Termez

Termez Termiz / Термиз
Sultan Saodat Ensemble
Termez Location in Uzbekistan
Coordinates: 37°13′N 67°17′E / 37.217°N 67.283°E / 37.217; 67.283Coordinates: 37°13′N 67°17′E / 37.217°N 67.283°E / 37.217; 67.283
Country	Uzbekistan
Region	Surxondaryo Region
Government
• Type	City Administration
Population (2005)
• Total	140,404

Termez (Uzbek: Termiz/Термиз; Russian: Термез; Tajik: Тирмиз; Persian: ترمذ‎‎ Termez, Tirmiz; Arabic: ترمذ‎‎ Tirmidh) is a city in the southernmost part of Uzbekistan near the Hairatan border crossing of Afghanistan. It is the hottest point of Uzbekistan. It has a population of 140,404 (1 January 2005), and is the capital of Surxondaryo Region.

The modern name of the city came through the Sogdian Tarmiδ dating back to Old Iranian tara-maiθa , which means "a place of transition" (tara-crossing, crossing; maiθa-place). In ancient times there was an important crossing on the Amu Darya river.

Some link the name of the city to Greek thermos "hot", tracing its name back to Alexander the Great. Others suggest that it came from Sanskrit taramato , meaning "on the river bank".

In ancient times

The date of the founding of the city of Old Termez, located a few kilometers west of the modern city, is not known. In April 2002 there was a celebration of the 2,500th anniversary of the city of Termez.[2]

The city was known to Achaemenids in the 6th century BC. In 329 BC Alexander the Great conquered Termez. Later Demetrius, the founder of Greco-Bactrian kingdom named it Demetris. As part of the Kushan Empire (1st to 3rd century BC) The city was called Ta-li-mi (in the Chinese Tu-mi, Tami. During this period, the city became an important center of Buddhism.