A unique scene of fire worship from the late Sogdian palace at Sanjar-Shah

Michael Shenkar; Sharof Kurbanov; Abdurahmon Pulotov

doi:10.15184/aqy.2025.10180

A unique scene of fire worship from the late Sogdian palace at Sanjar-Shah

Michael Shenkar^*
, Sharof Kurbanov
, Abdurahmon Pulotov

^*Corresponding author for this work

Department of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

In 2022–2023, fragments of figurative wall paintings were discovered in the Royal Palace at Sanjar-Shah, a Sogdian site near Panjikent in Tajikistan. The paintings depict a procession of priests approaching a large fire altar—this offers a rare insight into religious imagery and a representation of fire worship in Sogdian murals.

Original language	English
Article number	e61
Journal	Antiquity
Volume	99
Issue number	408
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2025.10180
State	Published - 1 Dec 2025

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press.

Keywords

Central Asia
Early Islamic period
Late Antiquity
Tajikistan
Zoroastrianism
wall paintings

Access to Document

10.15184/aqy.2025.10180

Cite this

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abstract = "In 2022–2023, fragments of figurative wall paintings were discovered in the Royal Palace at Sanjar-Shah, a Sogdian site near Panjikent in Tajikistan. The paintings depict a procession of priests approaching a large fire altar—this offers a rare insight into religious imagery and a representation of fire worship in Sogdian murals.",

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AB - In 2022–2023, fragments of figurative wall paintings were discovered in the Royal Palace at Sanjar-Shah, a Sogdian site near Panjikent in Tajikistan. The paintings depict a procession of priests approaching a large fire altar—this offers a rare insight into religious imagery and a representation of fire worship in Sogdian murals.

KW - Central Asia

KW - Early Islamic period

KW - Late Antiquity

KW - Tajikistan

KW - Zoroastrianism

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A unique scene of fire worship from the late Sogdian palace at Sanjar-Shah

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

Access to Document

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