Istaravshan (; ) is a city in

Sughd Province Sughd Province, also referred to as the Sogdia Region, and Leninabad before 2001, is one of the four administrative divisions and one of the three provinces that make up Tajikistan. Centered in the historical Sogdiana, it is located in the northw ...

Tajikistan Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is the capital city, capital and most populous city. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border, south, Uzbekistan to ...

. In 2000, the Tajik government changed the name of the city from Uroteppa (; ''Ura-Tyube'', ). The city lies in the northern foothills of the Turkistan mountain range, 78 kilometers southwest of

Khujand Khujand, sometimes spelled Khodjent and formerly known as Leninabad from 1936 to 1991, is the second-largest city of Tajikistan and the capital of Tajikistan's northernmost Sughd province. Khujand is one of the oldest cities in Central Asia, d ...

, on the main road connecting Tajikistan's two largest cities, Khujand and

Dushanbe Dushanbe is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Tajikistan. , Dushanbe had a population of 1,564,700, with this population being largely Tajiks, Tajik. Until 1929, the city was known in Russian as Dyushambe, and from 1929 to 1961 as St ...

. Bordered by

Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...

in the north and west, and

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Kyrgyzstan, largest city. Kyrgyz ...

in the east, Istaravshan's administrative area encompasses 1,830 square kilometers and a population of 273,500 people. Most of them (76%) live in the outlying countryside. Istaravshan is one of central Asia's oldest towns of commerce and crafts. The city celebrated its 2,500th birthday in the year 2002. It was one of three proposed locations for ancient

Cyropolis Cyreschata (Old Persian: ), better known by its Latin name Cyropolis ( or , ), both meaning "City of Cyrus", was an ancient city founded by Cyrus the Great to mark the northeastern border of his Achaemenid Empire. Location The actual locatio ...

, which was built on the north-eastern outskirts of the

Achaemenid Empire The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire, also known as the Persian Empire or First Persian Empire (; , , ), was an Iranian peoples, Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great of the Achaemenid dynasty in 550 BC. Based in modern-day Iran, i ...

by the king

Cyrus Cyrus () is a Persian-language masculine given name. It is historically best known as the name of several List of monarchs of Iran, Persian kings, most notably including Cyrus the Great, who founded the Achaemenid Empire in 550 BC. It remains wid ...

in the 6th century B.C.

Climate

Istaravshan has a

continental Mediterranean climate Continental may refer to: Places * Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US * Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US Arts and entertainment * ''Continental'' (album), an album by Saint Etienne * Continen ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Dsa''). The average annual temperature in Istaravshan is . There is more rainfall in winter than in summer, and about of precipitation falls annually.

Subdivisions

Before ca. 2018, Istaravshan was the seat of

Istaravshan District Istaravshan District () or Nohiya-i Istaravshan (), formerly Uroteppa (or Ura-Tyube) District (, ), is a former district in the central part of Sughd Region, Tajikistan, between the border with Uzbekistan to the west and Ghonchi district to the ea ...

, which covered the rural part of the present city of Istaravshan. The city of Istaravshan covers Istaravshan proper and ten '' jamoats''. These are as follows:Jamoat-level basic indicators
United Nations Development Programme in Tajikistan, accessed 3 October 2020

Istaravshan on stamps

File:Stamps of Tajikistan, 031-02.jpg, Stamps of Tajikistan, 2002 File:Stamps of Tajikistan, 032-02.jpg, Stamps of Tajikistan, 2002 File:Stamps of Tajikistan, 033-02.jpg, Stamps of Tajikistan, 2002 File:Stamps of Tajikistan, 034-02.jpg, Stamps of Tajikistan, 2002

Notable people

* Ulmas Mirsaidovich Mirsaidov (born 1945), theoretical chemist and professor

References

{{Authority control Populated places in Sughd Region Jamoats of Tajikistan

Climate

Subdivisions

Istaravshan on stamps

Notable people

See also

References