Proto-urban Site of Sarazm
Sarazm, meaning "where the land begins", is an archaeological site that bears witness to the development of human settlement in Central Asia between the 4th millennium BC and the end of the 3rd millennium BC. The site shows the early development of proto-urbanization in the region. The settlement is one of the oldest in Central Asia, situated between mountainous areas suitable for nomadic herders to raise livestock and a large valley suitable for the development of agriculture and irrigation by the first settled populations in the region. Sarazm also testifies to the existence of commercial and cultural exchanges and trade relations with peoples of a vast geographical area, stretching from the steppes of Central Asia and Turkmenistan to the Iranian plateau, the Indus Valley, and even as far as the Indian Ocean.