Tighina, or Tigina, is a city in Moldova. It was formerly known as Bendery (Turkish: Bender).
A settlement has existed at the confluence of the Dniester and Bāc rivers since the 2nd century, subsequently growing and coming under the successive rules of Kiev, Moldavia, Genoa, Turkey, Russia and Romania.
A fortress was founded here in the 16th century by Stefan cel Mare. In 1538 Suleiman the Magnificent conquered the fortress and renamed it Bender
In 1713, the city was the site of a battle (kalabalik ) between Charles XII of Sweden, who had taken refuge there with Cossack leader Ivan Stepanovich Mazepa after their failed attack on Russia, and Turks who wished to take him hostage and exploit the political difficulties of central Europe.
Tighina fell to the Russians during the Russo-Turkish War, 1806-1812 and remained in Russian hands until the Collapse of the Soviet Union. During the Transnistrian Civil War most of the fighting was concentrated in the city.
Famous people born in the city include:
- Lev Simonovich Berg - zoologist and geographer
- Mikhail Grigoryevich Chernyayev - Russian general
- Jerzy Neyman - statistician
- Emil Constantinescu - former Romanian President