P rominent t ajik f igures of the

Prominent Tajik Figures of the Twentieth Century

211
Osioi Miona (Plants of Tajikistan and the Biological Flies of Vakhsh

and Other Regions of Central Asia), 1969.
In 1980, Nazriqulov was recognized as a major contributor to Tajik
science. He was the recipient of two Red Banner of Labor awards and a
Badge of Honor award. Nazriqulov died in 1987.
Negmatov
See Ne'matov, Nu'mon.
Ne'matov, Nu'mon
Tajik archaeologist Nu'mon Ne'matovich Ne'matov, also referred to
as Negmatov, was born to a farming family in Khujand on March 5,
1927. He joined the CPSU in 1947.
Ne'matov graduated from the Leninabad Pedagogical Institute in
1948 with a degree in history. From 1948 to 1952, he was a post-
graduate student at the Institute of the History of Material Civilization
at the Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union in Saint Petersburg. In
1953, he defended his thesis entitled Ustarafshan dar Asrhoi VIII-X
Milod (Istaravshan From the 8
th
 to the 10
th
 Centuries AD). In the same
year, he became a Senior Scientific Worker at the Institute of History,
Archaeology, and Ethnography of the Academy of Sciences of
Tajikistan. In 1969, he defended his dissertation, entitled Khujand va
Ustrushana dar Davrai Qadim va Asrhoi Miona (Khujand and
Istaravshan in Ancient and Medieval Times). He received his early
education in Khujand. He received his doctorate degree in history in
1969, became a professor in 1972, and a Corresponding Member of the
Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan in 1978. In 1970, he became the
Director of the History Division of the same institute. Between 1954
and 1974, he was a member of the archaeological excavations in
northern Tajikistan. In 1974, he became the Director of the
Archaeological Expedition to northern Tajikistan.
Ne'matov's research deals with the ancient and medieval history of
Central Asia. He was the first to study the governmental structure of
Istaravshan. Under his leadership, the capital of Istaravshan, Bunjikat,
and its surrounding ruins were investigated. The excavations unearthed
architectural remains, paintings, carvings, and the like. Ne'matov is a
major contributor to our understanding of the history of Khujand and
Uroteppa, an understanding that would not have been possible without

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Iraj Bashiri

212
his mastery of both medieval manuscripts and modern technology. His

contributions include Ustrushana v drevnosti i rannem srednevekove
(Istaravshan During Ancient and Medieval Times, Stalinabad, 1957);
Srednevekovii Shahristan (Shahristan in Medieval Times, Dushanbe,
1966); Kashfioti Panjakenti Qadim (Discoveries in Ancient Panjakent,
Dushanbe, 1969); Asrori Istaravshon (The Secrets of Istaravshan,
Dushanbe, 1972); Urtakurgan i Tirmizaktepa (Utrakurgan and
Termizaktepa, Dushanbe, 1973); Gosudarstvo Samanidov
Maverannakhr i Khorasan v 9-10 vv.) (Samanid Government,
Transoxania and Khurasan During the 9
th
 and 10
th
 Centuries,
Dushanbe, 1977); and Dar Borai Problemahoi Madaniyati Tojikiston
(About the Civilizational Problems of Tajikistan, Dushanbe, 2001).
Ne'matov was decorated with the Badge of Honor, and the Honorary
Order of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of Tajikistan.