The Heritage of Central Asia: From Antiquity to the Turkish Expansion (Princeton Series on the Middle East)

A study of the heritage of Central Asia. It brings together such distinct elements as the world of Zoroaster, the Achaemenid ecumene, the Sakas and later waves of nomadic invaders, the spread of Buddhism along the Silk Road, the historic role of the Turks, and more. After The Breakup Of The Soviet Union, The Peoples Of Central Asia Are Seeking To Rediscover Their Heritage, Which Blends Cultural Elements From Iran, China, And India. Central Asia In Ancient And Medieval Times Was The Crossroads Of Civilization, Connecting China With The West. This Book Provides A Concise, Authoritative History Of The Region That Includes Modern Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kirghizia, And Xinjiang. The Author, Who Has Made Many Visits To The Region And Lived In Tajikistan, Draws On Sources In Several Central Asian Languages, As Well As Materials From The Fields Of Archaeology, Art History, Linguistics, Ethnography, And Folklore. What We Now Call Central Asia Was Part Of The Empires Conquered By Cyrus, Alexander The Great, Timur, And Their Successors During Antiquity And The Middle Ages. At The Turn Of The Millennium, Central Asia Became The Turkish Center Of Rule. After The Turkish Expansion, Political Rule Belonged To The Turks, But The Culture Remained Iranian. Over The Course Of Centuries, Ancient Polytheistic Religions Gave Way To Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, And Islam, And Merchants Founded Trading Empires Around The Legendary Silk Route. Geographic Realities -- Peoples, Languages, Customs, And Beliefs -- Before History -- Zoroaster's Cult -- Achaemenid Centralization -- Alexander And The Heritage Of Hellenism -- Greco-bactrians And Parthians -- Nomadic Interlude -- The Forgotten Kushans -- The Silk Route -- The Buddhist East -- Return Of The Nomads -- The Merchant World Of The Sogdians -- Caliphs And Kaghans -- The Iranian-islamic Œcumene -- The Present Is Born -- Appendix 1: The Literary Sources -- Appendix 2: Geographical Names -- Appendix 3: Local Rulers In Bukhara And Samarkand -- Appendix 4: Deities In Sogdiana -- Appendix 5: The Languages Of Central Asia -- Appendix 6: Coinage In Transoxiana. Richard N. Frye. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.

After the breakup of the Soviet Union, the peoples of Central Asia are seeking to rediscover their heritage, which blends cultural elements from Iran, China, and India. Central Asia in ancient and medieval times was the crossroads of civilization, connecting China with the West. This book provides a concise, authoritative history of the region that includes modern Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kirghizia, and Xinjiang. The author, who has made many visits to the region and lived in Tajikistan, draws on sources in several Central Asian languages, as well as materials from the fields of archaeology, art history, linguistics, ethnography, and folklore. What we now call Central Asia was part of the empires conquered by Cyrus, Alexander the Great, Timur, and their successors during antiquity and the Middle Ages. At the turn of the millennium, Central Asia became the Turkish center of rule. After the Turkish expansion, political rule belonged to the Turks, but the culture remained Iranian. Over the course of centuries, ancient polytheistic religions gave way to Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, and Islam, and merchants founded trading empires around the legendary silk route.

Central Asia in ancient and medieval times was the crossroads of civilization, connecting China with the West. What we now call Central Asia was part of the empires conquered by Cyrus, Alexander the Great, Timur, and their successors during antiquity and the Middle Ages. At the turn of the millennium, Central Asia became the Turkish center of rule. After the Turkish expansion, political rule belonged to the Turks, but the culture remained Iranian. Over the course of the centuries, ancient polytheistic religions gave way to Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, and Islam, and merchants founded trading empires around the legendary silk route. After the breakup of the Soviet Union, the peoples of Central Asia are seeking to rediscover their heritage, which blends cultural elements from Iran, China, and India. This book provides a concise, authoritative history of the region that includes modern Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Xinjiang. The author, who has made many visits to the region and lived in Tajikistan, draws on sources in several Central Asian languages, as well as materials from the fields of archaeology, art history, linguistics, ethnography, and folklore. Contents......Page 6 Introduction......Page 7 Geographic Realities......Page 17 Peoples, Languages. Customs and Beliefs......Page 35 Before History......Page 57 Zoroaster's Cult......Page 71 Achaemenid Centralization......Page 81 Alexander and the Heritage of Hellenism......Page 103 Greco Bactrians and Parthians......Page 115 Nomadic Interlude......Page 125 The Forgotten Kushans......Page 137 The Silk Route......Page 157 The Buddhist East......Page 165 Return of the Nomads......Page 173 The Merchant World of the Sogdians......Page 189 Caliphs and Kaghans......Page 205 The Iranian Islamic Oecumene......Page 225 The Present is Born......Page 239 Appendices......Page 247 Index......Page 259