Hulbuk

Hulbuk was the medieval capital of Khuttal, between the Vakhsh and Panj rivers. Its citadel enclosed the palace of the rulers, whose walls bore carved decoration and paintings. Arab geographers described a Friday mosque in the city, and roads through Khuttal linked Bukhara with Badakhshan and India. Hulbuk flourished under the Banijurids and their Samanid overlords, but was damaged in conflict and declined; nearby Kulob later emerged as a regional centre.