7 Points of Interest & Landmarks in Termiz That You Shouldn't Miss

Reviewed By andrewmU2655XD

We visited Fayaz Tepa as part of an organised tour. A Fayaz Tepa visit does not require the same permits as a Karaz Tepa visit, as it is not in the border patrol base. On entering the complex, to the right there is an example of how the buildings in the complex may have appeared. The complex is divided into three main parts; accommodation & ancillary buildings, dining room with kitchen and a religious area. The first sight is the 10 meter high dome which was installed to protect the stupa within. The stupa is approximately 8 meters, and can only be viewed by climbing through the small window to access the interior. Another 3 meter stupa is within this larger stupa. There were specks of gold paint on the stupa, and an area where incense was burnt. Stupas are built to store religious items which are important to the monks. They are never destroyed, but larger stupas built around them. This stupa is estimated to date from the 1st century. We then walked to the rooms of the main complex. The site had been partially restored by plastering mud on the walls to protect them. We found the layout of the column bases and their design intriguing. The influence of the Greeks was clearly seen, and a testament to the spread of European culture in this area after the 329 BC invasion of Alexander the Great. The sculpted archways between sections and side niches carved into the walls were the best features. We were shown the area where the famous buddha sculpture was found. This sculpture showed the buddha with monks on either side. The columns beside the buddha were corinthian styled, and had acanthus leaves. We saw a copy of this sculpture in the Buddhist Temple in Tashkent. An interesting fact, is that it was the Greeks who taught Buddhists how to make the first statues of Buddha. This site functioned between 1st-3rd century, when the Kushan Empire was at it's strongest. The Sassanids invaded this area in the 3rd century, and the site was no longer used. The monks are thought to have moved to China, which was more accepting of their religion. We had visited other important Central Asian buddhist sites at Merv, Turkmenistan and Ajina Tepa & Takhti Sangin in Tajikistan. Fayaz Tepa is a fairly recently discovered site, as it was excavated in 1963. We found the nearby Karaz Tepa site just as interesting, and the Chingiz Tepa site is a short distance further south. The nearby Al Khakim At Termizi complex, includes the Museum of History of Termez and heritage of Termizids, which has pottery and other interesting items related to finds in this area. The site of the "old city" next to the Al Khakim At Termizi complex, is said to be the city of Demetrius, captured by Alexander the Great, but access is not permitted. The Archaeological Museum in Termez, is also a must visit to view finds at these sites. If you are interested in the spread of Buddhism in Central Asia, this site is a must visit.