alternatehistory.com
Chapter 127: Of Yaks, Quarelling Abaqids and More
In the Lap of the Himalayas: Nepal
We have missed one major area of the Indian Subcontinent, and that is the sub-Himalayan realms in Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan. I would like to hereby thank @Food-Oh_Koon for introducing me to the history of his country.
Given Nepal´s mountainous terrain, it is no surprise that throughout the 14th century it remains disunited. In the western parts of what is known to us as Nepal we have the Khasa kingdom, a solid Vajrayana Buddhist realm, which at times extended to the borders of powerful Indian empires in the Gangetic Plains. The Khasas are an Indo-European people (1).
View attachment 569908
The Sinja valley, considered to be the core of the Khasa kingdom
As a side note, I mention the independent Buddhist kingdom of Kumaon, located just to the west of the area known as Nepal.
The Kathmandu Valley is one of the established population and power centres in the 14th century Himalayan region. This region of the country is known as Nepal Mandala ruled by the Malla dynasty. The original inhabitants of this region were speaking the Newar language, of Tibetan stock. Gradual exposure to the Sanskrit language used as a prestige language, as well as arrivals of more peoples from the south have resulted in the rooting of the Kathmandu Valley fully into the Indian cultural sphere. The Kings of Newar stylicized themselves as Rajas using Sanskrit terminology and are not to have codified Nepali law in the 14th century – law was written in Newar and Sanskrit languages.
Several other Tibetan-related ethnic groups continue to inhabit Nepal, like the Kirat, the Gurung, the Tamang and the Limbu. The Kingdom of Limbuwan, extending into Sikkim was one of the most powerful of these entities. As general rule, the lowland terrace plains, known as Terai are populated by Indo-Aryan peoples, while the upland valleys, particularly more as one travels east, are populated more and more by Tibetan-related peoples. While also the Tibetan- related groups have adopted Buddhism and many monasteries have been built even in relatively high-altitude localities, elements of pre-Buddhist Tibetan shamanism (called Bon), continue to shape local spirituality.
Tibet – A Land of Yaks and Monasteries
The land of Bhutan, culturally an extension of the vast Tibetan Plateau, located on the southern foothills of the Himalayas was a country divided into many local polities. Bumthang was the most powerful of these petty lordships. Rivalry among various sects of Buddhism appears to have been a major issue in this forgotten corner of the world.
The Tibetan Plateau itself has fragmented into four (five if you count Ladakh as well) major realms: In the southeast, between Lhasa and the gorge that the Brahmaputra River has carved across the Himalayas is the land of U. Further upstream is the realm of Tsang. The realm of U supported the Gelugpa sect, while Tsang favoured the Sakya sect of Buddhism; both realms had many monasteries.
The eastern end of the Tibetan Plateau is called Kham, with its warriors having a reputation of high quality and fierceness. The land itself is on the borders with the Chinese Ming Dynasty, and is marked by gorges of many major rivers, such as the Mekong or the Yangtze.
At the western end of the Tibetan Plateau is the realm of Guge, dominated by the Sakya monastic regime
The realm of Ladakh has undergone periods of rule by both from Kashmir and Guge, before establishing itself as an independent realm altogether. Most of Ladakhi trade is oriented downstream towards Kashmir and Pantzab. Unlike the fertile meadows of Kashmir, Ladakh is situated in a rain shadow, causing it to be much drier than Kashmir, known as the “garden of India”.
View attachment 569902
The domestic yak- this hardy animal is crucial to the Tibetans
Buddhism has thus become one of the defining aspects of Tibetan culture, and monasteries are common landmarks in the Tibetan Plateau. Statues of Buddhas can be seen very often. Tibetans had for centuries eaten barley noodles and drank butter tea, yak milk or jasmine tea, rice wine or barley beer. Yogurt, butter and cheese, as well as yak meat are common foods in the Tibetan cuisine as well. One of Tibet´s major exports has been its rugs. Given Tibet´s high altitude, astronomy should be one of the science that were well developed, as observing the stars was much easier when you have a shallower atmosphere.
