country_of_citizenship alp-tegin
___MASK54___ (, or ), officially the Republic of ___MASK54___ (" Çumhuriji Toçikiston "), is a mountainous , landlocked country in Central Asia with an estimated 8 million people in 2013 , and an area of . It is bordered by Afghanistan to the south , ___MASK59___ to the west , Kyrgyzstan to the north , and ___MASK63___ to the east . Pakistan lies to the south , separated by the narrow Wakhan Corridor . Traditional homelands of Tajik people included present - day ___MASK54___ , Afghanistan and ___MASK59___ . ___MASK60___ ( or ), officially the Islamic Republic of ___MASK60___ , is a federal parliamentary republic in South Asia on crossroads of Central Asia and Western Asia . It is the sixth - most populous country with a population exceeding 200 million people . It is the 36th largest country in the world in terms of area with an area covering . ___MASK60___ has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of ___MASK81___ in the south and is bordered by India to the east , Afghanistan to the west , Iran to the southwest and ___MASK63___ in the far northeast respectively . It is separated from Tajikistan by Afghanistan ' s narrow Wakhan Corridor in the north , and also shares a maritime border with ___MASK81___ . Alp - Tegin , ( Persian :    ; Alp Tegn , Turkic for brave prince ) sometimes spelled as Alptigin , was a Turkic slave commander of the Samanid Empire , who would later become the semi - independent governor of Ghazna from 962 until his death in 963 . Before becoming governor of Ghazni , Alp - Tegin was the commander - in - chief ( sipahsalar ) of the Samanid army in Khorasan . In a political fallout over succession of the Samanids he crossed the Hindu Kush mountains southward and captured Ghazna , located strategically between Kabul and Kandahar in present - day ___MASK89___ , and thereby establishing his own principality , which , however , was still under Samanid authority . He was succeeded by his son , Abu Ishaq Ibrahim . The Samanid Empire (" Smniyn "), also known as the ___MASK93___ , Samanid Emirate , or simply Samanids , was a Sunni Iranian empire , ruling from 819 to 999 . The empire was mostly centered in Khorasan and Transoxiana during its existence , but at its greatest extent , the empire encompassed all of today ' s ___MASK89___ , and large parts of Iran , Turkmenistan , ___MASK59___ , Tajikistan , Kyrgyzstan , ___MASK29___ and Pakistan . ___MASK37___ (, also , ; ' ), also known as Persia , officially the Islamic Republic of ___MASK37___ (' ), is a sovereign state in Western Asia . It is bordered to the northwest by Armenia , the " de facto " Nagorno - Karabakh Republic , and ___MASK83___ ; to the north by the Caspian Sea ; to the northeast by Turkmenistan ; to the east by Afghanistan and Pakistan ; to the south by the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of ___MASK81___ ; and to the west by ___MASK32___ and Iraq . Comprising a land area of , it is the second - largest country in the Middle East and the 18th - largest in the world . With 82 . 8 million inhabitants , ___MASK37___ is the world ' s 17th - most - populous country . It is the only country with both a Caspian Sea and an Indian Ocean coastline . The country ' s central location in Eurasia and Western Asia , and its proximity to the Strait of Hormuz , make it of great geostrategic importance . Tehran is the country ' s capital and largest city , as well as its leading economic center . ___MASK59___ , officially the Republic of ___MASK59___ , is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia . It is a unitary , constitutional , presidential republic , comprising twelve provinces , one autonomous republic and a capital city . ___MASK59___ is bordered by five landlocked countries : ___MASK29___ to the north ; Tajikistan to the southeast ; Kyrgyzstan to the northeast ; Afghanistan to the south ; and Turkmenistan to the southwest . ___MASK89___ ( Pashto / Dari : , " Afnistn "), officially the Islamic ___MASK21___ , is a landlocked country located within South Asia and Central Asia . It has a population of approximately 32 million , making it the 42nd most populous country in the world . It is bordered by Pakistan in the south and east ; Iran in the west ; Turkmenistan , ___MASK59___ , and Tajikistan in the north ; and ___MASK63___ in the far northeast . Its territory covers , making it the 41st largest country in the world . ___MASK29___ ( " Qazaqstan ", " ___MASK29___ "), officially the Republic of ___MASK29___ (" Qazaqstan Respwblïkas " " Respublika ___MASK29___ "), is a transcontinental country in northern Central Asia and Eastern Europe . ___MASK29___ is the world ' s largest landlocked country , and the ninth largest in the world , with an area of . ___MASK29___ is the dominant nation of Central Asia economically , generating 60 % of the region ' s GDP , primarily through its oil / gas industry . It also has vast mineral resources . ___MASK58___ ( or ); formerly known as Turkmenia is a country in Central Asia , bordered by ___MASK29___ to the northwest , Uzbekistan to the north and east , Afghanistan to the southeast , Iran to the south and southwest , and the Caspian Sea to the west . ___MASK84___ (; " ___MASK84___ "), officially the Kyrgyz Republic (" Krgz Respublikas "; " Kyrgyzskaya Respublika "), formerly known as Kirghizia , is a country in Central Asia . Landlocked and mountainous , ___MASK84___ is bordered by ___MASK29___ to the north , Uzbekistan to the west and southwest , Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east . Its capital and largest city is Bishkek .