Chilkhudzhra

an early medieval castle (late fourth to early eighth centuries) located south of the settlement of Shakhristan in Ura-Tiube Raion, Tadzhik SSR. Chil’khudzhra was excavated from 1961 to 1966. Quadrangular in plan and constructed of mud brick, it had strong walls, with round corner towers and a donjon. Three building periods were traced. The ceilings were vaulted, and a ramp linked the interior with the roof. Remains of wall paintings, wood sculptures and utensils, fragments of the oldest musical instruments in Tadzhikistan, jewelry, and a gold bracteate were found. The most valuable finds were epigraphic remains: three small boards with Sogdian inscriptions in ink (one a receipt for repayment of a debt), which solved the problem of the linguistic affiliation and written language of the population of Ustrushana.