Shamsiddin Kamoliddin (Üzbég Tudományos Akadémia, Taskent)
On the Origin of the Place-name Buxārā
2. rész
It is known, that, in the 6th century AD the oasis of Buxārā was a property of Tardu-kagan (Sāwa-shāh, Shīr-i Kishwar), who was the son of the Supreme Turkic kagan Istami (Qarā Chūrīn). He was the uncle of the Sassanid šāhanšāh Xurmazd IV Тurkzāda on his mother line [Bel’ami, vol. 2, p. 248, 265; Firdousi, vol. 6, p. 656 – 657], because he was the native brother of the daughter of Istami-kagan which married the Sassanid šāhanšāh Xusraw I Аnūshirwān. According to Narshakhi, Shīr-i Kishwar ruled in Buxārā during 20 years and resided in Baykand. He had built the fortress of Buxārā, and also established some settlements in the oasis of Buxārā such as Маmastin, Sakmatin, Samtin and Farab. His son El-tigin (Parmūda, Nili-xān) also had established some settlements in the oasis of Buxārā, such as Iskijkath, Sharg, Faraxsha and Rāmitan. He was married on the Chinese princess who has brought from China a temple of idols and it was established in Rāmitan (Rāmtin) [Frye, 1954, p. 8]. Rāmitan was more ancient than city of Buxārā, formerly there was a residence of the kings, and after building of the city of Buxārā they moved there. In some books Rāmitan named also Buxārā [Frye, 1954, p. 16].
In the region of medieval Nasaf was mentioned a settlement named Nawqad Sāwa نوقد ساوه [an-Nasafī, Arabe, f. 59V; as-Sam‘ānī, Marg., f. 571R] which name can be connected with a name Sāwa ساوه. The. Supreme Turkic kagan Таrdu (Shīr-i Kishwar) is mentioned in the Arabic sources as Shāba شابة [Ibn Khordadhbeh, p. 40], and in the Persian sources as Sāwa-shāh ساوه شاه [Firdousi, vol. 6, p. 656 – 658]. The word sāwa or šāwa is a Baktrian title, which meant "a king" [Frye, 1956, p. 122; Harmatta, Litvinsky, 1996, p. 371]. From these data follows that Shīr-i Kishwar had established settlements not only in the region of Bukhara, but in the region of Naxshab too.
To a southeast from remains of Farabr on the hill named Qiz-qir near Amu-Darja river there are remains of a watchtower known as Ding of Аrslān-khān. This is the most ancient of the archaelogical remains in the region of Farabr [Маsson, 1966, p. 167]. If to take into account the information of Narshkhī, that Farabr had been established by Shīr-i Kishwar (Tardu-kagan) [Narshakhī, p. 17] which referred to also El – Аraslan, it is possible to assume, that this tower has been constructed at the end of 6th – early 7th centuries by him or by his son El – tegin, who reigned here after him.
Among the coins of the pre-Islamic rulers of Bukhara (VI - VIII centuries) there is a coin with portrait of a ruler with Mongoloid features (AV) and tamgha in the form
(RV) without any inscriptions2. It is possible to assume, that this coin had been minted by Таrdu-kagan (Shīr-i Kishwar) or his son El - tegin.
2 This coin had been found by on the historical city place Qanqa in the oasis of Tashkent and at present it is kept in the private collection of Andrey Kuzneysov in Tashken
