The Learned and Literary Personalities of Balkh in 8- 17 Centuries: Bozorgan-i Elm wa Adab-i Balkh dar Sadeh hay Dowoum ta Yazdah`houm Hijri (Persian Edition)

Balkh, Bactrian, Baktra, was an ancient city and centre of Zoroastrianism and one of the major cities of Khorassan though today it is a small town about some 74 km south of the Amu Darya. It. Marco Polo described Balkh as a "noble and great city". Armenian sources state that the Parthian Arsaces established his capital here. The city was traditionally a center of Zoroastrianism. The name Zariaspa, which is either an alternate name for Balkh or a term for part of the city, may derive from the important Zoroastrian fire temple Azar-i-Asp. Balkh was regarded as the first place where Zoroaster first preached his religion. During Achaemenid Dynasty Balkh was one of the Satrapies of Iran. After defeat of Yazdegerd III, Balkh became the capital of the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom and was besieged for three years by the Seleucid Empire (208–206 BC). After demise of Greco Bactrian kingdom, it was ruled by Indo-Scythians, Parthians, Indo-Parthians, Kushan Empire, Indo-Sassanids, Kidarites, Hephthalite and Sassanids before arrival of Arabs. At the time of the Islamic conquest of Persia in the 7th century, however, Balkh had provided an outpost of resistance and a safe haven for the Persian emperor Yazdegerd who fled there from the armies of Umar. Arabs occupied Persia in 642 (during the Caliphate of Uthman, 644–656 AD). Attracted by grandeur and wealth of Balkh, they attacked it in 645 AD. It was only in 653 when Arab commander, al-Ahnaf raided the town again and compelled it to pay tribute. The Arab hold over the town, however, remained tenuous. The area was brought under Arabs' control only after it was re-conquered by Muawiya in 663 AD Who plundered the town and killed the people indiscriminately". Umayyad period was lasted until 747; Abu Muslim captured it for Abbasids. Abbasid rule was nominally continued after 821, Tahirids took it. Tahirid rule in Balkh was ended in 870, Saffarids captured it. In 870, Ya'qub ibn al-Layth al-Saffar rebelled against Abbasid rule and founded Saffarid dynasty at Sistan. During Saffarid rule, bright period of it was started. Amr ibn al-Layth, successor of him was defeated and captured by Ismail Samani at Battle of Balkh in 900. Thus Balkh was passed to them. Samanid rule of Balkh was lasted till 997, Ghaznavids, former subordinates of them capturing it. In 1006, Balkh was captured by Karakhanids but Ghaznavids recaptured it 1008. Finally Seljuks captured it in 1059. In 1115, irregular Oghuz Turks occupied and looted in. Between 1141 and 1142, it was captured by Atsiz, Shah of Khwarezm after Seljuk's defeat to Kara Khitan at Battle of Qatwan. Ahmad Sanjar decisively defeated army of Ghurids, commanded by Ala al-Din Hossein and he took prisoner him for 2 years before releasing as vassal of Seljuks. It was captured by Khwarezmshahs in 1162, by Kara Khitans in 1165, by Ghurids in 1198 and again by Khwarezmshahs in 1206. In 1220 Genghis Khan sacked Balkh, butchered its inhabitants and leveled all the buildings capable of defense – treatment to which it was again subjected in the 14th century by Timur. It was captured by Tamerlane in 1389 and its citadel was destroyed. But, Shah Rukh, successor of him rebuilt citadel in 1407. In 1506 Uzbeks entered Balkh. They were briefly driven by Safavids in 1510. Babur ruled Balkh between 1511 and 1512 as vassals of Safavids. Balkh was ruled by Bukhara except Safavid rule between 1598 and 1601. Balkh was ruled by Mughal Empire between 1641 and 1647. Balkh was the government seat of Aurangzeb in his youth. In 1736 it was conquered by Nadir Shah. After assassination of he, Hadji Khan, was local Uzbek declared independence of Balkh in 1747