Saray (gorodishche Selitrennoe)

 archaeological site, Medieval / Middle Ages, hillfort, former national capital, historic ruins

The vast archaeological site of gorodishche Selitrennoe on the left bank of the Akhtuba contains the remains of a major center of the so-called Golden Horde. For a long time this was believed to be the site of its original capital along the Volga, Old Saray or Saray Batu. In recent years, this identification has been questioned. The distinction between Saray Batu and Saray Berke is unclear, and at any rate the site at gorodishche Selitrennoe does not feature any significant remains from the 13th century, making it a very unlikely candidate for Old Saray and any for association with either Batu (died 1255) or Berke (died 1266). The archaeological and numismatic material from the site is much more consistent with its identification with New Saray (Saray al-Jadid), founded in the 14th century, and this is gaining consensus among scholars. While New Saray is to be placed here, the location of Old Saray remains unresolved, with three leading hypotheses: also at Selitrennoe, but washed away by floods; at Krasnyy Yar, which features more 13th century remains; at Akhtubinskoe gorodishche (Komsomol'skiy), which was a contemporary site, albeit little explored.
The sets representing Saray for the film "Orda" were built in 2010 on the northwestern outskirts of the site and have become a tourist attraction.
As of Revision 14, the polygon represents the formal limits of the archaeological object of gorodishche Selitrennoe, as defined in this map:
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