|
Uzbekistan
The Early Islamic Period
The conquest of Central Asia by Islamic Arabs, which was completed
in the eighth century A.D., brought to the region a new religion
and culture that continue to be dominant. The Arabs first invaded
Mawarannahr in the middle of the seventh century through sporadic
raids during their conquest of Persia. Available sources on the
Arab conquest suggest that the Soghdians and other Iranian peoples
of Central Asia were unable to defend their land against the Arabs
because of internal divisions and the lack of strong indigenous
leadership. The Arabs, on the other hand, were led by a brilliant
general, Qutaybah ibn Muslim, and they also were highly motivated
by the desire to spread their new faith (the official beginning
of which was in A.D. 622). Because of these factors, the population
of Mawarannahr was easily conquered. The new religion brought
by the Arabs spread gradually in the region. The native cultures,
which in some respects already were being displaced by Persian
influences before the Arabs arrived, were displaced farther in
the ensuing centuries. Nevertheless, the destiny of Central Asia
as an Islamic region was firmly established by the Arab victory
over the Chinese armies in 750 in a battle at the Talas River.
Under Arab rule, Central Asia retained much of its Iranian character,
remaining an important center of culture and trade for centuries
after the Arab conquest. However, until the tenth century the
language of government, literature, and commerce was Arabic. Mawarannahr
continued to be an important political player in regional affairs,
as it had been under various Persian dynasties. In fact, the Abbasid
Caliphate, which ruled the Arab world for five centuries beginning
in 750, was established thanks in great part to assistance from
Central Asian supporters in their struggle against the then-ruling
Umayyad Caliphate.
During the height of the Abbasid Caliphate in the eighth and
the ninth centuries, Central Asia and Mawarannahr experienced
a truly golden age. Bukhoro became one of the leading centers
of learning, culture, and art in the Muslim world, its magnificence
rivaling contemporaneous cultural centers such as Baghdad, Cairo,
and Cordoba. Some of the greatest historians, scientists, and
geographers in the history of Islamic culture were natives of
the region.
As the Abbasid Caliphate began to weaken and local Islamic Iranian
states emerged as the rulers of Iran and Central Asia, the Persian
language began to regain its preeminent role in the region as
the language of literature and government. The rulers of the eastern
section of Iran and of Mawarannahr were Persians. Under the Samanids
and the Buyids, the rich culture of Mawarannahr continued to flourish.
Data as of March 1996
|
