
The Sogdians were an Iranic-speaking people who inhabited Central Asia, modern Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Their homeland was first recorded in the Avesta, and later during the Achaemenid Empire following the Persian Invasion. Subsequently conquered by Alexander III, Sogdiana reached its peak of power during the Hunnish period. Sogdians, like the Sasanians, were known as expert textile producers.
Our goal at BilgeBitig is to become the world’s first accessible, comprehensive, and authoritative online database for the history, language, and culture of the Turkic peoples from antiquity to modern times. Yet, our database serves more than just those interested in Turkology. Students, scholars, and prospective readers of a diverse set of academic disciplines will find our database useful for disciplines such as Altaic studies, anthropology, archeology, art history, Asian history, cartography, economics, ethnology, folklore, geography, Iranic studies, Islamic history, mythology, numismatics, religious history, Sinology, sociology, and more. At the same time, BilgeBitig strives to have a purpose beyond its capacity as an academic tool. For it will also serve as a social one, a forum of discussion; most importantly, a place where people feel safe and confident to share their theories and opinions, even if their interests or backgrounds are not academic.