Preislamic Central Asia and Naršaḫī’s History of Bukhara
Preislamic Central Asia and Naršaḫī’s History of Bukhara

Summary/Abstract: The present essay addresses aspects of the preislamic material preserved in Naršaḫī’s History of Bukhara. The History of Bukhara is the oldest extant chronicle of Central Asia penned by Abū Jacfar Muḥammad Naršaḫī in Arabic in the 10th century CE, later the whole text was translated into Persian (and possibly abbreviated) in the 12th century CE. It appears that Naršaḫī’s work contains important details on preislamic Bukhara. The history of Bukhara writes extensively on the decades of the Islamic conquests of Bukhara and Central Asia, the Soghdian-Turkic resistance against the Arabs where detailed descriptions of Arabic military expeditions are sometimes intertwined with folkloric elements. Of particular importance are the accounts relating to preislamic social and military institutions of ancient Bukhara as recorded by Naršaḫī. Further important preislamic material was preserved in the accounts relating to the local religious communities of Bukhara of the 6–10th centuries CE, here we encounter traces of Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, and early traces of Islam in Bukhara we also learn about an idol bazar still flourishing in 10th century Bukhara. As for the heterodox manners and customs of al-Muqannac’s religious movement, the History of Bukhara is the most valuable source of information having detailed descriptions of this otherwise little known cult of the late 8th century CE.

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