Place · site

Afrasiab

Also known as Afrasiyab

Afrasiab is the archaeological site of ancient Samarkand, a large mound on the northern edge of the modern city in Uzbekistan. Inhabited from about the 7th century BCE until the Mongol destruction of 1220, it was the Sogdian capital known to the Greeks as Maracanda. Its best-known find is a palace hall with 7th-century murals, the Ambassadors' Painting, made for King Varkhuman.

Afrasiab
Image: Unknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 4 state histories

Principality of SamarkandHazaraspid dynastyAfrasiyabids of MazandaranAfrasiyab dynasty of Basra

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Afrasiab. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/afrasiab
MLA
“Afrasiab.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/afrasiab. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Afrasiab.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/afrasiab.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Afrasiab’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/afrasiab (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