Origin of the Alans

[Michael Kerr]

Persians controlled Bactria around the time of Alexander the Great & Saka/Scythian cavalry supposedly fought at Marathon. Although Persian sculptures depict Darius defeating the Saka maybe the reality was that he came to some arrangement with them for access to Bactria. Maybe the Sogdians got some alfalfa plants from the Persians and grew it themselves in the Ferghana Valley. Central Asian nomads used to buy their carpets off the Persians until they mastered the art themselves so there was definitely some interraction. I think the people of Tajikstan today are Indo-Iranian speakers.
Regards
Michael Kerr