The Splintering of Abaqid Khanate
As has been hinted in the previous update, the Abaqids ruling over a vast Naiman successor realm across much of Central Asia, has succeeded in making an invasion into India. However, as the new khans in the mid-14th century are to discover, holding onto land is not as easy as conquering land.
The Abaqid Khanate, stretching from the Altai to the Thar Desert on the north-south axis and from the Aral Sea to the Taklamakan Desert finds itself utterly overstretched, and demographics don’t help to glue the realm together either. While the Silk Road network of postal stations and Nestorian monasteries does a little to easen the effects, nevertheless, the different parts of this khanate, separated by some of the tallest mountain ranges on the planet ultimately pull the realm apart. The disconnection of the different parts of the Abaqid Khanate may have not been as profound had the Black Death not plagued the area.
Both linguistic and religious difference within the Abaqid Khanate resurface, with an Iranian-speaking and Nestorian Sogdia (with a notable Denawari Manichean minority) in the west, a Turkic speaking northern steppe (known as Turkestan), also Nestorian in religion, a ch language, and Buddhists and Manicheans live next to each other, with ultimately the Indian-speaking Roshblani Manichean Pantzab, all having their cultural differences.
A political map of central Asia in 14th century. Pinkish purple is Karlukistan, green is Sughd and orange is Pantzab
View attachment 569894
What it takes is a simple succession crisis, with Khan Kaidu having left three claimants to throne. His grandson Tarmashirin (2), son of his eldest daughter rallied support in Pantzab. Taliku, the son of Kaidu, sought support in Sogdia, while the Tarim Basin was the bastion of Kaidu´s younger brother Koncheq. The holding of a kurultai at Samarqand, where the successor was to be chosen has was postponed several times, and after Koncheq was murdered before arriving – his son and Kaidu´s nephew Kebek blamed it on his cousin Taliku and refused to attend the kurultai along with his supporters. Thus, a period of strife followed, but ultimately the Abaqid realm split into three khanates by the mid 14th century:
We have missed one major area of the Indian Subcontinent, and that is the sub-Himalayan realms in Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan. I would like to hereby thank @Food-Oh_Koon for introducing me to the history of his country.
Given Nepal´s mountainous terrain, it is no surprise that throughout the 14th century it remains disunited. In the western parts of what is known to us as Nepal we have the Khasa kingdom, a solid Vajrayana Buddhist realm, which at times extended to the borders of powerful Indian empires in the Gangetic Plains. The Khasas are an Indo-European people (1).
View attachment 569908
The Sinja valley, considered to be the core of the Khasa kingdom
As a side note, I mention the independent Buddhist kingdom of Kumaon, located just to the west of the area known as Nepal.
The Kathmandu Valley is one of the established population and power centres in the 14th century Himalayan region. This region of the country is known as Nepal Mandala ruled by the Malla dynasty. The original inhabitants of this region were speaking the Newar language, of Tibetan stock. Gradual exposure to the Sanskrit language used as a prestige language, as well as arrivals of more peoples from the south have resulted in the rooting of the Kathmandu Valley fully into the Indian cultural sphere. The Kings of Newar stylicized themselves as Rajas using Sanskrit terminology and are not to have codified Nepali law in the 14th century – law was written in Newar and Sanskrit languages.
Several other Tibetan-related ethnic groups continue to inhabit Nepal, like the Kirat, the Gurung, the Tamang and the Limbu. The Kingdom of Limbuwan, extending into Sikkim was one of the most powerful of these entities. As general rule, the lowland terrace plains, known as Terai are populated by Indo-Aryan peoples, while the upland valleys, particularly more as one travels east, are populated more and more by Tibetan-related peoples. While also the Tibetan- related groups have adopted Buddhism and many monasteries have been built even in relatively high-altitude localities, elements of pre-Buddhist Tibetan shamanism (called Bon), continue to shape local spirituality.
