Ayni (; ) is a village and jamoat in north-west

Tajikistan Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is the capital city, capital and most populous city. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border, south, Uzbekistan to ...

. It is the capital of

Ayni District Ayni District, also ''Aini District'' (; , ''Nohiyayi Aynī''), is a Districts of Tajikistan, district in the southern part of Sughd Region, Tajikistan, straddling the middle course of the river Zeravshan (river), Zeravshan. Its capital is the tow ...

Sughd Region Sughd Province, also referred to as the Sogdia Region, and Leninabad before 2001, is one of the four administrative divisions and one of the three provinces that make up Tajikistan. Centered in the historical Sogdiana, it is located in the north ...

, named after the Tajik national poet

Sadriddin Ayni Sadriddin Ayni (, , ; 15 April 1878 – 15 July 1954) was a Tajik intellectual who wrote poetry, fiction, journalism, history, and a dictionary. He is regarded by Tajiks as Tajikistan's national poet and one of the most important writers in the ...

. It lies about from

Khujand Khujand, sometimes spelled Khodjent and formerly known as Leninabad from 1936 to 1991, is the second-largest city of Tajikistan and the capital of Tajikistan's northernmost Sughd province. Khujand is one of the oldest cities in Central Asia, d ...

and from

Dushanbe Dushanbe is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Tajikistan. , Dushanbe had a population of 1,564,700, with this population being largely Tajiks, Tajik. Until 1929, the city was known in Russian as Dyushambe, and from 1929 to 1961 as St ...

on the bank of the river Zeravshan. The jamoat has a total population of 14,862 (2015).Jamoat-level basic indicators
United Nations Development Programme in Tajikistan, accessed 5 October 2020 It consists of 11 villages, including Ayni (the seat), Chore, Khushikat, Kumarg, Zasun and Zindakon.

History

Ayni is an ancient town of the Sogdian civilization and later became an Islamic town; a minaret known as the Varz-i Manor (dated 9th-12th century) still stands. Between 1930 and 1955 it was known as Zahmatobod. It was a notable centre for Tajik nationalists.

Economy

Agriculture, tobacco, grain and fruit production form the backbone of the local economy, and there is also a large coal mine Fa-Yagh-nob with a 1.8 billion ton capacity, and a plant located here.

References

Populated places in Sughd Region Jamoats of Tajikistan {{Sughd-geo-stub