Sogdiana is a historical region in what is now eastern Uzbekistan and central Tajikistan, following the Zerafshan and Kashkadarya rivers. The region rose to prominence in the 6th Century, when Sogdian merchants began their activities along the trade routes with China (which western historians would later term the so-called “Silk Roads”), from which they became fabulously wealthy – wealth which was brought back home to Sogdiana. Several Sogdian merchants also settled in China, where they left several monuments.

The Sogdian civilisation flourished in the late 7th and early 8th Century, just before its abrupt end at the hands of the Arab conquests in the early and mid 8th Century. Our reconstruction work is set in the start of the 8th Century.

The Sogdians are famous for their arts. They have left behind stunning and detailed wall paintings, manuscripts, textiles, wood carvings, and a huge host of archaeology. Many of the paintings are well preserved and well published, and form the basis for our reconstruction work. Archaeology from Sogdiana is also very well published and accessible