Istaravshan

Istaravshan, often referred to as a museum city, is a historic center of trade and craftsmanship and one of Central Asia’s oldest cities. In 2002, Istaravshan celebrated its 2,500th anniversary. While Alexander the Great is credited with founding Khujand, Istaravshan’s origins are linked to Cyrus the Great, the «king of kings» who conquered Central Asia two centuries earlier. The city was originally known as Kurushkanda. During this era, it was a formidable fortress guarding the strategic Shahristan Pass, connecting the Syr Darya and Zeravshan valleys. Notably, Alexander the Great was first wounded here after successfully conquering Persia. Although the city was destroyed, Alexander respected its significance and renamed it Cyropolis in honor of Cyrus.

The city then faded into obscurity, remaining a modest fortress until it reemerged in 435 AD as the center of Ustrushana. This region stretched between the Syr Darya and the Turkestan Range from Khujand to Jizzakh. Its inhabitants, culturally and linguistically similar to the Sogdians, practiced Zoroastrianism but had a different script. Ustrushana was divided into 18 principalities, each ruled by an «afshin,» with the capital at Bundzhikat, located above Istaravshan, serving as the trade capital.

One notable place name in Ustrushana is Mug, possibly dubbed the «land of sorcerers» by Arabs who conquered it only on their second attempt. In 739, the afshin acknowledged vassalage, agreeing to pay tribute, but the Caliphate failed to convert Ustrushana to Islam. In 822, a power struggle between the sons of the aging afshin Kavus led one to seek Arab support, converting to Islam and adopting the name Haidar.

Mugteppa was home to local nobility, who built numerous palaces with distinctive architecture. Evidence of this was found in Bundzhikat and Chil’khudzhra, where archaeologists discovered fortified structures with palaces and religious buildings adorned with paintings and carved panels. A notable find in Bundzhikat was a painting of a she-wolf nursing two infants, symbolizing connections between the West and the East. Only the gate with a dome and columns remains on Mug Hill, where the local governor’s residence once stood. During Arab rule, Istaravshan became a province of the Caliphate, and Islamic architecture, including mosques, madrasahs, mausoleums, and minarets, began to flourish.

In 895, the Samanid dynasty abolished Ustrushana’s autonomy. Istaravshan’s rapid development is linked to the rule of the first ethnic Tajik Samanid dynasty in the 9th and 10th centuries. The Mongols destroyed the city in the 13th century, but it reemerged in the 1410s under the Turkic name Uroteppa, later known as Ura-Tyube in Russian.

During the Timurid era, Ura-Tyube was a significant city, later becoming part of the Bukhara Khanate. In the 18th century, turmoil ensued when Bukhara was conquered by Persian Shah Nadir. Protected by mountains, Ura-Tyube became the center of a rebellious principality, reviving Ustrushana and expanding its reach to include present-day Sughd Province and approaching Tashkent. However, Bukhara regained strength, and Kokand rose to power, leading to conflicts over Ura-Tyube in the early 19th century. In 1866, Russian forces, led by General Dmitry Romanovsky, captured Ura-Tyube, marking a pivotal battle in the Turkestan campaign. Under Russian rule, Ura-Tyube became a minor town in the Khujand district of the Samarkand region, with a population of about 15,000 by the early 20th century. Throughout the 20th century, Ura-Tyube grew steadily, becoming one of Tajikistan’s largest cities outside the regional capitals.