Tukhard

Tukhard is a largely outdated transliteration of the name of an ancient Indo-European people inhabiting the Tarim Basin, now part of Xinjiang, China. The more accepted modern transliterations are Tocharian or Tokharian. These people are known for their distinct Tocharian languages, which are attested in manuscripts discovered in the region, dating primarily from the 6th to 8th centuries CE.

The term "Tukhard" arose from early, inaccurate identifications of these people with the Tókharoi mentioned in ancient Greek sources, who inhabited Bactria (present-day northern Afghanistan). This association has since been discredited by scholarly consensus.

The Tocharians are significant for their presence so far east of other known Indo-European populations and for the archaic features preserved in their languages, which shed light on the early development and dispersal of the Indo-European language family. Their culture, as revealed through archaeological findings and textual analysis, displayed influences from various Central Asian and Indian civilizations. The Tocharians played a role in trade and cultural exchange along the Silk Road.