History Flashcards
c. 2300–1700 BCE
Oxus Civilization (The Bactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex); settled non-Aryan society in present-day southern Central Asia; connections with Mesopotamia
c. 2200–1800 BCE
Sintashta Culture: proto-Indo-Iranian speakers around southern Ural Mountains; invention of spoke-wheeled chariot
c. 1800–1000 BCE
Andronovo Culture: Indo-Iranian pastoralists expand across Eurasian steppe
c. 1300 BCE
pre-Zoroastrian petroglyphs in Seven Rivers region of present-day southern Central Asia
c. 1200 BCE
Life of Zarathustra, founder of Zoroastrianism, possibly in Seven Rivers region
546–539 BCE
Persian Emperor Cyrus II conquers Sogdiana, founds Cyropolis in Ferghana Valley near present-day Khujand
529 BCE
Cyrus killed in battle against Scythian Massagetae led by Queen Tomyris
327 BCE
Alexander III of Macedon conquers Sogdiana
312–63 BCE
Hellenistic Seleucid Empire, blending of Greek and Iranian cultures in Central Asia
129 BCE
Chinese emissary Zhang Qian reaches Ferghana Valley in search of ‘heavenly horses’
247 BCE–224 CE
Arsacid (Parthian) Empire rules the Iranian world from Mesopotamia to the Oxus and Indus Rivers
30 BCE–410 CE
Indus Valley–based Kushan Empire; spread of Buddhism throughout Bactria
1st BCE to 8th CE
Sogdian merchant communities dominate Silk Road trade networks; protected by nomadic Turkic tribes from sixth century
712–22
Muslim conquests of Central Asia
755–83
Revolt of Sogdian prophetic figure Muqanna‘
819–999
New Persian Renaissance under Bukhara-based Samanid Empire
858–941
Life of New Persian poet Ja‘far b. Muḥammad al-Rūdakī in Samanid Bukhara
940–1020
Life of Iranian national poet Abū’l-Qāsim Ferdawsī in Samanid Khurasan
999–1211
Southern Central Asia under rule of Turkic Qarakhanids from Eastern Central Asia and Western China
879–1215
Tajik Ghurid Dynasty rules from Afghanistan
1218–22
Mongol armies devastate Central Asia, utterly destroying Silk Road cities of Marv, Balkh and Nishapur
1366–1507
Samarkand-based Timurid Empire; era of cultural flourishing
1507–1740
Uzbek dynasties rule from Bukhara
1740–7
Brief reintegration of Central Asia into Iranian Afsharid Empire of Nader Shah
1747–1920
Uzbek Manghit dynasties rule from Bukhara and Kokand
1864–85
Russia gains control of Tashkent and Samarkand, vassalizes truncated khanates of Bukhara and Kokand
1878–1954
Life of Tajik intellectual Sadriddin Aini
1918–31
Basmachi (‘bandit’) movement resists Russian rule
1920–4
Bukharan People’s Soviet Republic established by Bolshevik revolutionaries
1924
Tajik Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic created within newly established Uzbek SSR
1929
Tajik SSR given full Union Republic status within USSR
1929
Ḥabībullah Kalakānī briefly serves as first (and only) Tajik King of Afghanistan
1908–77
Life of Tajik academician Bobojon Ghafurov
1991
Fall of USSR; Tajikistan becomes independent republic
1992–7
Tajik Civil War; almost complete disintegration of Tajik society, industry and infrastructure
1994–present
Emomali Rahmon(ov) is President of Tajikistan
2001
Afghan Tajik resistance fighter Aḥmad Shāh Mas‘ūd assassinated by Tunisian suicide bomber
2018
Improved relations between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan suggests easing of pressures on Uzbekistan’s Tajik population
What civilization existed in southern Central Asia around 2300–1700 BCE?
Oxus Civilization (The Bactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex)
Who were the proto-Indo-Iranian speakers around the southern Ural Mountains around 2200–1800 BCE?
Sintashta Culture
What invention is attributed to the Sintashta Culture?
The spoke-wheeled chariot
What culture expanded across the Eurasian steppe around 1800–1000 BCE?
Andronovo Culture
When did Zarathustra, the founder of Zoroastrianism, likely live?
c. 1200 BCE
Who conquered Sogdiana around 546–539 BCE?
Persian Emperor Cyrus II
Who killed Cyrus II in 529 BCE?
Scythian Massagetae led by Queen Tomyris
Who conquered Sogdiana in 327 BCE?
Alexander III of Macedon
What empire blended Greek and Iranian cultures in Central Asia between 312–63 BCE?
Hellenistic Seleucid Empire
What did Chinese emissary Zhang Qian seek in Ferghana Valley in 129 BCE?
‘Heavenly horses’
When did the Arsacid (Parthian) Empire rule the Iranian world?