Tibet – A Land of Yaks and Monasteries
The land of Bhutan, culturally an extension of the vast Tibetan Plateau, located on the southern foothills of the Himalayas was a country divided into many local polities. Bumthang was the most powerful of these petty lordships. Rivalry among various sects of Buddhism appears to have been a major issue in this forgotten corner of the world.
The Tibetan Plateau itself has fragmented into four (five if you count Ladakh as well) major realms: In the southeast, between Lhasa and the gorge that the Brahmaputra River has carved across the Himalayas is the land of U. Further upstream is the realm of Tsang. The realm of U supported the Gelugpa sect, while Tsang favoured the Sakya sect of Buddhism; both realms had many monasteries.
The eastern end of the Tibetan Plateau is called Kham, with its warriors having a reputation of high quality and fierceness. The land itself is on the borders with the Chinese Ming Dynasty, and is marked by gorges of many major rivers, such as the Mekong or the Yangtze.
At the western end of the Tibetan Plateau is the realm of Guge, dominated by the Sakya monastic regime
The realm of Ladakh has undergone periods of rule by both from Kashmir and Guge, before establishing itself as an independent realm altogether. Most of Ladakhi trade is oriented downstream towards Kashmir and Pantzab. Unlike the fertile meadows of Kashmir, Ladakh is situated in a rain shadow, causing it to be much drier than Kashmir, known as the “garden of India”.
View attachment 569902
The domestic yak- this hardy animal is crucial to the Tibetans
Buddhism has thus become one of the defining aspects of Tibetan culture, and monasteries are common landmarks in the Tibetan Plateau. Statues of Buddhas can be seen very often. Tibetans had for centuries eaten barley noodles and drank butter tea, yak milk or jasmine tea, rice wine or barley beer. Yogurt, butter and cheese, as well as yak meat are common foods in the Tibetan cuisine as well. One of Tibet´s major exports has been its rugs. Given Tibet´s high altitude, astronomy should be one of the science that were well developed, as observing the stars was much easier when you have a shallower atmosphere.
The Splintering of Abaqid Khanate
As has been hinted in the previous update, the Abaqids ruling over a vast Naiman successor realm across much of Central Asia, has succeeded in making an invasion into India. However, as the new khans in the mid-14th century are to discover, holding onto land is not as easy as conquering land.
The Abaqid Khanate, stretching from the Altai to the Thar Desert on the north-south axis and from the Aral Sea to the Taklamakan Desert finds itself utterly overstretched, and demographics don’t help to glue the realm together either. While the Silk Road network of postal stations and Nestorian monasteries does a little to easen the effects, nevertheless, the different parts of this khanate, separated by some of the tallest mountain ranges on the planet ultimately pull the realm apart. The disconnection of the different parts of the Abaqid Khanate may have not been as profound had the Black Death not plagued the area.
Both linguistic and religious difference within the Abaqid Khanate resurface, with an Iranian-speaking and Nestorian Sogdia (with a notable Denawari Manichean minority) in the west, a Turkic speaking northern steppe (known as Turkestan), also Nestorian in religion, a ch language, and Buddhists and Manicheans live next to each other, with ultimately the Indian-speaking Roshblani Manichean Pantzab, all having their cultural differences.
A political map of central Asia in 14th century. Pinkish purple is Karlukistan, green is Sughd and orange is Pantzab
View attachment 569894
What it takes is a simple succession crisis, with Khan Kaidu having left three claimants to throne. His grandson Tarmashirin (2), son of his eldest daughter rallied support in Pantzab. Taliku, the son of Kaidu, sought support in Sogdia, while the Tarim Basin was the bastion of Kaidu´s younger brother Koncheq. The holding of a kurultai at Samarqand, where the successor was to be chosen has was postponed several times, and after Koncheq was murdered before arriving – his son and Kaidu´s nephew Kebek blamed it on his cousin Taliku and refused to attend the kurultai along with his supporters. Thus, a period of strife followed, but ultimately the Abaqid realm split into three khanates by the mid 14th century:
- Multan, ruled by Tarmashirin (sometimes named Dharmashirin) and his successors
- Sughd or Sogdia ruled by Taliku and his family
- Karlukistan (3) ruled by the heirs of Kebek.
