Verified36.6800° N · 67.7000° E · 500 m
Kholm (Tashkurgan) — Bactrian Mound Fort
Achaemenid to Kushan (500 BCE–300 CE)·Bactrian·🇦🇫 Samangan Province, Afghanistan
About
About Kholm (Tashkurgan) — Bactrian Mound Fort
Kholm (Tashkurgan) — Bactrian Mound Fort in Samangan Province, Afghanistan is a Achaemenid to Kushan (500 BCE–300 CE) tell attributed to Bactrian. Tell mound 10 ha at Kholm on Balkh river road. Tashkurgan mound with Bactrian pottery.
Why it mattersKey Gandharan–Kushan monastery illustrating Buddhist expansion
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Gandhara art evolution
- 02Kushan imperial network
Theories
- 01Monastic economy
- 02Greco-Buddhist fusion
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 500 BCE
- Period
- Achaemenid to Kushan (500 BCE–300 CE)
- Culture
- Bactrian
- Purpose
- Tell mound 10 ha at Kholm on Balkh river road
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c. 500 BCE
Initial construction
c. 1900 CE
Modern excavation
On the ground
Structures & features
36.6800° N · 67.7000° E · 500 m · 3 mapped features
Kholm (Tashkurgan) — Bactrian Mound Fort — Citadel Summit
summitSummit
36.6801° N · 67.7001° EKholm (Tashkurgan) — Bactrian Mound Fort — Lower Terrace
terraceLower mound extension
36.6798° N · 67.7002° EKholm (Tashkurgan) — Bactrian Mound Fort — Kiln Area
kilnsKilns
36.6804° N · 67.6998° E