Khulbuk is an archaeological complex in the village of Mehrobod, vosey district, Khatlon region, Tajikistan. Medieval Fortress, was the Palace of the ruler. In 1999, Khulbuk was included in the list of candidates for UNESCO world heritage sites.
The Fortress was part of the ancient city of Khishttepa and the center of the Khuttal region in the IX—XII centuries as part of the Ghaznavid state. The total area of the settlement is about 70 hectares, but most of it is occupied by modern buildings. The citadel, the Palace and the ruins of some ancient buildings have been preserved. Currently, the ancient complex is a historical Museum-reserve “Khalbuk”, occupying 16 hectares. in 2006, “Khalbuk” opened to visitors after a thorough reconstruction.
The citadel has a rectangle shape of 50×150 m and consists of two parts. The South (50×50 m) is surrounded by 15-meter walls, the North-more in area, but its walls are lower – 10 m. The Palace of the ruler is located inside the citadel.
As a result of archaeological excavations, more than 5 thousand artifacts were found, which allowed to learn more about the life and occupations of the local population. In addition, fragments of wall paintings were found. This refuted the assumption that in Central Asia such a tradition disappeared with the formation of Islam. City buildings were made of baked brick and raw brick, and the walls and interior were covered with plaster, the floors were laid out with terracotta parquet. There was also running water.
Excavations were carried out in 1953-1954 (E. Davidovich, B. Litvinsky), in 1957-1964 (Y. Yakubov), in 2003-2006.
The Museum-reserve, in addition to exhibits of archaeological excavations, exhibited paintings of modern art.
