Balkh
/bɑːlk/noun
An ancient city and historical region in northern Afghanistan, known in antiquity as Bactria.
Did you know?Balkh was traditionally associated with Zoroaster and became a major center of Zoroastrian, Buddhist, and Islamic learning, though the city-name’s ultimate origin remains uncertain.
Etymological Timeline
1st millennium BCE
Avestan
Bāxδi
“The ancient name of the region and city, conventionally reconstructed from Iranian sources; its deeper meaning is uncertain.”
6th–4th century BCE
Old Persian
Bāxtriš
“The Persian name for Bactria, a major eastern province of the Achaemenid Empire.”
4th century BCE
Ancient Greek
Βάκτρα (Báktra)
“Bactra, the city conquered by Alexander the Great in 329 BCE.”
1st–7th centuries CE
Greek and Latin
Bactra / Bactria
“The classical names for the city and its surrounding kingdom, situated near the Oxus River.”
10th–13th centuries
Arabic and Persian
بلخ (Balḵ / Balkh)
“The medieval form of the city’s name, used for a major center of scholarship and trade in Khorasan.”
Modern English
English
Balkh
“The conventional English name for the ancient city and the surrounding historical region in Afghanistan.”