Ilaq is known to have existed prior to the Muslim conquest of Transoxiana, with archeological and numismatic evidence demonstrating that it was extant as far back as the sixth or seventh centuries. Bronze coins dating to this period contain Soghdian inscriptions which include the name Tunakand, an earlier form of Tunkath, and depict the image of a local ruler. Modern excavation projects have also revealed the site of a possible fire temple in Tunkath, suggesting that fire worship was practiced by the inhabitants of the region during the pre-Islamic era.