Khanate of Karlukistan, True to its Nomadic Legacy
The realm of Karlukistan is the successor state of the Abaqid Khanate located in the east of its former domains. It spans both ends of the Tengri Mountains, including the Tarim Basin and the Taklamakan Desert in the south, as well as the Ili region between Lake Balkash and Aral Lakeand the Tengri Mountains in the north. These two parts themselves are also rather contrasting: the Tarim Basin has its population concentrated in a handful of cities found in oases, which were important stops on the Silk Road. The eastern part of the Tarim Basin is populated largely by Turkic Uyghurs, while its western regions are home to Iranian Sakas.
Manichaeism has been in continuous decline among the Uyghurs after their early medieval khanate had collapsed, and most had adopted the Buddhist religion of their Saka neighbours; however relatively recently, there has been vibrant missionary activity by Manichean preachers from Sogdia proper among the Uyghurs.
View attachment 569895
Languages spoken in central Asia: we can see Iranic in dark blue, Indo-Aryan in light blue, Tibeto-Burman in one shade of green, and different varieties of Turkic: Oghuz in the southwest, Kipchak dark in the north, Karluk in the centre and uyghur in the Tarim Basin
During the 14th century, the oasis-cities of the Tarim Basin of the Sakas and the Uyghurs are falling into decline, as they were particularly hard-hit by the Black Death, and with Karlukistan being a nomadic realm, taking pride in its Turkic culture. The Karluk language, already having achieved a refined and prestige status during the previous century continues to flourish at this period.
View attachment 569907
Karluks continue to live a nomadic lifestyle
The Karluk people themselves were largely living a nomadic transhumance lifestyle – shepherding vast herds of horse and sheep, in the steppe and the mountain pastures of the Tengri Mountains. The urbanization rate of the Karluks is very low, down to the absolute minimum, necessary to run the khanate. These include the cities of Almaliq and Balasagun, as well as Taskhent, which stands out as a relatively large city among the Karluks – though when one examines the situation more carefully, it is evident that many of its citizens are actually Turkified Sogdians, rather than Karluks proper.
A Persianate Sughd
View attachment 569904
The walls of Bukhara, one of the greatest cities of Sughd
The basin of the Oxus, or as it was known locally, Gozan, along with the densely populated Ferghana Valley is the realm ruled by the successors of Taliku. This land is known as Sughd or Sogdia. Unlike Karlukistan, Taliku abandons the steppe origins of their dynasty and embraces the rich cultural heritage of Sughd. While the Sughdian army remains a largely Turkic cavalry force, many local recruits from amongst the sons of the local landed petty nobility are incorporated into the army. The old Naiman language is used rarely if ever, perhaps one of the Abaqids may utter a sentence or two at a kurultai, but as it is not widely understood, apart from a handful of phrases, its use in Sughd is little to none.
The Karluk language retains its importance particularly as the language of the military, as the military of Sughd remains one of the few spheres of the society, where the Karluk people remain dominant. Elsewhere, Taliku and his son Varzak (4) had sought to embrace the culture of the surrounding population.
View attachment 569897
Writing systems in Central Asia: nothing, if anything has changed since we last came here
Sogdian once again becomes the language of court and liturgy. Khan Taliku has learnt the language gradually and tried to speak in Sogdian during audiences – although in the early years of his reign, his language skills were far from perfect, and his language errors have become a source of anecdotes among the common people. Nevertheless, he did gain sympathy of the common people as a wise and caring monarch. Khan Varzak was fluent in Sogdian himself and surrounded himself by numerous Sogdian writers and poets while having built magnificent palaces and sponsoring also many scholars. One of his favourite past-times was hunting, and was in generally viewed as a fully Iranian monarch. The elaborate court with its strict protocol, numerous plotting courtiers and Varzak´s many mistresses has become a source of inspiration of many historical novels in the later periods (5).
