The article deals with the development of the Amu Darya basin, Chinese sources, data of Arab geographers and tourists, the results of research conducted during the former Soviet era, the years of independence, the emergence and development of shipping in the Amudarya and its tributaries. The role of large settlements and cities built on the banks of the Amudarya in the ancient period and the early Middle Ages in the regional communication system is analyzed on the basis of historical sources on the example of ancient and medieval times.