Second Lecture Series on the History and Culture of Central Asia (summer semester 2021)
During the summer semester 2021, the second
Lecture Series on the History and Culture of Central Asia.
will take place from 1-3 p.m. CEST/ 4-6 p.m. Tashkent time via Zoom.
Apr. 06, 2021 - Dr. Uktambek Sultonov - "Three Versions of Ṣiddīqī Family Legitimation in Mawaraunnahr and Beyond"
The report I would like to bring to your attention is about the Islamic genealogy and the history of the Sacred families. Today, the problems of Islamic genealogy or Sayyido-Sharifology are studied on the basis of the works of Islamic genealogists and genealogies (nasab-nāma). In particular, K. Morimoto, A. Muminov, T. Bernheimer, R. Kilich and others studied the ‘Alawī sayyids and partly of the House of Quraysh. My long-standing research is on the history of the descendants of Abū Bakr Ṣiddīq in Central Asia and Mughal India. Unfortunately, completion is somewhat delayed due to a lack of evidence to support some of my conclusions on the subject. One such problem has to do with Ṣiddīqī family legitimacy.
The Mongol invasion disrupted not only the economic and cultural life of Central Asia, but also the traditional Sayyid-Sharif subordination. At the same time, the next stage of the selection of houses belonging to “Ahl al-Bayt” in the region took place. This created the conditions for the sacralization and legitimization the origin of the rulers of the families of Ṣiddīqī, ‘Umarī and ‘Alawī, the descendants of the "The first four Caliphs". The most interesting and enigmatic process in the history of these houses was undoubtedly the process of introducing themselves to society and legitimizing their genealogy.
Ṣiddīqīs in this region widely utilized different styles to legitimate their origins. For example, they used blood relation to Ḥusaynī sayyids and ruling dynasties, claiming that they were descendants of well-known Central Asian semi-legendary personages. When it comes to these specifications, Ṣiddīqīs in Central Asia found three ways or versions, which stand out from others, to relate their own genealogy with Abū Bakr Ṣiddīq.
In the first version, Ṣiddīqīs, who accounted for the majority of the people in large cities and densely populated locations, tried to link their origins with Qāsim b. Muḥammad b. Abū Bakr Ṣiddīq. This version is often said to be of the religious sphere because of the fact that it is mainly related to the ‘ulamā and sufi families. The second is a synthesis version that belongs to the Ṣiddīqīs who were spread among the semi-nomadic people in the north of Mawāra’unnahr. The legitimacy of the lineage notes that belonging to this version is different from other versions because of its formation consisting of a mixture of Yassawī sufi traditions, along with Turkic and Chinggizid notions. The third is the “public” version that views the Ṣiddīqīs’ genealogy being connected to Abū Bakr Ṣiddīq through oral history among people. This version is not approved from a legal point of view and it stands out with its appearance in draft versions of sacral texts. I try comment on these three versions more in detail in my lecture.
Dr. Uktambek Sultonov is a senior researcher at the Beruni Institute of Oriental Studies of the Academy of Sciences in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. He holds a PhD in Historiography and Sources Studies. His major fields of research are Arabographic Manuscripts of Central Asia, Сentral Asian Islamic Diplomatics and Sigillography, Waqf Studies (Concept, Administration, Law, Finance, Development), and Saintly Families in Central Asia.
May 04, 2021 - Prof. Aleksandr Naymark - "Conversion to Islam in Bukhara: Princes, Nobles, Merchants, Urban Poor, and Peasants"
The conversion of the Bukharan Sogdians to Islam was a long process with different categories of population arriving to the new faith by different routes and at different times. Yet the most important events on this road took place within the 8th century, between the campaigns of Qutayba b. Muslim that started in 706 and the suppression of the revolt of al-Muqanna in 780 CE.
Of all Central Asian cities, the narrative sources for Bukhara are the most prolific for the 8th century. The single most important among them is a local history, the Tarikh-i Bukhara. It was compiled in 942 CE by Muhammad Narshakhi. Its narrative can be complemented by various Futuh, or conquest accounts such as al-Tabari, al-Kufi, Baladhuri, al-Yaʿqubi, and other, and some information to be found in the geographical literature, such as Ibn Khuradadhbih, Ibn Hawqal, al-Muqaddasi, and others, as well as in the works by Biruni, most importantly his Athar al-baqiyya, that describes religious practices among the Sogdians.
