Penjikent is a small, ancient city located in Central Asia, specifically in what is now modern-day Tajikistan. It used to be a very important city along the Silk Road, which was like a big trading pathway that connected different parts of the world a long, long time ago.
Now, imagine you have a special road that connects your house to your friend's house. This road is not just for cars, but also for people who walk and ride animals carrying goods. This road connects many different cities and countries, and people use it to trade things they have with things they need.
Penjikent was one of the cities that was built along this special road a very, very long time ago, around 2,500 years ago! People from all over the world used to visit Penjikent to buy and sell different things like silk, spices, and precious metals. It was like a marketplace where people could exchange their goods.
People in Penjikent used to have fancy houses made of mud bricks, which were like the Lego bricks you play with. These houses had walls decorated with beautiful paintings that showed scenes from their daily life, like farming, hunting, and dancing. They also had special channels called canals that brought water to their homes and farms.
Penjikent was a very rich and important city, but sadly, it was abandoned and left in ruins many centuries ago. Nobody really knows why it happened exactly, but some people say it could have been because of wars or natural disasters like earthquakes. The city was covered by sand and dirt, and only in the 20th century did archaeologists (people who study and dig up old things) discover its remains.
Today, Penjikent is a place where people can visit and learn about this ancient city. There is a museum where you can see the beautiful paintings that were found on the walls of the old houses. You can also walk through the ruins and imagine what life was like for the people who lived there so long ago.
So, in summary, Penjikent is an old city along a big trading road called the Silk Road. It used to be a lively place where people from different countries would buy and sell things. The city had fancy houses and beautiful paintings on its walls. Although Penjikent was abandoned and left in ruins, people can still visit and learn about its fascinating history today.