Iran named Samarkand a part of Persian civilization, Tashkent responded with a note of protest

On October 23, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan summoned the Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Ali Iskandari and handed him a note of protest.

The ministry explained that the protest is related to publications that some Iranian diplomatic missions posted on the social network X (formerly Twitter). In these posts, the Registan Square and other historical architectural sites of Samarkand are presented as part of Persian-Islamic civilization.

Tashkent noted that such publications present the historical and cultural heritage of Samarkand in a one-sided manner for political purposes.

The dispute began after the visit of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Samarkand. Rubio visited Registan Square and participated in a meeting of foreign ministers in the C5+1 format. Following this visit, some Iranian diplomatic missions in various countries published posts linking Samarkand to Persian civilization. One of the most controversial posts came from the Iranian embassy in Moscow, which called Samarkand “the most Iranian city of Iran.” The Iranian embassies in Armenia and Zimbabwe also published a photo of Rubio, noting the cultural connection of the city to Persian civilization.

The Uzbek Foreign Ministry emphasized that the cultural heritage of Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva, and other cities of the country has been formed over many centuries and reflects the history, statehood, and culture of the Uzbek people, and this issue should not be used for political purposes. Tashkent urged Iran to remove the publications and take measures to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future. The note of protest also states that Tashkent attaches great importance to friendly relations with Iran but will defend its historical and cultural heritage.

At the time of publication, the Iranian Foreign Ministry had not officially responded to Uzbekistan’s protest. It is still unknown how Tehran will respond and whether the publications of the Iranian embassies will be removed.

Samarkand – history and present

Samarkand is one of the oldest cities in Central Asia, which throughout history has been the center of various civilizations and states. Therefore, the question of the ownership of its historical and cultural heritage has periodically sparked political and cultural disputes in recent years.

Historically, Samarkand and Bukhara have been among the main centers of the Persian-speaking world for centuries. In the 9th-10th centuries, during the Samanid state, Samarkand was initially one of the centers of power, and then, after 892, Emir Ismail Samani made Bukhara the capital of the state. During that period, the language of the court, literature, and science was the Persian Dari language.

Poets and scholars such as Rudaki, Ibn Sina, Abu Rayhan Biruni, and Ferdowsi emerged in the cultural environment of the Samanids and Greater Khorasan. Tajikistan considers the Samanid state the foundation of its historical statehood, and for Tajiks, Samarkand and Bukhara are historical centers of Tajik civilization and the Tajik (Persian) language. Iran also views these cities as part of the heritage of Persian civilization and the Iranian cultural world.

Therefore, expressions such as “Persian-speaking world,” “Iranian civilization,” or “Cultural Iran” (Greater Iranian cultural sphere) are more frequently used in scholarly literature.

However, today, from the perspective of international law, Samarkand and Bukhara are part of the Republic of Uzbekistan. At the same time, Tajik historians maintain that these major historical cities were inhabited by a Persian-speaking majority; however, officially in 1924, as a result of the national-territorial demarcation of Central Asia, they were included in the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic.

This demarcation was carried out under the direct guidance and control of Joseph Stalin, the then leader of the Soviet Union.