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A study of the heritage of Central Asia. It brings together such distinct elements as the world of Zoroaster, the Achaemenid ecumene, the Sakas and later waves of nomadic invaders, the spread of Buddhism along the Silk Road, the historic role of the Turks, and more.
"These memoirs of a founder of Middle Eastern studies at U.S. institutions reveal more than the events of a life spent in intimate contact with many peoples of Eurasia. Although mainly concerned with "Greater Iran" (Iran/Persia, Afghanistan and Tajikistan), Richard Nelson Frye, Aga Khan professor of Iranian emeritus at Harvard University, describes changes which he witnessed there and elsewhere, making observations that are timely to understanding present-day relationships in the region. One of the first Western scholars to visit Central Asia after the death of Joseph Stalin, his knowledge of many languages enabled Frye to report on conditions in that hitherto little known region. In the cou...
Publisher Description
""Richard Frye's translation from the Persian presents an engaging, readable narrative that recreates the lively intellectual and commercial life of this vibrant ancient city. In the tenth century, Bukhara was a cultural center that rivaled Baghdad, and was known as ""the dome of learning in the East."" It was a dynamic metropolis, capital of the semi-independent dynasty that ruled most of present-day Iran and Central Asia. It was in Bukhara that the so-called Persian Renaissance began, with its far-reaching literary implications. Narshakhi portrays not only rulers, but also everyday life in cities and villages. This primary source affords insights into life in Eastern Iran and Central Asia during a period of change in the Islamic world.""--Publisher's description.
Richard N. Frye, who worked for many years in Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey and Egypt, brings to this 1960 book an historian’s accuracy, a writer’s talent, and an eye for colour. The result is a fascinating, accurate portrait of a vital area in the cold war, an area composed of many peoples of ancient religions and customs and characterised by a vig
This is an English translation of the Risala, letters by the 10th century scholar Ibn Fadlan, one of the great medieval travellers. He journeyed from Baghdad to Bukhara in Central Asia and then continued across the desert to the town of Bulghar, near present Kazan. He describes the tribes he met on his way.