ARCHITECTURE OF BORDER TERRITORIES: CULTURAL SYNTHESIS IN THE ARCHITECTURE OF ANCIENT CENTRAL ASIA

Ancient Central Asia occupies a unique position in the history of world architecture due to its geographical location at the intersection of major cultural and civilizational routes connecting the Mediterranean world, Iran, India, China, and the Eurasian steppe. Over many centuries, this region functioned not as a passive recipient of external influences but as an active space of cultural interaction, transformation, and synthesis. Architecture played a central role in this process, serving as a material medium through which intercultural dialogue was articulated and stabilized.