Tajikistan Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's Tajikistan appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 23 different states, among them USSR, Russian Empire, Chagatai Khanate, central Asian khanates, Achaemenid Empire.
TajikistanExplore the history of Tajikistan in the interactive map
Who ruled the land of Tajikistan, map by map
Share of sample points inside today's borders held by each state on each map. Areas with no organised state on the map are left out.
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of Tajikistan?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Tajikistan belonged to USSR, Russian Empire, Chagatai Khanate, central Asian khanates, Achaemenid Empire, Tajikistan, along with 17 other states.
What was Tajikistan part of in 1500?
On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's Tajikistan lay within Chagatai Khanate.
What was Tajikistan part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's Tajikistan lay within Russian Empire.
Further reading
Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.