INTEGRATION OF RELIGIOUS RITUALS AND CRAFTSMANSHIP IN THE SOGDIAN CONFEDERATION: THE EXAMPLE OF THE NAKHSHAB PRINCIPALITY
Keywords:
Sogdian Confederation, Nakhshab principality, craftsmanship, religious rituals, Zoroastrianism, iconography, Azhi Dahaka (dragon), seals and coins, archaeology, sacred culture.Abstract
The article explores the integration of religious rituals and craftsmanship in the Sogdian Confederation during the Early Middle Ages, taking the Nakhshab principality as a case study. It demonstrates that craft products — ritual vessels, statuettes, iconographic depictions, seals, and coins — functioned not merely as economic items but as core elements of “sacred culture” in the Zoroastrian context, encoding religious concepts and stabilizing collective memory. Drawing on archaeological, iconographic, numismatic, and toponymic sources (Panjikent temples, Yerkurgon seal, “Kal’ai Zohhaki Moron” toponym, Azhi Dahaka motif) and the works of F. Grenet, R. Sulaymonov, and A. Yarkulov, the author scientifically substantiates the profound linkage of craftsmanship with religious practice, social hierarchy, power legitimation ideology, and transregional cultural exchanges.
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