View attachment 569903
Sogdian carpets are a renown product
Sogdia is renown for its fine carpets and skilful merchants. Sogdian merchants had prospered greatly by the political unification of the Eurasian continent. Owing to their strategic location in the heart of the Silk Road, they made great profit before the outbreak of the Black Death. A century later, they have resumed their trade links, mostly because the warrior ethos of the Turkic nomads did not really acknowledge trade as the best way to accumulate wealth. Apart from the east-west Silk Road, Sogdians operated fur roads across the Karluk and Kipchak country into the Samyedic forest where they bought fur from local chieftains; in the south they traded with the peoples of India and western Tibet.
Being at a crossroad of cultures and civilizations, the Sogdian merchants have always found ways how to adapt. Some say their sons were born with golden tongues. Capable diplomats and negotiators, the Sogdians were able to make their points and bring their goods across a vast continent. In China, Sogdians were known to have been found in almost any city, especially those in the northeast of China, and running many taverns (the drunken Sogdian was a common trope in Chinese literature), while Sogdian maids were known to be exceptionally beautiful (6).
View attachment 569896
Religion in central Asia. Brown represents the Manicheans - mostly Denwar except Pantzab where it is Roshblani. I believe all of you are familiar with the pink colour used for Nestorians in this thread, while bright pink is for Mahayana Buddhists and pink-purple is for Vajrayana (Tibetan) Buddhists
While religious tensions between Nestorian Christians and Denawar Manicheans remain, most Sogdians have only a lukewarm relation and affection to religion, and Taliku and Varzak continue to patronize both Christian and Manichean religious institutions. The relationship to Buddhism is a little different, as the khans did not use gold from the royal coffers to sustain them but they ordered the neighbouring villages to sustain the Buddhist monasteries, while being free from royal taxation.
The Khorasmian language of the Lower Oxus by this period is occasionally remembered by quite a few Denawar elect. Nevertheless, as a general means of communication it was dropped in favour of Karluk in the countryside and Sogdian in the river valley.
The Upper Oxus Valley, or Tukharistan (7), ancient Bactria is home to the Buddhist Tukhari people. Its mountainous terrain resulted in quite a few differences from the rest of the Sughd Khanate. The people of Tukharistan were concentrated in many, but small-sized villages located in the deep river valleys, surrounded by high-altitude mountains. The role of the village chiefs remains important among the Tukhari.
Unlike most of the peoples of Central Asia, the Tukharis did not place as much value in the mounted archer cavalry, so favoured by the Turkic peoples. Rather, Tukharistan was renown by their fabulous pikemen and heavy cavalry.
The Tukhari culture is influenced not only by Iranian peoples, but also by influences from further south and east – by influences from Pantzab and Ladakh and the Tarim Basin, although generally these connections are not as often understood or attributed. An example of these connections is the use of Kharoshti script by the Sakas and the Tukharis – and Indian script which originated in Gandhara in northwestern Pantzab. The same path was used to the spread of Buddhism in the past, though Gandhara in the 14th century is no longer Buddhist. The introduction of the highland yak from the Tibetan Plateau is further evidence of connections between peoples living on different slopes of the “Roof of the World”
Loyalty and identity in Tukharistan was felt towards one´s village, clan and chief, rather than the wider realm or Tukharistan as a whole. In Sughd, the Tukhari are known to be short-tempered and hot-blooded, lacking the usual elaborate etiquette of the Persianate urban society.
The Talikids struggled to reign in Tukharistan, as the local chiefs struggled to maintain their autonomy and customs. Buddhist monks of the “True Fire “school of Mahayana Buddhism- this school of Buddhism, broadly belonging to the Mahayana branch, can trace some of its elements to the original Mazdaic (8) beliefs that had been ingrained within the culture of the realm prior to the advent of Buddhism
Of Multan and Pantzab
While Multan and Pantzab got conquered by the Abaqids early on in the 14th century, the areas distinctiveness has made it sure that it during the succession crisis in easily tore itself apart from the rest of the khanate. Tarmashirin, the Abaqid prince that rallied his followers in Multan has sought to adopt the customs of his new-found followers , earning him the name “Dharmashirin”, Dharma being a reference to his open-mindedness towards Indian culture.