In addition, archaeological sources are very important, in particular the palace of Bukhar khudas in Varakhsha, excavated between 1939 and 1954 by V.A. Shishkin. Relevant to our theme are remarkable monuments of art that was found there. They reflected most important developments in local religious history. Additional material is provided by the excavations in Paykand.
Finally, numismatic material represents another independent source for important information, as coins reflect the political aspirations and religious beliefs of the authorities that issued them. Bukharan coinage of the 8th century is no exception.
Cross-examination of the sources belonging to these three categories allows us to build a veritable picture of what was happening in the Bukharan oasis during the 8th century. Our analysis will follow different social strata of the society.
Native of Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Aleksandr Naymark was trained as an archaeologist and historian at Tashkent and then Moscow Universities. From 1983 to 1991 he worked at the Moscow Museum of Oriental Art directing excavation projects in Central Asia. In 1992 Aleksandr enrolled at Indiana University, Bloomington, eventually receiving double Ph.D. in Central Eurasian Studies and Art History. For the last 20 years he has been teaching at Hofstra University as a Professor of Art History and Director of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Program. Aleksandr publishes on Central Asin art, archaeology and numismatics with main concentration on Sogdiana.
Invitation to the lecture of Prof Naymark (jpg)
Jun. 08, 2021 - Dr. Gulchakhra Tulemetova - "Issues of Verification of Scientific Texts in the Works of Islamic Theologians and Philosophers from Bukhara in VIII-XII Centuries"
The purpose of my report is to show how the erudite world of Bukhara convinced listeners and readers of the correctness of their ideas, what verification techniques were practiced in Bukhara during the Samanid era? Verification is the process of confirming the truth of an action, event, item or its quality after testing. Verification is especially valuable in theology, where the question of truth is most acute. For demonstration were taken verification methods used in the works of Imam Bukhari, representatives of the Kalam school, as well as in the philosophical works of Ibn Sino, Farabi and other thinkers.
Dr. Gulchakhra Tulemetova is the Head of the Scientific Research Department of the Center of Islamic Civilization in Uzbekistan under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan. She holds a B.A. in Russian Philology and a PhD in Social Philosophy.
Jul. 06, 2021 - Prof. Sören Stark - "Bukhārā between Antiquity and the Middle Ages: New Archaeological Research in the shahristān of Bukhara"
Although sporadic archaeological excavations in Bukhārā began almost 90 years ago, Bukhārā remains much less systematically explored by archaeologists than other major urban centers in the wider regions (such as Samarqand or Marw). Consequently, especially the earliest periods of the history of the city – dating back to the early 3rd century BCE –, are still poorly understood. In my talk I will discuss our current state of knowledge concerning the pre-Islamic periods of the history of the city and introduce new data on these periods from rescue excavations conducted in the inner city (shahristān) in 2020.
Sören Stark received his PhD in 2005 from Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg. Since 2011 he is Professor for Central Asian Archaeology at the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World. Since the same year he has been active in the region of Bukhara, where he is conducting and co-directing archaeological surveys and excavations on sites and monuments that range chronologically between the 'Hellenistic' and the Samanid-Qarakhanid period (3rd cent. BCE-12th cent. CE).
His current research interests are, among others, on Hellenistic and Late Antique/Early Medieval Sogdiana and the archaeology and history of nomadic groups close to oasis territories in Western Central Asia. His publications include a monograph on the archaeology of the 6th-8th century Türks in Inner and Central Asia, an exhibition catalogue on Early Iron Age kurgans from Kazakhstan, and numerous articles and book chapters on the history and archaeology of Sogdiana between the Hellenistic and the Islamic periods. He has been co-editor of the Journal of Inner Asian Art and Archaeology (at Brepols) and is currently co-editor of Brill's Handbook of Oriental Studies, Section 8: Uralic & Central Asian Studies (HO8).