Central Asia

What is Central Asia?

Central Asiais the core region of theAsiancontinentand

stretches from theCaspian Seain the west toChinain the east

and from Afghanistanin the south toRussiain the north. It is also
sometimes referred to asMiddle Asia, and, colloquially,
"the'stans" (as the six countries generally considered to be
within the region all have names ending with thePersiansuffix "stan", meaning "land of") and is within the scope of the
widerEurasiancontinent.
During pre-Islamic and early Islamic times, Central Asia was a

predominantlyIranianregion that included the sedentaryEastern

Iranian-speakingBactrians,SogdiansandChorasmians, and the
semi-nomadicScythiansandParthians. The ancient sedentary
population played an important role in the history of Central Asia.
After expansion byTurkic peoples, Central Asia also became the
homeland for many Turkic peoples, including
theKazakhs,Uzbeks,Turkmen,Kyrgyz,Uyghursand other extinct
Turkic nations. Central Asia is sometimes referred to asTurkestan.

History of Central Asia

Although, during the golden age of Orientalism the place of Central

Asia in the world history was marginalized, contemporary

historiography has rediscovered the "centrality" of the Central
Asia.The history of Central Asia is defined by the area's climate and
geography. The aridness of the region madeagriculturedifficult,
and its distance from the sea cut it off from much trade. Thus, few
major cities developed in the region; instead, the area was for
millennia dominated by the nomadic horse peoples of thesteppe.
Relations between thesteppe nomadsand the settled people in and

around Central Asia were long marked by conflict. The nomadic

lifestyle was well suited towarfare, and the steppehorse
ridersbecame some of the most militarily potent people in the
world, limited only by their lack of internal unity. Any internal unity
that was achieved was most probably due to the influence of
theSilk Road, which traveled along Central Asia. Periodically, great
leaders or changing conditions would organize several tribes into
one force and create an almost unstoppable power. These included
theHuninvasion of Europe, theWu Huattacks on China and most
notably theMongol conquestof much ofEurasia.

Horses and Golds

Religion Influenced
Art

Bamiyan Buddha
TheBuddha of Bamiyanwere
two 6th-century monumental
statues of standing
buddhacarved into the side of
a cliff in theBamyanvalley in
theHazarajatregion of
centralAfghanistan, 230km
(140mi) northwest ofKabulat
an altitude of 2,500 meters
(8,200 feet). Built in 507 AD
(smaller) and 554 AD
(larger),the statues
represented the classic
blended style ofGandhara art.

Bactria
The Greco-Roman
influences in this
Buddhist Artwork from
Central Asia: the
clothing, the wine
drinking, and the
musical instruments
are all elements of
Greco-Roman culture
that merged with the
Buddhist civilization of
Central Asia . This
syncretism began in
the Hellenistic
kingdom of Bactria
and diffused south to
other people, such as
the Kushans.

Statue from a Buddhist

monastery, 700AD,
Afghanistan
Buddhist art
inAfghanistan(oldBactria)
persisted for several centuries
until the spread of Islam in the 7th
century. It is exemplified by
theBuddhas of Bamyan. Other
sculptures,
instucco,schistorclay, display
very strong blending of Indian
post-Guptamannerism and
Classical influence,Hellenisticor
possibly evenGreco-Roman.

Islamic Architectures

Registan

TheRegistanwas the heart of the ancient city ofSamarkandof theTimurid

dynasty, now inUzbekistan. The nameRgistan( )means "Sandy place"
or "desert" inPersian.The Registan was apublic square, where people
gathered to hear royal proclamations, heralded by blasts on enormous copper
pipes calleddzharchis- and a place of public executions. It is framed by
threemadrasahs(Islamic schools) of distinctiveIslamic architecture.

Mausoleum of
the Samanids,
Bukhara,
Uzbekistan

One of the earliest extant examples of Islamic Architecture in

Uzbekistan, this tomb shows the rise of stylistically consistent
mausolea beginning at this time. One of the most accomplished
and well preserved, this tomb was likely constructed for Ismail, a
Samanid ruler, thus illustrating dynastic pretensions. Built on a
traditional holy site, the structure may have been built in an effort
to lead followers to worship the burial places associated with the
descendents of Ali.

TheJama
Masjid of
Herat

TheGreat Mosque of Heart is amosquein the city ofHerat, in

theHerat Provinceof north-westernAfghanistan. It was built by
Ghurids, the famous Sultan Ghayas-ud-Din Ghori, who laid its
foundation in 1200 AD, and later extended by several rulers as
Herat changed rulers down the centuries from theTimurids, to
theSafavids, to theMughalsand theUzbeks, all of whom
supported the mosque.