Early medieval Turkic -sogdian relations in Zhetysu (VI-VIII centuries)

Abstract

In this article, a study of the little-studied direction of the Turkic-Sogdian relations is conducted. The article describes in detail the place of ancient cities in the course of Turkic-Sogdian relations. The main purpose of the article is to study the long-standing historical approach in a New Light with the introduc- tion of data that has not yet fully entered scientific circulation.

The main sources are books from the collections of rare books, research works based on Chinese data, as well as the works of researchers who covered this problem only in absentia. The literature data in the form of microfilms from the collections of rare books were used through source research and analysis. In addition, the historical-comparative method was used when using the data. The studies conducted under the Soviet regime on this issue and the research works of the national direction after the indepen- dence of the Republic of Kazakhstan were mutually analyzed.

Relations that began to form in the middle of the VI century, By the middle of the VII century. en- tered a new shape. Now the relationship has manifested itself not only from the economic side, but also from the point of view of military relations. This is evident from the fact that in the middle of the seventh century the army of the Arab Caliphate, having captured Syria, Palestine, Egypt and Sasanian Iran, ap- proached the border of Central Asia.

The Turkic-Sogdian relations were, first of all, in a state of peace. The Sogdian merchants, numeri- cally superior and economically independent, never resisted or encouraged the Turkic leaders. Second, trust in the Turks was further stabilized during the Arab invasion. Feeling that the Sogdians were expe- riencing some difficulties in the way of the violent spread of Islam by the Arab invaders, the Sogdian merchants sought reliable protection from the Turkic leaders. In addition, Sogdian merchants traveling around the world provided great assistance to the Turkic leader in establishing diplomatic relations with the states of near and far abroad.

Key words: early Middle Ages, Turkic khanate, economic relations, Sogdians, Arab-Turkish rela- tions, ancient cities, trade, Turkic written monuments, historiography, source studies.