At the Bandikhan oasis in the south of Uzbekistan lie the ancient settlement mounds Majdatepa, Bektepa, Gazimullahtepa, Jalangtushtepa, Kindyktepa, Sariband and Kakhramontepa. The sites were discovered in the 1970s by E. Rtveladze and have been further investigated since 2005 by the DAI’s Eurasia Department together with Uzbek colleagues. As they date from different points within a time-frame of about 2,000 years, settlement history can be tracked over a long period and precise definitions of culture are possible.
The small fort of Kakhramontepa for instance dates to the start of the Early Middle Ages and was presumably built by Kidarites. The strict organization of the rooms around the central corridors and the non-central entrances are particularly suitable for a military post. The absence of evidence of destruction and the small quantity of finds suggest the peaceful abandonment of the fort.
