Aydogdy Kurbanov - Sasanians in Southern Turkmenistan : The archeological evidence

The talk will be about one of the most extensive and powerful pre-Islamic empires, the Sasanian Empire (224/226–651 CE) which had multiple regional identities and centers and was divided into four principal regions. One of these was called Khorasan, which incorporated north-eastern Iran, north-western Afghanistan, and southern Turkmenistan. The position of the empire’s north-eastern frontier was dependent on the Sasanian military fortunes. The western boundaries of Khorasan are difficult to determine with respect to the Kopetdag piedmont zone, though in the East the oasis zone clearly demarcates Sasanian territory. During most of the Sasanian reign, however, the north-eastern edge of the empire lay in southern Turkmenistan. Despite the historical cataclysms many sites from the Sasanian period have survived in southern Turkmenistan. During the last more than 80 years, several major types of archaeological sites of the Sasanian period in Turkmenistan have been identified by excavations and analyzing of finds.