Afrasiab Palace Murals (Sogdian court painting)

Monumental wall murals from the palace of the Sogdian ruler of Samarkand on the Afrasiab site, c. 648–651 CE. North wall: a royal reception scene depicting ambassadors from Tang China, Korea, India, and Byzantium bearing gifts to the Sogdian king Varkhuman. South wall: hunting and festival scenes. Mineral pigments on lime plaster. In situ and partly reconstructed at the Afrasiab Museum, Samarkand, Uzbekistan.