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Uzbekistan
The Mongol Period
The Mongol invasion of Central Asia is one of the turning points
in the history of the region. That event left imprints that were
still discernible in the early twentieth century. The Mongols
had such a lasting impact because they established the tradition
that the legitimate ruler of any Central Asian state could only
be a blood descendant of Chinggis Khan.
The Mongol conquest of Central Asia, which took place from 1219
to 1225, led to a wholesale change in the population of Mawarannahr.
The conquest quickened the process of Turkification in the region
because, although the armies of Chinggis Khan were led by Mongols,
they were made up mostly of Turkic tribes that had been incorporated
into the Mongol armies as the tribes were encountered in the Mongols'
southward sweep. As these armies settled in Mawarannahr, they
intermixed with the local populations, increasingly making the
Iranians a minority. Another effect of the Mongol conquest was
the large-scale damage the warriors inflicted on cities such as
Bukhoro and on regions such as Khorazm. As the leading province
of a wealthy state, Khorazm was treated especially severely. The
irrigation networks in the region suffered extensive damage that
was not repaired for several generations.
Data as of March 1996
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