The city, known as Ai-Khanum (meaning “Moon Lady” in Uzbek), is believed to be the lost city of Alexandria on the Oxus, one of about twenty cities founded by Alexander the Great in the late 4th century BCE. However, archaeological evidence suggests that Ai-Khanum was founded around 280 BCE by Antiochus I of the Seleucid Empire.
Ai-Khanum represents the height of Hellenism, the cultural era following Alexander’s conquests when Greek traditions merged with local Persian and Eastern influences. Its temples, though dedicated to Greek gods, were built with architectural features inspired by Zoroastrian traditions, symbolizing a deep cultural fusion.
Located in Bactria, the eastern frontier of the Seleucid Empire, Ai-Khanum became one of the main centers of the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom after its governor Diodotus declared independence around 250 BCE. The city prospered as a hub of trade and cultural exchange between Greece, Persia, and India. Close ties with India are evidenced by Emperor Ashoka’s bilingual Greek-Aramaic edicts found in the region.
By the late 2nd century BCE, nomadic tribes such as the Yuezhi invaded the region. Ai-Khanum was destroyed, likely by fire, and abandoned around 120 BCE.
Despite its destruction, Ai-Khanum’s cultural legacy endures as a powerful symbol of the meeting between Greek and Eastern civilizations and as one of the early centers that helped shape the Silk Road.