Zanzir Barn

Zanjir Saray ( Uzbek. Zanjir Saroy, Zanzhir Sarai - "palace-fortress") - the residence and fortress of the Mongol Khan Kazan Khan of the Sultan , built between 1334-1340. During the reign of Kazanhan, the father of the elder wife Amir Timur Saray Mulk khanum, Bibi Khanum , the khan’s headquarters of the Chagatai ulus was located in this palace and for about ten years Zanzhir Saray functioned as the capital of the Mongolian state of Chagataids . After the death of Kazanhan, Zanzhir Saray apparently existed as the seat of the subsequent Mongol khans and Turkic emirs, and from 1370 passed into the power of Tamerlane (Amir Timur) . According to the “Zafar-name” of Sharaf al-Din Ali Yazdi , Timur rested several times in Zanjir Saray before long military campaigns, went hunting here, prepared for the campaign and hibernated.

In 1387, when Timur was in Fars (Iran) and Iraq, the Golden Horde khan Tokhtamysh and the ruler of Khorezm Suleiman Sufi organized a raid in Maverannahr . At this time, Zanzhir Saray was robbed and burned, after which it was not restored, but the ruins of the palace have survived to this day in the form of a large archaeological monument.

According to Sharafiddin Ali Yezdi, Zanzhir Saray was in two transitions from Karshi to Bukhara . Its remains are currently located in the western part of the village of Kuhnashahar of the Mubarek district of the Kashkadarya region , about 65-70 km west of Karshi . This distance coincides with the Zafar-name. Currently, the nearby area is called Nushiravon Odil Kalashi , that is, the “Fortress of Anushirvan the Fair” (Anushirvan the Fair is the Sassanian king Khosrov I Anushirvan , who ruled in 531-579).

The monument has a sub-square shape and dimensions of 400 × 400 m and a total area of ​​about 16 hectares. The palace was surrounded by a massive pahsa defensive wall about 6 meters thick. On the outer face of the fortress wall, on each side there are eight semicircular towers. They had no defensive significance and were apparently used as buttresses, as in the Karshi fortress. From four opposite sides, the remains of the four gates are visible. In the center of the monument is a flat hill measuring about 70 × 70 m and a height of 2-2.5 m. The territory between the fortress wall and this hill is almost flat, with no signs of building ^[1] .

Archaeological research on Zanzhir Saray was carried out in 1993-1995. A. A. Raimkulov, employee of the Institute of Archeology of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan. More than ten rooms of a unique palace complex, which was built of square burnt bricks, were discovered in the central hill. The architectural remains show that the palace had a square layout, in the center there was a large square room - a rotunda, 11 × 11 m in size, in the four corners of which were monumental pylons. Outside, in the northern part, an external aivan was opened, located in a line with the northern gate. Apparently, such aivans existed on all four sides and were in line with the rest of the gate. The palace did not function for long and was never subjected to perestroika. During the excavation, abundant ash layers and traces of a strong fire on the walls were traced. These facts confirm the Zafar-name data on the destruction of Zanjir Saray. Ceramic materials obtained during excavations belong to the XIV century. Zanzir Saray, being a palace complex of the 14th century, is one of the unique monuments of civil architecture in Central Asia. Its general layout is a layout of nomad cities and is built according to urban planning traditions that are known in southern Siberia and Mongolia from the early medieval period. The headquarters of Genghis Khan Hara-Khorin (Karakorum) also had a square layout like Zanzhir Saray and dimensions 400 × 400 m.

About 2-2.5 km east of Zanzhir Saray the Kashkadarya River flows. During its functioning, a canal was constructed from the river, which still exists today. Now this canal is called by the local population “Podsholi arik”, that is, the “Tsarsky Canal” and its water until the 60s entered Zanjir Saray through the northern gate. Currently, the waters of this canal are used by local farmers. In our opinion, during Kazanhan, the inner square of Zanzhir Saray was flat and there were yurts and tents of members of the Khan’s family, their close associates, members of the Khan’s horde and Mongol nobility. Perhaps, during Amir Timur, this plain turned into a charbag and, apparently, at that time the inner area was irrigated. According to sources, it is known that Timur rested in Zanzhir Saray and in the summer.

What does the name "Zanzhir Saray" mean? According to Professor T. Nafasov, the name "Zanzhir" comes from the word "sangir" and means "stone, fortress." The name “Shed” means “palace”, “Palace is a fortress” or “palace in a fortress”.