A.M. et al Belenitskii
The Medieval City in Central Asia
Type
abstract
Year
2014
Беленицкий, А.М и др. Средневековый Город Средней Азии. Ленинград: Наука, 1973, 389c.
Belenitskii, A.M. et al. Srednevekovyi Gorod Srednei Azii. Leningrad: Nauka, 1973, 389pp.
ABSTRACT
The Medieval City in Central Asia
Средневековый Город Средней Азии
The Mediaeval City in Central Asia was written by three prominent Soviet scholars, under the editorship of W.M. Masson, and published by the Institute of Archaeology of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR.
The authors felt that the mediaeval cities of this huge region had been under-researched, with Soviet histories paying more attention to agricultural, rather than urban, economies. Archaeological investigations, however, enabled wider interpretation of the mediaeval city’s socio-economic role. The authors benefited from access to materials from all Soviet archaeological work in the region: a significant advantage over similar analyses of this period. The volume also draws heavily upon the work of V. A. Zhukovski and V.V. Bartold. The authors, however, also recognised the limitations of the evidence at the time and suggest future research priorities. As with many other Soviet era scholarly works, the volume targets an academic audience.
The book is divided between the pre- and post-Arab conquests of the eighth century CE; the first part covering the sixth-eighth centuries, and the second the late eighth to early thirteenth centuries (the Mongol invasions). The city sites across this huge region are discussed under a series of topics: residential and industrial areas, cult building, palatial complexes and suburbs. The book offers detailed analysis of fortifications, citadels, and suburban regions. The volume also explores theoretical issues, such as defining “the city” in a mediaeval Central Asian context, and examines the changes that took place with the arrival of Islam, developments in political and social systems across the region, and advances in culture and literature. The authors have sought to prove that the level of cultural life in the area was very high in the pre-Islamic times. Important sites, such as Merv, Afrasiab (Samarqand), Bukhara and Penzhikent are discussed at length, exploring their differences and similarities. Overall, more than 250 toponyms are discussed.
The book provides numerous plans, drawings and maps, which are useful to a modern researcher of Central Asia. These may not be the most accurate, but they are important in understanding the perspectives of Soviet archaeology in Central Asia. There is an extensive bibliography, of both Russian language and non-Russian sources, as well as primary mediaeval sources. The book reflects Soviet ideologies, such as the preoccupation with social and class divisions when discussing everyday life in urban centres, but it still manages a relatively balanced view when discussing different empire systems and religions.
The book is an extremely valuable summary of archaeological investigations in mediaeval Central Asian urbanism prior to 1973. It reflects the richness and diversity of the archaeological heritage of Central Asia.
Gaigysyz Jorayev
Citation
Jorayev, Gaigysyz. “English abstract of 'The Medieval City in Central Asia'". Translated by Gaigysyz Jorayev. In Cities as Built and Lived Environments: Scholarship from Muslim Contexts, 1875 to 2011, by Aptin Khanbaghi, 125. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2014.
Authorities
Collections
Copyright
Muslim Civilisations Abstracts - The Aga Khan University
Terms of Use
Public Domain
Language
English
Related Documents
The Medieval City in Central Asia
Type
abstract
Year
2014
Беленицкий, А.М и др. Средневековый Город Средней Азии. Ленинград: Наука, 1973, 389c.
Belenitskii, A.M. et al. Srednevekovyi Gorod Srednei Azii. Leningrad: Nauka, 1973, 389pp.
ABSTRACT
The Medieval City in Central Asia
Средневековый Город Средней Азии
The Mediaeval City in Central Asia was written by three prominent Soviet scholars, under the editorship of W.M. Masson, and published by the Institute of Archaeology of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR.
The authors felt that the mediaeval cities of this huge region had been under-researched, with Soviet histories paying more attention to agricultural, rather than urban, economies. Archaeological investigations, however, enabled wider interpretation of the mediaeval city’s socio-economic role. The authors benefited from access to materials from all Soviet archaeological work in the region: a significant advantage over similar analyses of this period. The volume also draws heavily upon the work of V. A. Zhukovski and V.V. Bartold. The authors, however, also recognised the limitations of the evidence at the time and suggest future research priorities. As with many other Soviet era scholarly works, the volume targets an academic audience.
The book is divided between the pre- and post-Arab conquests of the eighth century CE; the first part covering the sixth-eighth centuries, and the second the late eighth to early thirteenth centuries (the Mongol invasions). The city sites across this huge region are discussed under a series of topics: residential and industrial areas, cult building, palatial complexes and suburbs. The book offers detailed analysis of fortifications, citadels, and suburban regions. The volume also explores theoretical issues, such as defining “the city” in a mediaeval Central Asian context, and examines the changes that took place with the arrival of Islam, developments in political and social systems across the region, and advances in culture and literature. The authors have sought to prove that the level of cultural life in the area was very high in the pre-Islamic times. Important sites, such as Merv, Afrasiab (Samarqand), Bukhara and Penzhikent are discussed at length, exploring their differences and similarities. Overall, more than 250 toponyms are discussed.
The book provides numerous plans, drawings and maps, which are useful to a modern researcher of Central Asia. These may not be the most accurate, but they are important in understanding the perspectives of Soviet archaeology in Central Asia. There is an extensive bibliography, of both Russian language and non-Russian sources, as well as primary mediaeval sources. The book reflects Soviet ideologies, such as the preoccupation with social and class divisions when discussing everyday life in urban centres, but it still manages a relatively balanced view when discussing different empire systems and religions.
The book is an extremely valuable summary of archaeological investigations in mediaeval Central Asian urbanism prior to 1973. It reflects the richness and diversity of the archaeological heritage of Central Asia.
Gaigysyz Jorayev
Citation
Jorayev, Gaigysyz. “English abstract of 'The Medieval City in Central Asia'". Translated by Gaigysyz Jorayev. In Cities as Built and Lived Environments: Scholarship from Muslim Contexts, 1875 to 2011, by Aptin Khanbaghi, 125. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2014.
Authorities
Collections
Copyright
Muslim Civilisations Abstracts - The Aga Khan University
Terms of Use
Public Domain
Language
English