Sogdians lived in the teritoires of modern Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and were centered around the main city of Samarkand.

The northern stairs of the Apadana at Persepolis show a procession of people bringing tribute to the Achaemenid king, Darius the Great.
The stone Reliefs depict twenty-three gift-bearing delegations each in its own national dress, and separated from the next by a cypress tree, each group being led towards the central panel.