It can be argued that Pantzab is the part of the Subcontinent that has experienced much more contact with the rest of Eurasia than any other part of the Subcontinent. The warrior-ethos of the Multani people has become even strengthened once the Abaqids conquered their realm.
View attachment 569899
Different forms of society organization in Central Asia. Notice the resurfacing of nomadic tribe organization in Karlukistan .
Dharmashirin and his court were fast to accept the Roshblani creed of the Manicheans and Manichean elect or clergy have assumed an important role in the society of Pantzab. Indian caste system has actually resurfaced the original Gnostic roots of the Manichean faith in this corner of the world, which even further strengthens inequality and the hierarchic nature of Pantzabi society (9). While three in five of every Pantzabi are peasants, roughly one quarter of the Pantzabi are artisans and other townsfolk. The remaining fifteen percent belong to the elite of the Pantzabi society, belonging to warrior and clerical castes.
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
The realm of Karlukistan is the successor state of the Abaqid Khanate located in the east of its former domains. It spans both ends of the Tengri Mountains, including the Tarim Basin and the Taklamakan Desert in the south, as well as the Ili region between Lake Balkash and Aral Lakeand the Tengri Mountains in the north. These two parts themselves are also rather contrasting: the Tarim Basin has its population concentrated in a handful of cities found in oases, which were important stops on the Silk Road. The eastern part of the Tarim Basin is populated largely by Turkic Uyghurs, while its western regions are home to Iranian Sakas.
Manichaeism has been in continuous decline among the Uyghurs after their early medieval khanate had collapsed, and most had adopted the Buddhist religion of their Saka neighbours; however relatively recently, there has been vibrant missionary activity by Manichean preachers from Sogdia proper among the Uyghurs.
View attachment 569895
Languages spoken in central Asia: we can see Iranic in dark blue, Indo-Aryan in light blue, Tibeto-Burman in one shade of green, and different varieties of Turkic: Oghuz in the southwest, Kipchak dark in the north, Karluk in the centre and uyghur in the Tarim Basin
During the 14th century, the oasis-cities of the Tarim Basin of the Sakas and the Uyghurs are falling into decline, as they were particularly hard-hit by the Black Death, and with Karlukistan being a nomadic realm, taking pride in its Turkic culture. The Karluk language, already having achieved a refined and prestige status during the previous century continues to flourish at this period.
View attachment 569907
Karluks continue to live a nomadic lifestyle
The Karluk people themselves were largely living a nomadic transhumance lifestyle – shepherding vast herds of horse and sheep, in the steppe and the mountain pastures of the Tengri Mountains. The urbanization rate of the Karluks is very low, down to the absolute minimum, necessary to run the khanate. These include the cities of Almaliq and Balasagun, as well as Taskhent, which stands out as a relatively large city among the Karluks – though when one examines the situation more carefully, it is evident that many of its citizens are actually Turkified Sogdians, rather than Karluks proper.
A Persianate Sughd
View attachment 569904
The walls of Bukhara, one of the greatest cities of Sughd
The basin of the Oxus, or as it was known locally, Gozan, along with the densely populated Ferghana Valley is the realm ruled by the successors of Taliku. This land is known as Sughd or Sogdia. Unlike Karlukistan, Taliku abandons the steppe origins of their dynasty and embraces the rich cultural heritage of Sughd. While the Sughdian army remains a largely Turkic cavalry force, many local recruits from amongst the sons of the local landed petty nobility are incorporated into the army. The old Naiman language is used rarely if ever, perhaps one of the Abaqids may utter a sentence or two at a kurultai, but as it is not widely understood, apart from a handful of phrases, its use in Sughd is little to none.
