Geographical History of Tashkent (Chach) With Emphasis on Its Border Position

Khosroabadi, Maryam; Karimi Alvar, Keyvan

doi:10.22034/jgk.2025.308610.0

Geographical History of Tashkent (Chach) With Emphasis on Its Border Position

Document Type : جغرافیای تاریخی خراسان بزرگ

Authors

Maryam Khosroabadi ¹

keyvan karimi alvar ²

¹ Assistant Professor, Department of History, Law and Political Sciences, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran

² Assistant Professor, Department of History, Faculty of Humanities, Yasouj University. Yasouj. Iran

10.22034/jgk.2025.308610.0

Abstract

The northeastern borders of Transoxiana are recognized as one of the most influential regions in the historical fate of Iran. It appears that historical developments in Chach were directly shaped by its dual position as both a borderland and a central hub. Located at the outermost edge of the Iranian cultural sphere, Chach offered a unique experience of coexistence between two advanced cultural models—sedentary and nomadic—which eventually led to their integration and fusion.Between the 1st and 4th centuries AH (7th to 10th centuries CE), Chach, along with Isbijab, was considered one of the most important frontiers between the Islamic world and non-Islamic lands (beyond the Syr Darya River). Research evidence shows that after the gradual settlement of nomadic groups in Chach and the establishment of new states (the Qarakhanids and the Qara Khitai), the region ceased to be seen as a major frontier in the Islamic world and gradually turned into a province with an interior, non-border position—leading to a decline in its historical significance.Nevertheless, the geographical features of Chach, during the unification of Turkestan and Transoxiana and the emergence of Russian Turkestan and Central Asia, transformed the region into a central city and the heart of Central Asia. This study, using historical analysis and relying on primary geographical and historical sources, examines the transformations of Chach through the lens of its dual borderland-central position and analyzes its role as a significant factor in shaping the region’s political fate.

Keywords

Tashkent, Chach, Khorasan, border, Transoxiana

Subjects

Historical geography, culture, society, history and civilization of Greater Khorasan

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