Khujand - History

History

This is the site of Cyropolis, or the City of Cyrus. In his last expedition against the Saka tribe of Massagetae and shortly before his death in that battle, king Cyrus the Great the founder of the Persian Empire founded a city here which he named after himself. Greek authors maintain that later in time, Alexander of Macedon built a Greek settlement near Cyropolis (Khujand) in 329 BC and named it Alexandria Eschate (Ἀλεξάνδρεια Ἐσχάτη) or "Alexandria The Furthest". It would have formed a bastion for the Greek settlers against the Scythian tribes to the north of the Syr Darya, which the Greeks called the Jaxartes River. It became a major staging point on the northern Silk Road. Some famous Persian poets and scientists come from this city. Khujand is an integral part of the Iranic world and culture.

Khujand was captured by the Muslim armies in the 8th century and incorporated into the Abbasid Caliphate In late 9th century, however, it reverted to local rule and eventually incorporated into the native Samanid empire. It was passed to Kara-Khanid Khanate in 999. After division of Kara Khanids in 1042, it was initially part of Eastern Kara Khanids, but was passed to western one. Karakhitans conquered it in 1137, but was passed to Khwarazmshahs in 1211. In AD 1220, it strongly resisted the Mongol hordes and was thus laid to waste. In the 14th century, the city was part of the Chagatai Khanate of Central Asia, only to be incorporated into the Timurids realm in the late 14th century. The Shaybanid dynasty of Bukhara next annexed Khojand, lasting until its takeover by the Kokand Khanate in 1802. But, Bukhara regained it in 1842. In 1866, as most of Central Asia was occupied by Russian Empire, the city became part of the Russian Governorate of Turkestan and then Soviet Union until 1991. In the 1929, it was incorporated into the Soviet Republic of Tajikistan (Tadzhik S.S.R.) after bounding to Uzbek SSR between 1924 and 1929. With independence of Tajikistan, Khujand is now the second largest city in that nation.

The city was renamed Leninabad on October 27, 1939, and re-established on December 23, 1970. It reverted to its original name in 1992 after the breakup of the Soviet Union, and is now in the republic of Tajikistan.