Khujand
Khujand is a city of great people.
“We can talk endless about Khujand, about its people - talented poets, sweet singers and gentle dancers, famous scientists and unsurpassed artisans. But it's better to see it once.” So wrote about Khujand the great poet of the 12th century Hokoni Shirvani. Indeed, this ancient city, which according to official sources was founded in the 7th century BC, presented the world with a large number of outstanding scientists, musicians, writers and poets who glorifyed it and wrote numerous odes in honor of the city.
So, the author of the famous gazelles - Kamol Khujandi, whose work was popular in the 14th century, was named “The Nightingale of Khujand”. No less famous in the Middle Ages was the "muse" of Khujand, the great poetess, musician, and the magnificent dancer Makhasti, who was popular far beyond the boundaries of Central Asia. One can speak about the creative figures of Khujand for a long time, their stories are bright and complex, they are a strong brick in the foundation of the cultural heritage of the most ancient city.
The construction of the city began on the initiative of the king Kayanid Kaykuboda, and reached its heyday during the reign of the Persian king from the Achaemenid dynasty - Darius.
Folk legends tell us that it in Khujand once lived Khoja Nasreddin - the main character of oriental folk tales and short films, sly and cheery fellow. Today, some archaeologists and scientists are looking for evidence of his residence in Khujand.
Today, the ancient city is called Khujand, which from Sogdian means “pleasant side”, and it is original, but in its history the district changed its name several times. After the conquest of these lands by Alexander the Great, the city not only moved to a new branch of development and was completely rebuilt, but also received a new majestic name - Alexandria Eskhata (extreme). The next time the name of the city changed when it became part of the Russian Empire and became known as Khojent. From 1936 until the country's independence, the district was called Leninabad - in honor of Vladimir Lenin. And only in 1991, the city returned the historic name of Khujand.
In the heyday of Khujand was as famous as the cities of Bukhara and Samarkand and was considered the largest center of science and culture of Central Asia. Geographically, the city was located conveniently for the Great Silk Road; therefore, trade was always active here, the city was rich, and also of high military strategic value for Tajikistan.
The city is famous for a large number of medieval citadels and the mosque-mausoleum of Sheikh Musleheddin, built in the 17-18 centuries. Also, to the attention of tourists and guests of Khujand such architectural sights as: the Orthodox Church of Mary Magdalene, which is the oldest Orthodox church in Tajikistan, built in 1884 at the expense of the Moscow merchant Khludov. Monument of the poet Kamol Khujandi and the museum-fortress of the warlord Temurmalik, who had fierce resistance to the troops of Genghis Khan.