Kafir-kala (Uzbekistan)

[2] It consists in a central citadel built in mud-bricks and measuring 75 × 75 meters at its base has six towers and is surrounded by a moat, still visible today.

[3][4] A large amount of seals were discovered in Kafir Kala, including seals associated to the Kidarites, such as the one mentioning “the king of the Oghlar Huns, the great Kushanshah, the ǝfšyan of Samarkand.”[5] Many examples of coinage were excavated in Kafir-kala, which also show the transition from Sogdian to Islamic rule in the area of Samarkand with good precision.

The sculptures on the door represent adorations scenes for the goddess Nana, who stand centrally on a lion throne.

[8] The adorants are dressed in knee-length tunics, with long boots over trousers, suggesting clothing styles similar to those found in the paintings of Penjikent, and wear shoulder ribbons which have been associated with Hephthalites nobility.

[8][10] A Zoroastrian ossuary (with the shape of a cross, but unrelated to Christianity), dated 6-7th century CE, was also discovered in Kafir Kala.

Reconstruction of the Kafir Kala gate by Sultanova (2017). [ 7 ]
Zoroastrian ossuary, 6-7th century CE, Kafir Kala, Uzbekistan. [ 11 ]
Penjikent murals donors, Temple II, circa 500 CE. [ 12 ]