103 articles
Ahvaz (اهواز)
Ahvaz (اهواز) is the capital of Khuzestan Province in southwestern Iran, on the Karun river. A major oil-region industrial city of about 1.4 million, it ranks among the world's most polluted cities, with mean PM10 of 222 µg/m³ (2008–2019).
Aktobe
Aktobe (Ақтөбе), formerly Aktyubinsk, a city on the Ilek River in western Kazakhstan, founded as a fortress in 1869, administrative center of Aktobe Region, about 585,000 residents in 2025, a chromium, ferroalloy, and oil and gas hub.
Almaty (Алматы)
Almaty (Алматы), known as Verniy until 1921 and Alma-Ata until 1993, is the largest city of Kazakhstan, in the southeast at the northern foot of the Tien Shan.
Amol (آمل)
Amol (آمل) is a city on the Haraz river in Mazandaran Province, northern Iran; ancient Āmṛda, medieval Tabarestan's lowland capital, home of al-Tabari, now a rice-trade city of 237,528 (2016).
Andijon
Andijon (Andijan, Andizhan) is a city in eastern Uzbekistan, administrative center of Andijon Region in the Fergana Valley, birthplace of Babur (1483), former Silk Road trade hub, rebuilt after the 1902 earthquake, population about 497,500 in 2025.
Angren
Angren (Ангрен) is a coal-mining city in Uzbekistan's Tashkent Region on the Ahangaron River, founded as a settlement in 1940 and made a city on June 13, 1946; it hosts Central Asia's largest open-pit coal mine, the Uzbekko'mir company, and the Angren thermal power plant.
Arāk, Markazi
Arāk is an industrial city in central Iran and the capital of Markazi province, founded in 1808 as Solṭānābād and long a major carpet center.
Ardabīl
Ardabīl (اردبیل), or Ardabil, is the capital of Ardabil Province in northwestern Iran, on a cold plateau near Mount Sabalan. Population 529,374 (2016); home of the UNESCO-listed Sheikh Safi al-Din shrine, birthplace of the Safavid order.
Ashgabat
Ashgabat (Aşgabat), capital of Turkmenistan, founded 1881 by Russia near the Iranian frontier; destroyed by the 1948 earthquake, rebuilt, and redeveloped as the white-marble capital with about 1,052,700 residents.
Astana (Астана)
Astana (Астана), capital of Kazakhstan since 1997, a planned city on the Ishim River; formerly Akmola and Nur-Sultan (2019-2022); population 1.7 million, 11.9% of national GDP, Kurokawa master plan.
Bābol
Bābol (بابل), formerly Bārforūš, is a city in Māzandarān, northern Iran, on the Bābol river; a 19th-century Caspian trade hub renamed in 1927, with 219,467 people in 2011.
Baku
Baku (Bakı), capital and largest city of Azerbaijan on the Absheron peninsula at the Caspian Sea; historic oil boomtown, home of the UNESCO-listed Walled City, Maiden Tower, and Baku Metro, host of COP29.
Bandar Abbas
Bandar Abbas (بندرعباس), capital of Hormozgan Province on Iran's Strait of Hormuz coast, is the country's main port city, home to the Shahid Rajaee terminal handling over 85% of Iranian container trade, distinct from Chabahar outside the strait.
Batumi
Batumi (ბათუმი) is Georgia's Black Sea port city and the capital of Adjara; a deep-water harbor since 1878 handling 7.3 million tonnes of cargo in 2025, and a subtropical seaside resort known for Batumi Boulevard and its botanical garden.
Bīrjand
Bīrjand (بیرجند), city in eastern Iran at about 1,500 m elevation; center of Qūhestān in southeastern Khorasan, capital of South Khorasan province since 2004, long ruled by the ʿAlam family, known for saffron, barberries, and early piped water (1923).
Bishkek (Бишкек)
Bishkek (Бишкек), formerly Pishpek and Frunze, is the capital and largest city of Kyrgyzstan in the Chuy valley. Founded 1878, renamed 1926 and 1991; about 1 million residents, four districts, severe winter air pollution.
Borūjerd
Borūjerd (بروجرد) is a city and county seat in Lorestan province, western Iran, on the Tehran–Khuzestan highway. Known for its Saljuq-era record, Jameh Mosque, Silakhor plain agriculture, brasswork handicrafts, and seismic hazard on the Zagros Main Recent fault.
Būkān
Būkān (بوکان, Kurdish Bôkan) is a Kurdish city in West Azerbaijan province, Iran, in Mukriyan on the Simineh river; county seat, about 193,500 people (2016), center of Kurdish publishing and the 1946 Mahabad Republic era.
Bukhara
Bukhara (Buxoro), Uzbekistan: 2,000-year-old Silk Road city, capital of Bukhara Region, UNESCO World Heritage historic centre since 1993, famed for the Ismail Samani tomb and Poi-Kalyan minaret.
Daşoguz
Daşoguz (Дасогуз), formerly Tashauz or Dashkhovuz, is a city in northern Turkmenistan, capital of Daşoguz Province near the Uzbek border; founded 1681, cold desert climate, population about 201,142.
Dezful
Dezful (دزفول), also Dezhpol, is an ancient city in northern Khuzestan, Iran, on the Dez River, defined by its Sasanian bridge-dam attributed to Shapur I or II, shavadan underground rooms, and sugarcane agriculture.
Dushanbe (Душанбе)
Dushanbe (Душанбе, دوشنبه, "Monday"), formerly Dyushambe and Stalinabad (1929–1961), is the capital and largest city of Tajikistan, in the Hisor valley at ~823 m altitude, a Soviet-created capital since 1924 with about 851,000 residents in 2019.
Fardīs
Fardīs, also spelled Fardis, is a city and the center of Fardis County in Alborz province, Iran, lying just south of Karaj. The county was created in 2013.
Fergana (city)
Fergana (Fargʻona) is a city in eastern Uzbekistan, the administrative center of Fergana Region in the south of the Fergana Valley. It was founded in 1876 as New Margilan.
Ganja, Azerbaijan
Ganja (Gəncə), western Azerbaijan city on the Ganja Čāy river; historically Elisavetpol and Kirovabad; medieval capital of Arrān, home of poet Nizami Ganjavi; population about 330,700 in 2024.
Ghazni (غزنی)
Ghazni, historically Ghazna, is a city in east-central Afghanistan. It was the Ghaznavid capital, launching invasions into India before being destroyed by the Mongols in 1221.
Gorgān (city)
Gorgān (گرگان), formerly Astarābād, is the capital of Golestan Province in northern Iran near the Caspian; renamed from Astarābād under Reza Shah, birthplace of Aqa Mohammad Khan, 350,676 inhabitants in 2016.
Gori, Georgia
Gori (გორი) is a city in eastern Georgia, regional capital of Shida Kartli at the Mtkvari–Liakhvi confluence, 76 km west of Tbilisi. Known as Stalin's birthplace (museum opened 1957), for Gori Fortress, nearby Uplistsikhe cave town, the 1920 earthquake, and nine-day 2008 Russian occupation.
Hamadan
Hamadan (Hamedan, همدان), western Iran, ancient Ecbatana, Median capital and Achaemenid summer residence at ~1,800 m on Alvand; star-shaped 1933 plan, 401,000 people by 1996, Hegmataneh UNESCO site inscribed 2024.
Isfahan (اصفهان)
Isfahan (اصفهان, Eṣfahān), ancient city and province in central Iran, capital of Isfahan Province about 420 km south of Tehran. Safavid capital famed for Meidan Emam and Masjed-e Jāmé, both UNESCO sites; now strained by Zayandeh-Rud water crisis.