Khujand (also Khodjend), formerly Leninabad is a city on the Syr-Darya at the mouth of the Ferghana Valley, and also gives its name to the northernmost region of the Republic of Tajikistan.

Administration

The region consists of 8 towns, 14 districts, 20 settlements and 93 villages.

History

Alexander the Great founded a Greek settlement here in 329 BCE called the city of Alexandria Eschate or "Alexandria The Furthest" - modern Khujand. It 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 Route.

The city was renamed Leninabad on October 27, 1939, and re-established on December 23, 1970. It reverted to its original name of Khujand (also written Khodjend or Khodjent), after the breakup of the Soviet Union, and is now in the state of Tajikistan.

Geography

Area: 261,000 sq. km.

The region shares a border with Jizakh, Namangan , Samarkand and Fergana regions of Uzbekistan, and Osh region of Kyrgyzstan. The Sirdarya river flows through it.

References

• Hill, John E. 2004. The Peoples of the West from the Weilue 魏略 by Yu Huan 魚豢: A Third Century Chinese Account Composed between 239 and 265 CE. Draft annotated English translation. [1] (See under the heading for "Northern Wuyi").