Panjakent

Ancient Panjakent was a small but flourishing town of the Sogdians in pre-Islamic Central Asia. It was known as Panchekanth.^[4] The ethnic and territorial name "Soghd/Soghdian" or Sughd/Sughdian was mentioned in history as early as the Iranian Achaemenid dynasty (6th century BC). The Achaemenids founded several city-states, as well as cities along the ancient Silk Road and in the Zarafshan valley.

The town grew in the 5th century AD and many professionals such as established businessmen and landowners made their livelihoods in Panjakent. In AD 722, Arab Muslims forces besieged and took the town. The last ruler of the town Divashtich fled into upper Zarafshan but he was captured and sentenced to death. For around 50 years, ancient Panjakent was ruled by new administrators but towards the end of the 8th century the town on the upper terraces was depopulated and relocated. Many ancient ruins of the old city, particularly the city architecture and works of art remain today.

The Sogdians settled in a number of the city states Zeravashan alley and the surrounding oases clustered mostly around the Samarkand. Those city states had a strong rivalry between themselves, with their own traditions rules and ruling families, creating a very decentralised political system. Similarly the city of Panjakent was located around 90 km away from Samarkand and was a vassal state to Samarkand though it still had a vibrant and prosperous economy.^[5]

Numerous records of a Penjikent rulership, written in Sogdian, were located not far of Penjikent on Mount Mug. Through their reading of these texts, the public of Central Asia in the 8th century will judge on social, economic and political life.^[6]

According to Arab geographers, Panjakent in the 10th century had a formal Friday mosque that distinguished the place as a town from a village. It was the easternmost city of Soghd, and became well known for its walnuts.^[7]

Russian archaeologist Boris Marshak spent more than fifty years excavating the ruins at Panjakent.^[8] He remained there even after Tajik independence as director of the excavation of the Panjakent ruins, during the years of Civil War in Tajikistan from 1992 to 1997. Through close cooperation with the government of Tajikistan, Marshak ensured the protection and continued excavation of the Panjakent ruins.

Before ca. 2018, Panjakent was the seat of Panjakent District, which covered the rural part of the present city of Panjakent.^[14] The city of Panjakent covers Panjakent proper and fourteen jamoats.^[2] These are as follows:^[15]

• Nigina Amonkulova, folk singer^[16]
• Khayrinisso Yusufi, vice-premier of Tajikistan, member of the Assembly of Representatives.^[17]
• Otakhon Latifi (Tajik: Отахон Латифи) (1936–1998), was a noted journalist and politician^[18]
• Yaqub Beg, leader of Uighur state of Yettishar during the Dungan Revolt against the Qing dynasty in years 1865–1877^{[19][circular reference]}
• Rustem Umierov (b. 1982), Ukrainian Crimean Tatar politician

• List of cities in Tajikistan
• Rudaki Republican Museum of Regional History, Panjakent