Description
Book SynopsisQarakhanid Roads to China reconsiders the diplomacy, trade and geography of transcontinental networks between Central Asia and China from the 10th to the 12th centuries and challenges the concept of “the Silk Road crisis” in the period between the fall of the Tang Dynasty and the rise of the Mongols. Utilizing a broad range of Islamic and Chinese primary sources together with archaeological data, Dilnoza Duturaeva demonstrates the complexity of interaction along the Silk Roads and beyond that, revolutionizes our understanding of the Qarakhanid world and Song-era China’s relations with neighboring regions.
Trade Review"Her encyclopedic knowledge and patient teasing out of her conclusions from philological sources in Chinese, Turkish, Arabic and Persian, are admirable. [...] Qarakhanid Roads to China offers a comprehensive portrait of the peoples and the activities of this little-known era of the Silk Road, and will be a valuable reference for students and scholars alike." – David Chaffetz, in Asian Review of Books (2022). "Overall, this book is an excellent example of the importance of integrating data from Chinese sources as well as archaeological, art-historical and numismatic studies to shed light into this little-studied historical period of Central Asian history, and, by extension, the aspects of global medieval trade that the Qarakhanids were part of. The revised political history of the Qarakhanids can be written only thanks to such works that bridge sources from multiple languages and disciplines. There is certainly much additional work to do in Qarakhanid studies." – Dilrabo Tosheva, in Central Asian Survey (2022), DOI: 10.1080/02634937.2022.2110354.
Table of ContentsForeword Acknowledgments List of Maps, Tables and Figures Abbreviations Used in the Tables Note on Transliterations and Measures Introduction 1 The Qarakhanid World Introduction 1 Notes on the Qarakhanid Image and Origin 2 The Qarakhanid Trade Partners in the West 3 The Qarakhanids and the East Conclusion 2 Between the Islamic World and Liao China Introduction 1 Gifting between the Qarakhanid and the Islamic World: The Ghaznavid Case 2 Gifting between the Qarakhanids and the Sinitic World: The Liao Case Conclusion 3 Envoys and Traders to Northern Song China Introduction 1 Names for the Qarakhanids 2 The Image of the West in China 3 Envoys and Traders to Kaifeng 4 Women Envoys and Travelers 5 Official Communication 6 Diplomatic Gifts and Trade Commodities 7 Roads, Itineraries and Maps 8 Missions to Hangzhou? Conclusion 4 Before China: Dunhuang, Turfan and Tibet Introduction 1 Dunhuang 2 Turfan 3 Tibet Conclusion 5 Qarakhanid Allies and China Introduction 1 The Liao Envoy in Ghazna and the “Persians” from Northern India in Kaifeng 2 Sultans and Rum: Saljuq Missions to Northern Song China 3 The “Uyghurs” of Khwarzm: Records on the Khwarazmshahs Conclusion 6 The Qarakhanid Silk Roads and Beyond Introduction 1 Silk Road Symbols and Images 2 The Amber Road and Migration of Culture 3 The Frankincense Road 4 The Qinghai Road: Tea and Horse Trade Conclusion Conclusion Appendix 1: Records on the Qarakhanids in Song shi Appendix 2: Documents on the Qarakhanid Diplomacy and Trade Appendix 3: List of the Qarakhanid Missions to Song China Appendix 4: Glossary of Chinese Characters Bibliography Index
