About some elements of the temples of Central Asia

Abstract

Studies conducted at the Kyrkhujra archeological site located in the Namangan region, as well as at the Hantepe site in the Kashkadarya region of the Republic of Uzbekistan in recent years have provided new information about the construction culture of religious buildings in Central Asia. The study of these religious buildings has given new materials on the history of the construction of temples. In particular, studies have shown that a number of elements observed in the temples of Kyrkjura and Hantepa were partially repeated in some religious architectural complexes of Central Asia. One of them is the high platforms that can be traced in the city temples of Penjikent, Yerkurgan, Paykend, Jartepe, Rabinjan and the temples of Jartepe, Aktepe Chilanzar, Hantepe, located outside the major cities. If the platform of the ancient Yerkurgan temple is built of mudbricks, then the platforms of the temples of Hantepe, Paykend and Penjikent are made of pakhsa — beaten (pressed) clay. The next important detail of the temples is the storage for ash, which was also opened in many temples of Central Asia. In particular, in the temples of Yerkurgan, Paykend, Penjikent and Hantepa. If the ash storage facilities of the Kirkhujra temple allowed us to observe the most ancient forms of such structures, then the ash storage facilities of the Hantepa temple showed their development.