P rominent t ajik f igures of the

Ne'matov, Nu'mon

Tajik archaeologist Nu'mon Ne'matovich Ne'matov, also referred to

as Negmatov, was born to a farming family in Khujand on March 5,

1927. He joined the CPSU in 1947.

Ne'matov graduated from the Leninabad Pedagogical Institute in

1948 with a degree in history. From 1948 to 1952, he was a post-

graduate student at the Institute of the History of Material Civilization

at the Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union in Saint Petersburg. In

1953, he defended his thesis entitled Ustarafshan dar Asrhoi VIII-X

Milod (Istaravshan From the 8

th

 to the 10

th

 Centuries AD). In the same

year, he became a Senior Scientific Worker at the Institute of History,

Archaeology, and Ethnography of the Academy of Sciences of

Tajikistan. In 1969, he defended his dissertation, entitled Khujand va

Ustrushana dar Davrai Qadim va Asrhoi Miona (Khujand and

Istaravshan in Ancient and Medieval Times). He received his early

education in Khujand. He received his doctorate degree in history in

1969, became a professor in 1972, and a Corresponding Member of the

Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan in 1978. In 1970, he became the

Director of the History Division of the same institute. Between 1954

and 1974, he was a member of the archaeological excavations in

northern Tajikistan. In 1974, he became the Director of the

Archaeological Expedition to northern Tajikistan.

Ne'matov's research deals with the ancient and medieval history of

Central Asia. He was the first to study the governmental structure of

Istaravshan. Under his leadership, the capital of Istaravshan, Bunjikat,

and its surrounding ruins were investigated. The excavations unearthed

architectural remains, paintings, carvings, and the like. Ne'matov is a

major contributor to our understanding of the history of Khujand and

Uroteppa, an understanding that would not have been possible without

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