| Khujand Хуҷанд |
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| Khujand square | |
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Khujand
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Tajikistan |
| Province | Sughd |
| Area | |
| • Total | 40 km2 (15.4 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 300 m (984 ft) |
| Population (2007) | |
| • Total | 149,000 |
| Area code(s) | 00 992 3422 |
| Website | www.khujand.tj |
Khujand (Tajik: Хуҷанд,خجند) (Greek: Alexandria Eschate (Ἀλεξάνδρεια Ἐσχάτη)), also transliterated as Khudzhand, Russian: Худжанд, formerly Khodjend or Khodzhent until 1936 and Leninabad (Leninobod, Ленинобод, لنینآباد) until 1991, is the second-largest city of Tajikistan. It is situated on the Syr Darya River at the mouth of the Fergana Valley. The population of the city is 149,000 (2000 census), down from 160,000 in 1989. It is also the capital of the northernmost province of Tajikistan, now called Sughd.
The population in the city and the countryside around it, are heavily Persian speaking. Except for the towns of Kasan and Akhsikat in the Uzbek northeastern Fergana valley, Khujand is the most northerly Persian-speaking city in the world.
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This is the site of Cyropolis, or the City of Cyrus. In his last expedition against the Saka tribe of Massagetae and shortly before his death in that battle, king Cyrus the Great the founder of the Persian Empire founded a city here which he named after himself. Greek authors maintain that later in time, Alexander of Macedon built a Greek settlement near Cyropolois (the site of today's Khujand) in 329 BC and called the city of Alexandria Eschate (Ἀλεξάνδρεια Ἐσχάτη) or "Alexandria The Furthest" - modern Khujand. It would have formed a bastion for the Greek settlers against the Scythian tribes to the north of the Syr Darya, which the Greeks called the Jaxartes River. It became a major staging point on the northern Silk Road.
During much of its history Khujand like the rest of Central Asia was once a part of old Iran and its history is a part of the history of old Iran. Some of the famous Persian poets and scientists come from this city.
Khujand was captured by the Arabs in the 8th century and strongly resisted the Mongol hordes five centuries later. Timurids ruled the area including the whole Tajikistan before it became part of the Kokand Khanate. In 1866, Central Asia was occupied by Russia, pushing back the borders of Kokand Khanate.
The city was renamed Leninabad on October 27, 1939, and re-established on December 23, 1970. It reverted to its original name in 1992 after the breakup of the Soviet Union, and is now in the republic of Tajikistan.
Khujand experiences a temperate desert climate (Köppen BWk) with long, hot summers and short, cool winters.
| Climate data for Khujand | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 3.5 (38.3) |
6.2 (43.2) |
13.8 (56.8) |
21.9 (71.4) |
28.6 (83.5) |
34.2 (93.6) |
35.5 (95.9) |
32.4 (90.3) |
28.8 (83.8) |
20.6 (69.1) |
12.3 (54.1) |
5.6 (42.1) |
20.28 (68.51) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −3.2 (26.2) |
−1.8 (28.8) |
4.2 (39.6) |
10.7 (51.3) |
15.5 (59.9) |
19.6 (67.3) |
21.2 (70.2) |
18.8 (65.8) |
13.6 (56.5) |
8.1 (46.6) |
3.4 (38.1) |
−0.5 (31.1) |
9.13 (48.44) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 15.1 (0.594) |
15.4 (0.606) |
24.9 (0.98) |
26.8 (1.055) |
20.1 (0.791) |
8.6 (0.339) |
3.9 (0.154) |
1.2 (0.047) |
3.2 (0.126) |
14.9 (0.587) |
15.7 (0.618) |
17.3 (0.681) |
167.1 (6.579) |
| Avg. precipitation days | 11.4 | 11.0 | 12.7 | 12.6 | 12.0 | 6.3 | 4.1 | 2.6 | 3.2 | 6.8 | 7.4 | 10.4 | 100.5 |
| Source: World Meteorological Organisation (UN) [1] | |||||||||||||
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