247 BCE–224 CE
What empire spread Buddhism throughout Bactria between 30 BCE–410 CE?
Indus Valley–based Kushan Empire
Which merchant communities dominated Silk Road trade networks from 1st BCE to 8th CE?
Sogdian merchant communities
When were the Muslim conquests of Central Asia?
712–22
Who led a revolt in 755–83?
Sogdian prophetic figure Muqanna‘
What was the cultural era under the Bukhara-based Samanid Empire known as?
New Persian Renaissance
Who was the New Persian poet living between 858–941?
Ja‘far b. Muḥammad al-Rūdakī
When did the Iranian national poet Abū’l-Qāsim Ferdawsī live?
940–1020
Which Turkic dynasty ruled Southern Central Asia between 999–1211?
Qarakhanids
When did the Tajik Ghurid Dynasty rule from Afghanistan?
879–1215
What event happened between 1218–22 involving the Mongol armies?
They devastated Central Asia, utterly destroying Silk Road cities of Marv, Balkh, and Nishapur
What was the Samarkand-based empire known for between 1366–1507?
Timurid Empire; era of cultural flourishing
Which dynasties ruled from Bukhara between 1507–1740?
Uzbek dynasties
When did Central Asia briefly reintegrate into the Iranian Afsharid Empire?
1740–7
What dynasty ruled from Bukhara and Kokand between 1747–1920?
Uzbek Manghit dynasties
When did Russia gain control of Tashkent and Samarkand?
1864–85
Who was Sadriddin Aini and when did he live?
Tajik intellectual; 1878–1954
What movement resisted Russian rule between 1918–31?
Basmachi (‘bandit’) movement
When was the Bukharan People’s Soviet Republic established?
1920–4
When was the Tajik Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic created?
1924
When did the Tajik SSR gain full Union Republic status within the USSR?
1929
Who was Ḥabībullah Kalakānī and what happened in 1929?
He briefly served as the first (and only) Tajik King of Afghanistan
Who was Bobojon Ghafurov and when did he live?
Tajik academician; 1908–77
When did Tajikistan become an independent republic?
1991
What major conflict occurred in Tajikistan between 1992–7?
Tajik Civil War; almost complete disintegration of Tajik society, industry and infrastructure
Who has been the President of Tajikistan since 1994?
Emomali Rahmon(ov)
Who was assassinated by a Tunisian suicide bomber in 2001?
Afghan Tajik resistance fighter Aḥmad Shāh Mas‘ūd
What happened in 2018 between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan?
Improved relations suggest easing of pressures on Uzbekistan’s Tajik population
Who are the Tajiks direct descendants of?
The Iranian peoples whose presence is attested from the middle of the 1st millennium BCE.
What major empires included the ancestors of the Tajiks?
The empires of Persia and Alexander the Great.
When did the Arab conquest bring Islam to Central Asia?
Mid-7th century.
Which Iranian dynasty ruled the Tajiks after the Arabs?
The Sāmānids (819–999).
What was the result of the first Turkic invasions in 999?
The area became part of “Turkistan” as many Tajiks were Turkicized.
When did the Afghans conquer Tajik lands south of the Amu Darya?
Mid-18th century.
What significant change occurred for Tajiks after the Russian conquests of the 1860s and ’70s?
Some Tajiks came under direct Russian government, and the emirate of Bukhara became a Russian protectorate.
When did Tajikistan achieve the status of a Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR)?
1929
Who was a notable leader of Tajikistan’s Communist Party and a respected historian?
B.G. Gafurov.
What major infrastructure developments occurred in Tajikistan during the Soviet era?
Construction of dams for power and irrigation, and development of industry in the Vakhsh River valley.
When did Tajikistan declare full independence from the Soviet Union?
September 9, 1991.
Who was the former communist leader elected president in November 1991?
Rahman Nabiyev.
Who took over the government after driving out Nabiyev in 1992?
Emomali Rahmonov (later Emomali Rahmon).
When was the peace agreement that ended the Tajik civil war signed?
June 1997.
Which international entities brokered the 1997 peace agreement?
The United Nations, Russia, and Iran.
What significant change did Rahmonov make to his name in 2007?
Dropped the Russian suffix “-ov” to become Emomali Rahmon.
When was the IRPT (Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan) banned?
September 2015.
What is the significance of the Rogun Dam project?
Expected to be the highest and tallest dam in the world, doubling Tajikistan’s electricity capacity.
What did the 2016 constitutional referendum in Tajikistan achieve?
Lifted term limits for Rahmon and lowered the presidential candidate age, benefiting Rahmon’s son.
What position did Rahmon’s son Rustam Emomali achieve in 2020?
Chairman of the National Assembly, making him first in line for presidential succession.
