At a glance
- Era
- The Buyid, Fatimid and Seljuk Era
- Region
- Persia & Central Asia
Overview
Jurjaniyya — Gurgandj to the Persians and, around 600/1200, simply 'Khwarazm' like the surrounding country — was the economic centre of Khwarazm and for long its political capital, lying west of the lowest reaches of the Oxus (Amu Darya). Captured by the Arabs in 93/712, it outstripped Kath in importance after the Seljuks overthrew the Ma'munid shahs in 434/1043, becoming the real centre of the territory and its commercial intermediary with the northern Turkish tribes. The Mongols attacked it in 618/1221 and razed it after a siege of many months 1. Al-Zamakhshari moved here from Zamakhshar and it became his permanent home; he died there in 538/1144 and was buried near the town 2.
Connections
- Place of death of
- Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Ahmad, Khwarazmshah
- Ruled by
- Ma'mun ibn Muhammad, Khwarazmshah· Muhammad ibn Ali, emir of Jurjaniyya
- Under the rule of
- Ma'munids (Khwarazmshahs of Jurjaniyya)
- Site of
- Death of al-Zamakhshari at Jurjaniyya, 538/1144· Al-Tha'alibi at the Khwarazmshah's court, Jurjaniyya, c. 403/1012
- Mentioned in
- Coins of the Khwarazmshah Era (Ismoilov)
People and things also explored
Ma'munids (Khwarazmshahs of Jurjaniyya)· Afrighids (Khwarazmshahs of Kath)· Abu al-Abbas Ma'mun ibn Ma'mun, Khwarazmshah· Ali ibn Ma'mun, Khwarazmshah· Ma'mun ibn Muhammad, Khwarazmshah· Muhammad ibn Ali, emir of Jurjaniyya· Coins of the Khwarazmshah Era (Ismoilov)· Coinage of Islamic Khwarazm (8th–13th century)
Sources
- Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd edition (Leiden: Brill, 1954–2008), 13 volumes , vol. 2 p. 1192-1193
- Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd edition (Leiden: Brill, 1954–2008), 13 volumes , vol. 12 p. 917-918
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Jurjaniyya (Gurgandj)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/place/jurjaniyya/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-11-01.
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