Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
After Achaemenids, Alexander the Great (336-323 B.C.) conquers the
region. He was met with stiff resistance of the Turks and the Sogdians.
Upon the death Alexander his successor Seleucid (312-65 B.C.) was to be
the reign of the region. Between 250-50 B.C. Seleucid and his successors
sustained their dominance to the south of the area as the Greek-Bactrian
rule (Compareti, 2001). During this period Mawarannahr' city principali-
ties governance system persisted.
In the second century B.C. Huns defeated Yueh-chis, and forced them
to shift starting a huge migration of nations towards Central Asia, West
Turkestan, Afghanistan and Northern India. This pushed out the Greco
Bactrian colonies of the region. Herodotus, and Strabo give some infor-
mation about the ethnicity and the mass migrations in this geography. In
addition, Persian, Indian and Chinese sources are the main root of the
chronicles in the region.
Kushans who were the dominants of the region during the 1st-3rd Cen-
tury A.D., eliminated the rule of Alexander's residual the Greco Bactrian
state and came to Bukhara from north of Kabul. Buddhist ruler Kanishka
(78-101) achieved the dream of Chi-Chi the Qaghan of Huns and domi-
nated the whole of India and Turkistan. Kushans took control of trade
over by removing Iran out of the land and the sea routes between India
and Rome. A further fight to dominate the Kushan territory began during
the year 240 between the Sassanid Ruler Shapur (241-272) and a branch
of the Huns the Hephthalites; especially after 438, resulted in Mawaran-
nahr, Afghanistan, Northern India falling into the hands of Hephthalites.
Kushan ruler Kanishkas' purpose of spreading Buddhism to the world was
well known. A unique Kushan-Hindu art form was shaped during this pe-
riod, also having an influence on the near trade partners the Sogdians.
Some of the later palace paintings of Göktürk (Turkic Khaganate) period
in Samarkand illustrate this effect. In fact, according to Esin this is why
the westerners identified Afrasiab, Panjikent palace wall paintings as sim-
ply Sogdian instead of Göktürk. Yet Turkic military uniforms appear in
Kushan sculptures, a Turkish word “kucula” which means beautiful is en-
graved on their coins. This clearly exhibits the interaction of Turkish and
Kushan cultures.
Huns moved towards Europe in 375. Hephthalites on the other hand
grew their military, political and cultural mark on Mawarannahr as a
strong state during 375-479. The Hephthalites were finally destroyed by
the Qaghan of Western Göktürks, Istemi in 557. The Göktürks' dominance
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