KHODJA RUSHNOI – REMAINS OF THE TIMURID ANCIENT SETTLEMENT IN THE KASHKADARYA VALLEY (UZBEKISTAN)

Abstract

The monumental architectural structures built by Amir Timur and his descendants, the Timurids, are widely known as masterpieces of world architecture and urban planning culture. The bulk of the monumental buildings built by representatives of this dynasty are concentrated mainly in Samarkand and Kesh-Shakhrisabz. Architectural structures of the Timurid period have been studied for more than a hundred years by famous scientists in the fi eld of architecture. Hundreds of monographs and scientific articles have been published on this issue in Uzbekistan, the CIS and abroad. Against the background of studies of monumental monuments of the Timurid period, the dwellings and way of life of populace, especially rural one, were not studied absolutely because the remains of residential buildings of urban and rural populace of that time were practically not found on the territory of Uzbekistan. Written sources did not provide any information about rural populace of that time. Archaeological excavations carried out by the authors of this article in the Khodja Rushnoi settlement, located in the Mubarek district of the Kashkadarya region of Uzbekistan, for the first time provided the opportunity to examine the homes and lifestyle of a simple rural population of the Timurid period. It turned out that the topography of settlements and material culture, especially pottery of the Timurid period, are very different from the rural settlements of the pre-Mongol period.