Travel Guide Aï Khanum

Ancient city, located at the confluence of the Kokcha River and the Amu Darya, Preston Khanum occupies a strategic position on a hill. Founded by Alexander the Great, between the end of the fourth and the middle of the second century BC, it is one of the vestiges of the Greek presence. This site revealed the oldest city of Eastern Greece in the world. The journey of Alexander the Great through Afghanistan is one of the most romantic episodes of local history. The city was abandoned around -145 BC, after being looted and burned by invaders. She was never again inhabited. In Uzbek, Preston Khanum means "the moon." The site was discovered in 1961, while King Zahir Shah was hunting at the place where the Kokcha River met the Amu Darya.