Crenellated wall portion of the ruins of Afrasiyab, Samarkand.
Varkhuman, also Vargoman (Chinese: 拂呼縵; pinyin: Fúhūmàn, c. 640-670 CE)[2][3] was an Ikhshid (King) of Sogdia, residing in the city of Samarkand in the 7th century CE. He succeeded King Shishpin.[4] He is known from the Afrasiab murals of Afrasiyab in Samarkand, where he is seen being visited by embassies from numerous countries, including China.[5] There is also an inscription in the murals directly mentioning him.[5] His name is also known from Chinese histories.[5]
One of the murals show a Chinese Embassy carrying silk and a string of silkworm cocoons to the local Sogdian ruler.[5] The scene depicted in the Afrasiyab murals probably occurred soon after 658 CE, when the Tang dynasty had conquered the Western Turkic Khaganate.[2]
Varkhuman was a nominal vassal to the Chinese.[4] He is mentioned in the Chinese annals:
During the Yonghui (永徽) era (650-655 CE), emperor Gaozong made this territory the Government of Kangju, and gave the title of Governor to the King of the country, Varkhuman (拂呼缦, Fúhūmàn).
— Chinese annals on Varkhuman.[6][7]
Varkhuman's legacy was short-lived, as his palace was destroyed by the Arab general Sa'id ibn Uthman between 675 and 677 CE. At that time, according to Narshakhi there was no king of Samarkand anymore.[4]
^ abFedorov, Michael (2007). "ON THE PORTRAITS OF THE SOGDIAN KINGS (IKHSHĪDS) OF SAMARQAND". Iran. 45: 156–157. doi:10.1080/05786967.2007.11864723. ISSN 0578-6967. JSTOR 25651416. S2CID 194538468.
^ abWhitfield, Susan (2004). The Silk Road: Trade, Travel, War and Faith. British Library. Serindia Publications, Inc. p. 112. ISBN 978-1-932476-13-2.
^Azarpay, Guitty; Belenickij, Aleksandr M.; Maršak, Boris Il'ič; Dresden, Mark J. (January 1981). Sogdian Painting: The Pictorial Epic in Oriental Art. University of California Press. p. 17. ISBN 978-0-520-03765-6.
^ abcBaumer, Christoph (18 April 2018). History of Central Asia, The: 4-volume set. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 243. ISBN 978-1-83860-868-2.
^ abcdWhitfield, Susan (2004). The Silk Road: Trade, Travel, War and Faith. British Library. Serindia Publications, Inc. p. 110. ISBN 978-1-932476-13-2.
^Mode, Markus (2006). "Reading the Afrasiab Murals: Some Comments on Reconstructions and Details" (PDF). Rivista degli studi orientali. 78: 108. ISSN 0392-4866. JSTOR 41913392.
^New Book of Tang, Book 221. 新唐书/卷221下: "高宗永徽时，以其地为康居都督府，即授其王拂呼缦为都督。" in "新唐书/卷221下 - 维基文库，自由的图书馆". zh.wikisource.org (in Simplified Chinese).
Varkhuman, also Vargoman (Chinese: 拂呼縵; pinyin: Fúhūmàn, c. 640-670 CE) was an Ikhshid (King) of Sogdia, residing in the city of Samarkand in the 7th...
the site mention the king of Samarkand Varkhuman. Written in Sogdian, the inscription, reads: When King Varkhuman Unash came to him [the ambassador] opened...
Ikhshid period, contain an inscription mentioning King "Varkhuman Unash" When King Varkhuman Unash came to him [the ambassador] opened his mouth [and...
It has been suggested that a foreign visitor at the court of king Varkhuman of Samarkand in 648-651 AD, clad in sumptuous dress with Simurgh symbols,...
Pukarzate to Varkhuman, the Sogdian king of Samarkand. The visit is mentioned in the murals of Afrasiyab, written in Sogdian: When King Varkhuman Unash came...
ambassador from Chaganian named Pukarzate is known to have visited king Varkhuman of Samarkand, and appears in the Afrasiyab murals, together with other...
the Ambassadors' Painting, found in the hall of the ruin of an aristocratic house in Afrasiab, commissioned by the Sogdian king of Samarkand, Varkhuman...
are probably shown attending the reception by the local Sogdian ruler Varkhuman in the 7th century AD. These paintings suggest that Sogdia was a very...
Ambassador from Chaganian visiting king Varkhuman of Samarkand 648–651 CE. Afrasiyab murals, Samarkand. Chaganian was an "Hephthalite buffer principality"...
Chaganian (central figure, inscription of the neck), and Chach (modern Tashkent) to king Varkhuman of Samarkand. 648-651 CE, Afrasiyab murals, Samarkand....
Goguryeo ambassadors during an audience with King Varkhuman of Samarkand. They are identified by the two feathers on top of their head. 648–651 AD, Afrasiab...
Korean ambassadors during an audience with king Varkhuman of Samarkand. They are identified by the two feathers on top of their head. 648-651 CE, Afrasiyab...
Korean (Goguryeo) ambassadors during an audience with King Varkhuman of Samarkand. They are identified by the two feathers on top of their head. 648–651...
Turkish officers during an audience with king Varkhuman of Samarkand. 648-651 AD, Afrasiyab murals, Samarkand. They are recognizable by their long plaits...
Turkish dignitaries visiting king Varkhuman in Samarkand. One of them is labeled as coming from Argi (Karashahr in modern Xinjiang). Afrasiab mural, probably...
600-800 CE Detail of the murals, commissioned by the king of Samarkand, Varkhuman Wikimedia Commons has media related to Afrosiyob Museum. "Afrasiab Museum...
Western Turk officers during an audience with king Varkhuman of Samarkand. 648–651 CE, Afrasiyab murals. They are recognizable by their long plaits....
(Karashahr in modern Xinjiang), attending the reception of ambassadors by king Varkhuman of Samarkand. Afrasiab murals, 7th century CE. The Turks had a Mongoloid...
Korea, Iranian and Hephthalite principalities...), paying hommage to king Varkhuman and possibly Western Turk Khagan Shekui, under the massive presence of...
figure, inscription of the neck), and Chach (modern Tashkent) to king Varkhuman of Samarkand. 648-651 AD, Afrasiyab murals, Samarkand. The delegate to...
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