Dalverzin-Tepe monastery, (near) Sho'rchi, Surxondaryo Viloyati, UZ

Raw data

[2] The remains of Bactrian Buddhist monasteries have been found near Termez in southern Uzbekistan at Kara Tepe, Fayas Tepe and Dalverzin Tepe,
http://www.berzinarchives.com/web/en/archives/study/islam/historical_interaction/overviews/hist_sketch_west_turkistan.html

Dalverzin Tepe is an ancient archaeological site located in the northern part of the region of Bactria.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalverzin_Tepe
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BactriaMap.jpg

Dalverzin - tepa
The settlement site is located in the Surkhandarya river valley, on the bank of Karmakisai, in 7 km to the north from the present-day district centre Shurchi. Initially, the settlement was built in the southern part of the sand-and-loess plateau in the 3rd-2nd centuries B.C. Researchers suppose that the fortress wall of the Greco-Bactrian period surrounded an already existing settlement with an irregular and dense layout (a polyhedron in a plan; 170-200 m across). The destruction of the Greco-Bactrian setlement is associated with the invasion of Bactria by the Sakas (140-130 B.C.). Its revival began in the Early Kushan period. The settlement was surrounded with fortress wall, which enclosed a rectangle with an area 32.5 hectares, built with a view to the further grouth of the settlement. New fortifications were built on the remnants of the Greco-Bactrian walls, used as a platform. Since then the initial settlement served as the citadel. G.A. Pugachenkova considered Dalverzin to have been the crown capital of the Kushan Khodzo mentioned in written sources.

The flourishing of the city falls on the 2nd - the first half of the 3rd centuries A.D. It had regular layout, with clear-cut residential area of rich and poor townsmen. At the time the settlement had temples of different religions. In the centre of the city stood a Buddhist temple, and near the northern wall - a temple of a local goddess. A residential neighbourhood of potters occupied the south-western part of the settlement. A Zoroastrian naus and a Buddhist shrine have survived in the northern part of the settlement.
http://www.eastlinetour.com/uzbekistan/termez/history/dalverzintepa.html

Input by: tmciolek, Aug 28, 2009

“Dalverzintepa Site […] Beyond the fortification wall of the town archeologists discovered ruins of a Buddhist shrine. The coins found on the site prove that the shrine dates back to the 1st century BCE. So far this shrine is believed to be the oldest Buddhist monument in Uzbekistan. Still surviving is the rectangular base of the stupa, with a corridor around it for ritual circumambulation. In the northern part of the temple there was a joss-house with huge three men’s size statues of Buddha surrounded by figures of monks, as well as very impressive statues of noblemen whose faces had a portrait similarity. In the other section, namely “the Hall of Kings”, there were sculptures of the rulers of Saganian Province. The surviving statues of Buddha, nobleman and kings, as well as architectural fragments, bear vividly noticeable stamp of Hellenistic traditions.” - http://www.sairamtourism.com/uzbekistan/dalverzintepa-site
Input by: tmciolek, Apr 13, 2013

Final data (and their sources)

Last updated: 13 Apr 2013

Lat/Long coordinates' accuracy:
The monastery in question is assumed to be situated actually no farther than 2 km from the point defined by the coordinates below.

Location of Dalverzin-Tepe monastery, UZ.

General location of the Dalverzin-Tepe monastery, UZ.
lat=38.1000 long=67.8667
Mapping & images: Falling Rain Genomics (http://www.fallingrain.com), 2009.


Google Map link:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=38.1000+67.8667+(Approx.%20loc.%20of%20the%20DalverzinTepe%20monastery,%20UZ)&ll=38.1000,67.8667&spn=05.0,05.0&t=k&hl=en


Final data - explanatory notes

1. Monastery's name

  • Dalverzin-Tepe monastery

2. Monastery's modern country & province

  • Uzbekistan: Surxondaryo Viloyati.

3. Monastery's alternative/historical names


4. Monastery's lat/long coordinates


5. Other known nearby Buddhist monasteries

  • [missing data]

6. Modern name of the known nearest city, town, or village


7. The settlement's alternative/historical names


8. The settlement's coordinates


9. Monastery's major Buddhist tradition

  • [missing data]

10. Monastery's Buddhist sub-tradition

  • [missing data]

11. Date-early

"[T]he shrine dates back to the 1st century BCE. So far this shrine is believed to be the oldest Buddhist monument in Uzbekistan." - http://www.sairamtourism.com/uzbekistan/dalverzintepa-site

  • MBM chrono-tag <=0200 - tmciolek 13 Apr 2013
  • <=0200 0200-32p 0233-66p dated-ex

12. Date-intermediate

  • MBM chrono-tag 0200-32p 0233-66p - tmciolek 13 Apr 2013

13. Date-late

  • [missing data]

14. Details of contacts with other monasteries

  • [missing data]

15. Type of evidence regarding the monastery

  • Archaeological

16. Additional notes

  • [missing data] (incl. details of the size of the monastic population)

17. Corrections & addenda to this page were kindly provided by

  • [missing data]

end of page

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License