CLASSIFICATION OF WESTERN SOGD CITIES IN WRITTEN SOURCES: HISTORICAL ANALYSIS

Abstract

This article presents the results of a study on the reflection of the cities of
Western Sughd in written sources and the history of their study. The main purpose of the study is
to analyze the formation, development of cities in the Bukhara oasis, as well as historical and
topographic information recorded in the works of medieval authors. The article analyzes Arabic,
Persian and Turkic written sources, as well as historical information cited by Russian researchers
of the 19th-20th centuries in a comparative manner.
During the study, the mention of cities such as “Bukhara”, “Romitan”, “Poykend”,
“Varakhsha” in written sources, as well as evidence of their socio-political and cultural
significance, was analyzed. As a result, it was found that the Bukhara oasis was formed as a
political and cultural center in the region from the early Middle Ages, and this process was
reflected in written sources at different stages, according to the scientific and ideological views of
the authors. The results of the research serve as an important source for a comprehensive study
of the urban culture, historical topography and archaeological sources of the Bukhara oasis.