The Turks in the Early Islamic World

by Bosworth,C. Edmund

• ISBN13: 9780860787198
• ISBN10: 0860787192
• eBook ISBN(s): 9781351880879
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-02-28
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

This volume brings together a set of key articles, along with a new introduction to contextualize them, on the role of Turkish peoples in the Western Asiatic world up to the 11th century. Such topics as the geographical and environmental original milieux of these peoples in the forest zone and steppelands of Inner Asia, the formation and breakup of tribal confederations within the steppes, and the evolution of tribal structures, are examined as the background for the appearance of Turks within the Islamic caliphate from the 9th century onwards. These came first as military slaves, then as movements of peoples, such as the tribal migrations of the Oghuz, leading to the establishment of the Seljuq sultanate, whilst from within Islamic society, individual Turkish commanders were able at the same time to build up their own military empires such as that of the Ghaznavids. In this way was put in place a Turkish dominance of the northern tier of the Middle East, with attendant changes in demography and land utilisation, which was to last for centuries.

Table of Contents

Introduction

The steppe region in world history

A geographical history of Central Asia

Tribal names and titles amongst the Altaic peoples

The oldest mentions of the Turks in Arabic literature

The Turks in the Shah-nama

Khazar Turkish ghulams in caliphal service

Al-Xwarazmi on the peoples of Central Asia

Turks in the Middle East before the Saljuqs

The Turks in the Islamic lands up to the mid-11th century

Barbarian incursions: the coming of the Turks into the Islamic world

Notes on the Risala of Ibn-Fadlan

Mu`tasim and the Turks

Aspects of the early history of the Central Asian guard corps in Islam

The founding of a new capital: Samarra'

The Malik-nama and the history of Seljuqid origins

The Turkish tribes of Western Asia during the Seljuqid period

Index

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