Takhti Sangin or “Oxa Temple”, is the remains of an ancient temple located on the territory of the settlement in the Khatlon region, five kilometers from the village of Teshik-Tosh. According to archaeologists, the temple was dedicated to the deity of the Amu Daryo river, which in ancient times was called “OKS”. The temple was supposedly built in the V-III centuries BC.
Excavations of the settlement were started by Soviet archaeologists in 1976. The size of the temple is truly impressive: it occupied a square area, each side of which had a length of 51 meters. The community that built the temple professed a special cult that combined Greek and Zoroastrian religious traditions.
During excavations in Takhti Sangin, numerous ornaments, utensils and other items were found. The preserved finds are now stored in the halls of the National Museum of antiquities, located in the center of Dushanbe.
It is noteworthy that the British Museum also houses some of the treasures from the temple of Oxus. They were found by locals in 1877 and sold to merchants who resold them to the British. Subsequent comparison of the findings showed that they have the same origin.
