𝘼𝙞-𝙆𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙢, The Greco Bactrian Hellenistic Cutural City

 𝘼𝙞-𝙆𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙢, 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤-𝘽𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙣 𝙃𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘 𝘾𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝘾𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝘼𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙉𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝-𝙀𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝘼𝙛𝙜𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤-𝘽𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙣 𝙃𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘 𝙎𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝘼𝙧𝙩 

Ai-Khanoum (lit. “Lady Moon” ) (Greek: Κυρία της Σελήνης), possibly the historical Eucratideia, was one of the primary cities and an enigma of the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom and of the Indo-Greek kings when they ruled both in Bactria and northwestern India, from the time of Demetrius to the time of Eucratides (170–145 BC). Alexander the Great is believed to have founded the city in around 327 BC.

The city is located in Takhar Province, northern 𝗔𝗳𝗴𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻, at the confluence of the Panj River and the Kokcha River, both tributaries of the Amu Darya, historically known as the Oxus. It is on the lower of two major sets of routes (lowland and highland) which connect Western Asia to the Khyber Pass which gives road access to South Asia.

Ai-Khanoum was one of the focal points of Hellenism in the East. Ai-Khanoum remained the principal city of 𝗕𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗮, serving as the capital of the 𝗕𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗱𝗼𝗺, until its annihilation by nomadic invaders around 145 BC about the time of the death of Eukratides the Great.

 𝗔𝗶-𝗞𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗺 (آی خانم)

By Athena Arya