Archaeologists working near Samarkand in Uzbekistan have uncovered the remains of an eighth-century palace complex within the fortified citadel of the medieval settlement of Mingtepa. The discovery, which includes pieces of sculpture found inside a large hall, could offer new insights into political and cultural life in early medieval Central Asia.
The discovery was announced by Uzbekistan’s Cultural Heritage Agency following ongoing excavations at Mingtepa, an archaeological site in the Jomboy district of the Samarkand region.
Researchers have uncovered the architectural layout of a large complex situated within the citadel of the settlement. The structure has been dated to the first half of the eighth century, and archaeologists believe that it may have served as a palace for Mingtepa’s rulers.
According to Uzbekistan’s Cultural Heritage Agency, the building’s construction techniques and architectural design could provide important evidence for understanding urban planning, architecture and systems of government during the early Middle Ages.
One of the most intriguing discoveries has come from the hall of the presumed palace. Archaeologists uncovered examples of eighth-century sculpture, which are now undergoing further study. Researchers hope that these finds will reveal more about the political and cultural life of Mingtepa during the final centuries of its early medieval occupation.
A major city of Sogdiana
Excavations of the eighth-century palace complex at Mingtepa in Uzbekistan’s Samarkand region. Photo: Agency for Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
Mingtepa was an important settlement in Sogdiana, the historic region of Central Asia centred on the valleys around Samarkand and Bukhara. According to Uzbekistan’s national news agency, the city was active from the fifth century until the middle of the eighth century and was one of the largest settlements of ancient Sogd.
Researchers have suggested that Mingtepa could be identified with Kabudan, a Sogdian city mentioned in Chinese historical sources. The identification remains a hypothesis, but it would place Mingtepa within the network of cities that flourished in Central Asia during the early Middle Ages.
Its location near Samarkand placed the settlement in a region crossed by important routes linking different parts of Central Asia. Sogdian communities played a particularly important role in the long-distance trade networks often collectively described as the Silk Roads, connecting Central Asia with China and regions farther west.
The location of the newly discovered complex within Mingtepa’s citadel is therefore significant. The citadel formed the fortified core of the settlement, and the monumental character of the newly excavated architecture has led archaeologists to interpret it as a possible residence of the city’s rulers.
The Cultural Heritage Agency remains cautious about the identification. Research into the building and the sculptures is continuing, and the function of the entire complex has not yet been definitively established.
A temple with colourful wall paintings
Fragment of a sculpted face discovered during archaeological excavations at Mingtepa in Uzbekistan. Photo: Agency for Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Uzbekistan
The palace is not the only significant discovery made at Mingtepa this year. Earlier in 2026, archaeologists from Uzbekistan and Japan carried out excavations in the shahristan, or fortified urban section, of the settlement. Their work uncovered architectural remains dating from the eighth century as well as fragments of wall paintings. A second excavation area revealed what researchers identified as the location of an altar. The walls of the room contained traces of paintings in reddish, blue and light-blue colours.
According to preliminary conclusions from the Samarkand Institute of Archaeology, this part of the complex may have functioned as a temple during the seventh century. Conservation specialists have been working to preserve the surviving wall paintings.
Together, the discoveries are beginning to reveal more of Mingtepa’s monumental landscape. The possible temple occupied the shahristan, while the newly discovered palace stood within the more heavily fortified citadel.
The combination of religious architecture, wall paintings, sculpture and a possible rulers’ residence offers archaeologists an opportunity to examine different aspects of life within an important early medieval Central Asian city.
Mingtepa in a changing Central Asia
Fragments of sculptural decoration recovered during excavations at Mingtepa, where archaeologists have uncovered the remains of a medieval palace complex. Photo: Agency for Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Uzbekistan
The dating of the palace to the first half of the eighth century places it at an important moment in the history of Central Asia. For centuries, Sogdian cities had prospered through agriculture, craft production and trade, while local rulers governed a collection of cities and territories rather than a single unified Sogdian state. The region also experienced considerable political influence from the Turkic khaganates.
During the early eighth century, however, Arab armies expanded into Transoxiana, bringing the cities of Sogdiana increasingly under the authority of the Umayyad Caliphate. Samarkand was captured in 712, although resistance and political upheaval continued in the region for decades.
Mingtepa appears to have declined around this period. Its main phase of early medieval occupation came to an end by the middle of the eighth century, making the newly discovered palace particularly interesting for archaeologists studying the final decades of the city’s early medieval political life.
For now, researchers are continuing to examine the palace complex and the sculptures recovered from its hall. Uzbekistan’s Cultural Heritage Agency says the discoveries should provide new evidence for understanding Mingtepa’s political and cultural history, as well as the wider development of the region during the early Middle Ages.
