Navekat
Navekat or Nevkat [1] was an ancient Silk Road city that flourished between the 6th and 12th centuries. It lies near modern village of Krasnaya Rechka, in the Chui valley, present-day Kyrgyzstan, about 30 kilometers east of Bishkek. It was one of the most important trading centres of the region.[2] Navekat was included in UNESCO World Heritage List in 2014[3] as a part of site Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor
 .svg.png.webp){kind=icon} Shown within Kyrgyzstan  Navekat (West and Central Asia) | |
| Alternative name | Nevkat |
|---|---|
| Location | Chuy Region, Kyrgyzstan |
| Coordinates | 42°54′56.2″N 75°0′29.9″E |
| Type | Settlement |
| History | |
| Founded | 5-6th century |
| Abandoned | 12th century |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | In ruins |
History
Nevkat (“New City”) is a Silk Road city that flourished between the 5th and 12th centuries. The identification is based on manuscripts found at the site. According to some accounts, it was one of the largest and important cities along the Silk Road in medieval period Ancient city was founded by the Sogdians, (an Iranian speaking people), in the fifth century. Population reached about 100.000 between seventh and eighth centuries.
Archaeological site
Navekat had two walls, first around Shahristan, the traditional administrative center of this type of cities. Second walls were more than 18 kilometers long with public buildings, markets, gardens and even farms inside There was a citadel in the North-eastern part of the city, which was built on a massive earthen platform. The volume of platform about 13 million cubic meters, probably it is the largest man-made mound in the world
During archaeological excavations there were found golden burial mask, 8 meter-long reclining Buddhas statue in the one of the two Buddhist temples uncovered.[4] There was found artefacts showing the presence of Buddhists, Zoroastrians, Nestorians, Manicheans