Page 61 - The Stans of Central Asia: Turkmenistan & Uzbekistan

After Alexander’s death in 323 BC, his massive empire was split into much smaller regions
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of Alexander’s top generals, received the huge area formerly controlled by the Achaemenid
Empire. The Seleucid Empire, as Seleucus’ lands were collectively referred to as, was centered
in Syria. It incorporated much of the Middle East and Central Asia, including the combined
satrapy of Sogdiana and Bactria. The Seleucid Empire became a center of the Hellenistic World,
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The Seleucid Empire gradually declined due to a combination of factors. Overexpansion and a
number of decisive military defeats resulted in the near-complete collapse of the empire by
the mid-second century BC. The last remnants of the Seleucid Empire were brought to an end
in 64 BC, when the Roman general Pompey established Syria as a Roman province. After the
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including the Parthian and Sassanid empires. The next group to take an interest in Uzbekistan
were the Arabs, who conquered Central Asia in the eighth century AD.

Islam Spreads to Central Asia
After experiencing centuries of Persian rule, Uzbekistan fell to Islamic Arabs in the eighth
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a series of sporadic raids. Because the Iranian peoples of Central Asia lacked leadership and
solidarity, they were easily defeated.

One of the Arabs’ foremost goals in conquering Mawarannahr was to spread their newfound
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becoming a major world religion. After the Arab conquest of Mawarannahr, Islam spread
steadily throughout Central Asia, where it continues to be the primary religion today.

Although Uzbekistan maintained much of its Persian character under Arab rule, certain aspects
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language of literature, government, and commerce switched from Persian to Arabic until the
tenth century. Also, Islam became the region’s primary religion, whereas, in the past, it had
been Zoroastrianism. The Arab presence in Mawarannahr furthered its development as a center
of art and learning. Under the Abbasid Caliphate—the ruling dynasty of the Islamic world from
roughly AD 750 to sometime in the 13th century—Bukhara was transformed into a cultural
center that rivaled contemporary world capitals such as Baghdad and Cairo.

Mongols, Timurids, and Uzbeks

The Mongol invasion of Mawarannahr was a turning point in the region’s history. It began in
1219 and ended in 1225. Lead by the infamous Genghis Khan, the Mongol campaign in Central
Asia was particularly brutal. In conquering Uzbekistan, the Mongols executed a widespread
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replaced by that of the Mongolian-Turkic peoples who migrated from the north. Invading
Mongol warriors also destroyed the region’s cities and its irrigation system.

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