Toponyms of the Zeravshan Valley in Shindjan Area of China

Resorting to semantico-structural and etimological analysis of several Sughdian geographical names (toponyms) of Tsintsyan-Uygur autonomous area of China the author determines a historic territory of habitation of the Iranian-speaking tribes in this region. He substantiates the Sughdian origin of many toponyms. In the geographical dictionary of Sin-Tsyan there are a number of toponyms which sprang up in the Zeravshan valley: Samarkand, Yerkand, Kharasshkat, Chinankat, Zeravshan, Kashgar, Artuch, Kashgar, Kichin Artuch. Topoformant or toponym-forming suffix -kat and its variants -kand, -kant, -kent, -kata, -kada, gand contained in more than hundred toponyms has ancient Iranian historic roots and variant -kat in the Sughdian language.