Fayaz Tepa Buddhist monastery, Termez

In the first centuries AD, the lands on both sides of the Amu Darya (the ancient Oxus) belonged to the Kushan empire, which stretched from Central Asia into northern India. Under the Kushan rulers, especially Kanishka, Buddhism flourished and spread along the trade routes. Ancient Termez, on the river crossing between Bactria and India, became a major Buddhist centre with several monasteries and stupas. From here, monks and merchants carried Buddhism north and east along the Silk Road towards China.

Buddhism declined after the arrival of Islam in the 7th–8th centuries, and the monasteries were abandoned and buried by sand. They were rediscovered by archaeologists in the 20th century.

Fayaz Tepa was excavated in 1968–1976 by Soviet archaeologists. They uncovered a rectangular complex of mud brick, about 117 by 34 metres, divided into three parts:

• The monastery, with a courtyard surrounded by cells where monks lived, a refectory and kitchens.
• The sanctuary, with halls decorated with wall paintings and sculptures.
• The stupa, a solid domed structure containing relics, around which monks and pilgrims walked in prayer.

The stupa has been preserved under a protective brick dome built over it after excavation, with an opening through which visitors can see the original structure. Around it, the outlines of the walls of the monastery are visible on the ground.

The excavations produced remarkable finds: fragments of wall paintings showing Buddhas and donors, coins, pottery, inscriptions in Bactrian and Brahmi scripts, and sculptures. The most famous is a limestone relief of the Buddha seated under a Bodhi tree between two monks, framed by an arch, a masterpiece of Kushan art that combines Indian and Hellenistic influences. It is displayed in the State Museum of History in Tashkent. Other finds are in the Termez Archaeological Museum.

Life in a Kushan monastery followed rules shared with Buddhist communities in India. Monks lived in small cells around a courtyard, ate together in the refectory, studied texts, meditated and performed rituals at the stupa, walking around it while reciting prayers. Local donors, merchants and nobles supported the monastery with gifts of food, land and money, and in return were remembered in inscriptions and paintings. The monasteries of Termez were also places of learning, where texts were copied and translated, and where travelling monks could rest on their way between India and China.

Location: on the outskirts of Termez, near the site of ancient Termez and the Amu Darya, close to the Kara Tepa monastery.

Getting there: by taxi or with a driver, about 15–20 minutes from the city centre.

Tickets: a small entrance fee.

Time needed: about an hour.

Tips: visit early in the morning or late in the afternoon: Termez is one of the hottest places in Uzbekistan, and the site has little shade. Visit the Archaeological Museum first or afterwards for context. Combine with the Zurmala stupa and the shrine of al-Hakim at-Termizi in a half-day tour of ancient Termez. A guide who knows Buddhist history greatly enriches the visit.

Fayaz Tepa is one of the best-preserved Buddhist monuments in Central Asia and one of the few places in Uzbekistan where visitors can stand beside a 2,000-year-old stupa. It reminds us that the region now known for its Islamic architecture was once a crossroads of religions: Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Christianity, Manichaeism and Islam all left their mark along the Silk Road. Buddhist pilgrims from Japan, Korea and other countries visit the site today.