Medieval Silk Road metropolis unearthed in Uzbek mountains.

A recent discovery in Uzbekistan challenges the assumption that ancient trade routes along the Silk Road only connected lowland oases. Traces of a major medieval city, Tugunbulak, have been found at a high altitude of over 2000 meters, indicating that the network extended into rugged mountainous areas. The city, dating back to the late sixth to early 11th centuries, was likely run by pastoralist Turks and was a major producer and exporter of metal objects. This find has the potential to reshape the understanding of Central Asian history and the interactions between agricultural and mobile pastoralist cultures. [Extracted from the article]