized that this decision is based on in-depth analysis of the unpredictable situation in the modern world, including the collapse of old supply chains and constant rise in food prices.  

The president reportedly noted that “everyone must work harder, use land and water efficiently and rationally, produce as much product as possible, contributing to the implementation of the national strategic goal – protection of the country’s food security.”  

Source: Asia Plus

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