MOVAROUNNAHR IN ARAB SOURCES OF THE 9TH–12TH CENTURIES: HISTORICAL ANALYSIS OF POLITICAL, ETHNIC AND SOCIAL PROCESSES
Keywords:
Arabic sources; Central Asia; Transoxiana; Turkestan; 9th–12th centuries; Turkic tribes; ethnopolitical processes; historiography; al-Istakhri; Ibn Hawqal; al-Masʿudi; al-Biruni; al-Marwazi; Islamic civilization; medieval statehood.Abstract
This article examines the significance of Arabic sources in the study of the political, social, and cultural history of Transoxiana and Turkestan during the 9th–12th centuries. Works by prominent scholars such as al-Istakhri, Ibn Hawqal, al-Masʿudi, al-Biruni, and al-Marwazi provide unique insights into the development of political institutions, tribal structures, economic relations, and the spread of Islam in the region. Through comparative historical and ethnological approaches, the study highlights both the methodological diversity and the subjectivity present in these sources. The article underscores the central role of Arabic geographical and historical literature in reconstructing the ethnopolitical processes of the Turkic peoples and assessing the integration of Islamic civilization into Central Asia. By analyzing these sources critically, the research contributes to a deeper understanding of medieval statehood, social organization, and cultural transformation in the region.
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