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V.V. Bartold states: ―Bunjikat is a town where the governor lives, whose houses are built of
wood and mud. The city is an inner and outer city surrounded by walls. Bunjikat is probably 25
km to the south-east from Panjikent or Uratepa, may be Shahriston (town) on the hill
41
. "
In conclusion, it should be noted that such interpretation is not at all compatible with the above
mentioned Arabic sources. Bunjikat is located just six farsakh from Samarkand. Tajik scholars of
oriental studies emphasized the fact based on V.V Bartold's opinion that Bunjikat is not Panjiket
or Uratepa. The distance between Uratepa and Samarkand is more than 25 farsakh. Even if you
look at the position of its four exterior gates of location, one can find that it does not fit that it is
Bunjikat. The source of the six rivers in the outskirts of Bunjikat is said to be adjacent to the
river, which is half a mile away from the city, and is a well-populated, prosperous with fruits,
and place with rivers. All these facts show that the river Sangzor, located half a mile away, is
located in Jizzakh region.
Zomin was one of the largest cities in Ustrushana, a historic city, flourished in the Middle Ages,
and was one of the largest cities on the Silk Road. Therefore, there are a lot of information in
Arabic historical sources about this city
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. Zomin was also known in ancient times as Sarasanda,
Susanda, Sabza. In his book "Shrines of Jizzakh Region" Aga Burgutli describes Zomin as
follows: ―The term Zomin is associated with the name "Zomyod" - the angel of prosperity
mentioned in Avesto. The history of this city dates back to the days of our Zoroastrian ancestors,
and the VII-V centuries BC
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.‖
Many scholars have commented on Zomin in their works and research. The largest city in
Ustrushana was Bunjiket, the second largest city was Zomin. Zomin was located on the way
from Fergana to Sughd and was named after Susanda and Sabza. Its east was covered by
mountains and west by deserts. The city was located on both banks of Zominsuv
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. BC.
The third largest city in Ustrushana was Dizak
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. It was one of the oldest cities in Central Asia.
The toponomist scholars described the name Jizzakh as ―Dizak‖ - a small fortress, ‗diz‘ - a
fortress, ‗ak‘ – small
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. So, Dizak means "a small fortress." Greek chroniclers mention Kiropol
and Gazo separately. Although archaeologists do not clearly state the location of Gazo, historic
sources say it was located between Samarkand and Tashkent. Scholars believe that Gazo is an
ancient Jizzakh
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.
The city existed before the Arab invasion. During the reign of Feknan, many caravanserais and
hotels were built in Dizak. There was a caravanserai of Khudysar which was one farsakh far
from a city, a hotel built by Badr ibn Kushayr and many houses. Dizak was a city on the way to
Shosh, between Samarkand and Zomin
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. In Dizak there was a place called Marosimanda, which
consisted of one hundred acres, and once a year a large trade fair was held there. It was
surrounded by mountains. Near Marosimanda, there was a place called Mingh, where iron is still
being mined
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. In the book "Hudud ul-olam" the following description is given: "Dizak is a town
with its running water. There is a place near it called Marosimanda, where it sells one day a year,
and it sells goods for one hundred thousand dinars a day
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. "
In the early Middle Ages, wool and leather products were in great demand in the world market in
Jizzakh. The presence of mahallas (neighbourhoods) such as pottery, jewelry and wheelchair in
the VII-IX centuries indicates the development of national crafts at that time
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.
There are many sacred sites and shrines in the Jizzakh region. As of June 10, 2008, there were
372 sites of cultural heritage, including 42 historical monuments and sacred shrines, 267
ISSN: 2278-4853 Vol 9, Issue 6, June, 2020 Impact Factor: SJIF 2020 = 6.882
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