Top Image: Remains of an eighth-century sculpture uncovered during excavations of the medieval palace complex at Mingtepa in Uzbekistan. Photo: Agency for Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
Archaeologists working near Samarkand in Uzbekistan have uncovered the remains of an eighth-century palace complex within the fortified citadel of the medieval settlement of Mingtepa. The discovery, which includes pieces of sculpture found inside a large hall, could offer new insights into political and cultural life in early medieval Central Asia.
The discovery was announced by Uzbekistan’s Cultural Heritage Agency following ongoing excavations at Mingtepa, an archaeological site in the Jomboy district of the Samarkand region.
Researchers have uncovered the architectural layout of a large complex situated within the citadel of the settlement. The structure has been dated to the first half of the eighth century, and archaeologists believe that it may have served as a palace for Mingtepa’s rulers.
According to Uzbekistan’s Cultural Heritage Agency, the building’s construction techniques and architectural design could provide important evidence for understanding urban planning, architecture and systems of government during the early Middle Ages.
One of the most intriguing discoveries has come from the hall of the presumed palace. Archaeologists uncovered examples of eighth-century sculpture, which are now undergoing further study. Researchers hope that these finds will reveal more about the political and cultural life of Mingtepa during the final centuries of its early medieval occupation.
A major city of Sogdiana
Mingtepa was an important settlement in Sogdiana, the historic region of Central Asia centred on the valleys around Samarkand and Bukhara. According to Uzbekistan’s national news agency, the city was active from the fifth century until the middle of the eighth century and was one of the largest settlements of ancient Sogd.
Researchers have suggested that Mingtepa could be identified with Kabudan, a Sogdian city mentioned in Chinese historical sources. The identification remains a hypothesis, but it would place Mingtepa within the network of cities that flourished in Central Asia during the early Middle Ages.
Its location near Samarkand placed the settlement in a region crossed by important routes linking different parts of Central Asia. Sogdian communities played a particularly important role in the long-distance trade networks often collectively described as the Silk Roads, connecting Central Asia with China and regions farther west.
The location of the newly discovered complex within Mingtepa’s citadel is therefore significant. The citadel formed the fortified core of the settlement, and the monumental character of the newly excavated architecture has led archaeologists to interpret it as a possible residence of the city’s rulers.
The Cultural Heritage Agency remains cautious about the identification. Research into the building and the sculptures is continuing, and the function of the entire complex has not yet been definitively established.
A temple with colourful wall paintings
The palace is not the only significant discovery made at Mingtepa this year. Earlier in 2026, archaeologists from Uzbekistan and Japan carried out excavations in the shahristan, or fortified urban section, of the settlement. Their work uncovered architectural remains dating from the eighth century as well as fragments of wall paintings. A second excavation area revealed what researchers identified as the location of an altar. The walls of the room contained traces of paintings in reddish, blue and light-blue colours.
According to preliminary conclusions from the Samarkand Institute of Archaeology, this part of the complex may have functioned as a temple during the seventh century. Conservation specialists have been working to preserve the surviving wall paintings.
Together, the discoveries are beginning to reveal more of Mingtepa’s monumental landscape. The possible temple occupied the shahristan, while the newly discovered palace stood within the more heavily fortified citadel.
The combination of religious architecture, wall paintings, sculpture and a possible rulers’ residence offers archaeologists an opportunity to examine different aspects of life within an important early medieval Central Asian city.
Mingtepa in a changing Central Asia
The dating of the palace to the first half of the eighth century places it at an important moment in the history of Central Asia. For centuries, Sogdian cities had prospered through agriculture, craft production and trade, while local rulers governed a collection of cities and territories rather than a single unified Sogdian state. The region also experienced considerable political influence from the Turkic khaganates.
During the early eighth century, however, Arab armies expanded into Transoxiana, bringing the cities of Sogdiana increasingly under the authority of the Umayyad Caliphate. Samarkand was captured in 712, although resistance and political upheaval continued in the region for decades.
Mingtepa appears to have declined around this period. Its main phase of early medieval occupation came to an end by the middle of the eighth century, making the newly discovered palace particularly interesting for archaeologists studying the final decades of the city’s early medieval political life.
For now, researchers are continuing to examine the palace complex and the sculptures recovered from its hall. Uzbekistan’s Cultural Heritage Agency says the discoveries should provide new evidence for understanding Mingtepa’s political and cultural history, as well as the wider development of the region during the early Middle Ages.
Top Image: Remains of an eighth-century sculpture uncovered during excavations of the medieval palace complex at Mingtepa in Uzbekistan. Photo: Agency for Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
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