Ancient Panjakent, the Pompeii of Central Asia
Sogdians paint the deeds of Rustam centuries before Ferdowsi
This Sogdian town on the Zeravshan flourished in the 5th–8th centuries; even ordinary houses had murals of feasts, gods and the hero Rustam. Abandoned after the Arab conquest, it has been dug since 1946 by Leningrad archaeologists, revealing whole streets of frescoes.
Wikipedia (Russian) · Wikipedia (English) · 8th century
Meanwhile around the world (±25 years)
Europe
- 717–718 Second Arab siege of Constantinople — 23 years earlier
- 732 Battle of Tours — 8 years earlier
Middle East
- 750 Abbasid Revolution — 10 years later
- 762 Founding of Baghdad — 22 years later
Alive at the time
- Li Bai (aged 39)
- Emperor Kanmu (aged 3)
- Lady Six Sky (aged 58)