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Territorial barriers are a widespread phenomenon in Western Central Asia where they specifically take the shape of large-scale oasis walls, surrounding the entirety or large parts of the agricultural hinterland of important urban centers vis-à-vis stretches of desert or desert steppe in the region. Nonetheless, starting with their dating, our understanding of these sizable monuments is still very insufficient. The most monumental and best preserved one of these territorial barriers, the 'Long wall' of Bukhara – at least 250 miles long and complete with an impressive array of adjoining fortresses and watchtowers –, has been since 2011 subject to comprehensive investigations carried out in the framework of an American-Uzbek field project. The results of five seasons of extensive field surveys and excavations allow now, for the first time, substantiated conclusions regarding the chronology and the purpose of the barrier.