Group
Sogdia
Sogdia, or Sogdiana, is the ancient civilization of an Iranian people and a province of the Achaemenid Empire, eighteenth in the list on the Behistun Inscription of Darius the Great (i.
16).
Sogdiana is "listed" as the second of the "good lands and countries" that Ahura Mazda created.
This region is listed second after Airyanem Vaejah, "homeland of the Aryans", in the Zoroastrian book of Vendidad, indicating the importance of this region from ancient times.
Sogdiana, at different times, includes territories around Samarkand, Bukhara, Khujand, Panjikent and Shahrisabz in modern Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.The Sogdian states, although never politically united, are centered on the main city of Samarkand.
Sogdiana lay north of Bactria, east of Khwarezm, and southeast of Kangju between the Oxus (Amu Darya) and the Jaxartes (Syr Darya), embracing the fertile valley of the Zeravshan (ancient Polytimetus).
Sogdian territory corresponds to the modern provinces of Samarkand and Bokhara in modern Uzbekistan as well as the Sughd province of modern Tajikistan.
During the High Middle Ages Sogdian cities included sites stretching towards Issyk Kul such as that at the archeological site of Suyab.
Member Cities
- Samarkand Samarkand Uzbekistan Capital
- Balkh Balkh Afghanistan Location
- Basra > Al-Basrah Al-Basrah Iraq Location
- Baykand Bukhara Uzbekistan Location
- Biskek (Frunze) Bishkek Kyrgyzstan Location
- Bukhara Bukhara Uzbekistan Location
- Cyropolis Tajikistan Location
- Darzab Sar-e Pol Afghanistan Location
- Dushanbe > Dusanbe Dusanbe Tajikistan Location
- Ferghana > Fergana Ferghana Uzbekistan Location
- Gurganj > Kunya Urgench Dashhowuz Turkmenistan Location
- Hanoi Hanoi Thành Pho Vietnam Location
- Hoxud Xinjiang Uygur Zizhiqu (Sinkiang) China Location
- Issyk-Kul' Ysyk-Köl Kyrgyzstan Location
- Karasahr > Yanqi Xinjiang Uygur Zizhiqu (Sinkiang) China Location
- Kashgar > Kashi Xinjiang Uygur Zizhiqu (Sinkiang) China Location
- Khiva > Chiva Khorezm Uzbekistan Location
- Khujand Leninabad Tajikistan Location
- Korla Xinjiang Uygur Zizhiqu (Sinkiang) China Location
- Kucha Xinjiang Uygur Zizhiqu (Sinkiang) China Location
- Kyzylorda Kyzylorda Region Kazakhstan Location
- Merv > Mary Mary Turkmenistan Location
- Panjakent Sughd Region Tajikistan Location
- Qalat Zabol Afghanistan Location
- Qandahar > Kandahar Kandahar Afghanistan Location
- Qonduz > Kunduz > Kondoz Kondoz Afghanistan Location
- Sachrisabz > Shahrisabz Kashkadarya Uzbekistan Location
- Samosdelka > Atil Astrakhanskaya Oblast Russia Location
- Seleucia on the Tigris Babil Iraq Location
- Suyab Chüy Kyrgyzstan Location
- Talas Talas Kyrgyzstan Location
- Tashkent Tashkent Uzbekistan Location
- Tashtakaracha Pass Samarkand Uzbekistan Location
- Termez Surkhandarya Uzbekistan Location
- Turpan > T'u-lu-fan Xinjiang Uygur Zizhiqu (Sinkiang) China Location