Sogdian city-states

The Sogdian city-states refers to a number of independent or autonomous city-states in the Iranian region of Sogdia in late antiquity and the medieval period.

[1] Most of the city-states were ruled by a king or queen, who was called "first among equals".

[2] However, the succession of rule was not stable, and the people could influence who would become the new ruler.

[2] The period, which experienced its peak in the 7th century, ended with the conquest of Transoxiana by the Islamic Caliphate.

[1] Bukhara and Samarkand – the famous cities of Persian literature – were the largest and wealthiest Sogdian states.