Vardanze

History

The 10th-century historian Narshakhi described Vardana as a large settlement with a strong fortress, a royal residence since ancient times; he says it was older than Bukhara, lay on the frontier with Turkestan, and held a weekly market that drew crowds of merchants and exported the famous zandaniji cloth. Legend credits its fortress to a Sasanian prince, Shapur, also linked with the Shapurkam canal. The city was ruled by kings titled Vardan Khudah, and the Arabs under Qutayba ibn Muslim conquered the area in 708–709.

Vardanze had a citadel — with the ruler's palace, arsenal, stores and mint — and a shahristan where craftsmen lived. Advancing sands buried the town in the 19th century and it was abandoned. A 324-hectare reserve was created here in 1975, and today the site is a large mound.