Kugaittepa

Kugaittepa is an archaeological mound in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, preserving traces of settlement from the first to twelfth centuries. Its raised form reflects repeated building and rebuilding on the same ground over many generations. The site belongs to a wider landscape of ancient townships and fortifications that shaped Tashkent’s early urban development. Around it, the city’s past connects with Chach, Shash, and Binkat, earlier names associated with Tashkent.

The settlement stood within a Central Asian crossroads influenced by Sogdian, Turkic, and other regional cultures. Its setting formed part of the network of towns along the Great Silk Road, linking movement of people, goods, and ideas. Archaeologists read the mound’s layers to follow changes in buildings, population, defence, trade, and craft activity. Nearby sites such as Ming Uryuk and Aktepa add context through evidence including fortifications, coins, pottery, and decorative fragments. Each layer carries a different stage in Tashkent’s long transition from scattered settlements to a major urban centre.