The Karluk language retains its importance particularly as the language of the military, as the military of Sughd remains one of the few spheres of the society, where the Karluk people remain dominant. Elsewhere, Taliku and his son Varzak (4) had sought to embrace the culture of the surrounding population.
View attachment 569897
Writing systems in Central Asia: nothing, if anything has changed since we last came here
Sogdian once again becomes the language of court and liturgy. Khan Taliku has learnt the language gradually and tried to speak in Sogdian during audiences – although in the early years of his reign, his language skills were far from perfect, and his language errors have become a source of anecdotes among the common people. Nevertheless, he did gain sympathy of the common people as a wise and caring monarch. Khan Varzak was fluent in Sogdian himself and surrounded himself by numerous Sogdian writers and poets while having built magnificent palaces and sponsoring also many scholars. One of his favourite past-times was hunting, and was in generally viewed as a fully Iranian monarch. The elaborate court with its strict protocol, numerous plotting courtiers and Varzak´s many mistresses has become a source of inspiration of many historical novels in the later periods (5).
View attachment 569903
Sogdian carpets are a renown product
Sogdia is renown for its fine carpets and skilful merchants. Sogdian merchants had prospered greatly by the political unification of the Eurasian continent. Owing to their strategic location in the heart of the Silk Road, they made great profit before the outbreak of the Black Death. A century later, they have resumed their trade links, mostly because the warrior ethos of the Turkic nomads did not really acknowledge trade as the best way to accumulate wealth. Apart from the east-west Silk Road, Sogdians operated fur roads across the Karluk and Kipchak country into the Samyedic forest where they bought fur from local chieftains; in the south they traded with the peoples of India and western Tibet.
Being at a crossroad of cultures and civilizations, the Sogdian merchants have always found ways how to adapt. Some say their sons were born with golden tongues. Capable diplomats and negotiators, the Sogdians were able to make their points and bring their goods across a vast continent. In China, Sogdians were known to have been found in almost any city, especially those in the northeast of China, and running many taverns (the drunken Sogdian was a common trope in Chinese literature), while Sogdian maids were known to be exceptionally beautiful (6).
View attachment 569896
Religion in central Asia. Brown represents the Manicheans - mostly Denwar except Pantzab where it is Roshblani. I believe all of you are familiar with the pink colour used for Nestorians in this thread, while bright pink is for Mahayana Buddhists and pink-purple is for Vajrayana (Tibetan) Buddhists
While religious tensions between Nestorian Christians and Denawar Manicheans remain, most Sogdians have only a lukewarm relation and affection to religion, and Taliku and Varzak continue to patronize both Christian and Manichean religious institutions. The relationship to Buddhism is a little different, as the khans did not use gold from the royal coffers to sustain them but they ordered the neighbouring villages to sustain the Buddhist monasteries, while being free from royal taxation.
The Khorasmian language of the Lower Oxus by this period is occasionally remembered by quite a few Denawar elect. Nevertheless, as a general means of communication it was dropped in favour of Karluk in the countryside and Sogdian in the river valley.
The Upper Oxus Valley, or Tukharistan (7), ancient Bactria is home to the Buddhist Tukhari people. Its mountainous terrain resulted in quite a few differences from the rest of the Sughd Khanate. The people of Tukharistan were concentrated in many, but small-sized villages located in the deep river valleys, surrounded by high-altitude mountains. The role of the village chiefs remains important among the Tukhari.
Unlike most of the peoples of Central Asia, the Tukharis did not place as much value in the mounted archer cavalry, so favoured by the Turkic peoples. Rather, Tukharistan was renown by their fabulous pikemen and heavy cavalry.
The Tukhari culture is influenced not only by Iranian peoples, but also by influences from further south and east – by influences from Pantzab and Ladakh and the Tarim Basin, although generally these connections are not as often understood or attributed. An example of these connections is the use of Kharoshti script by the Sakas and the Tukharis – and Indian script which originated in Gandhara in northwestern Pantzab. The same path was used to the spread of Buddhism in the past, though Gandhara in the 14th century is no longer Buddhist. The introduction of the highland yak from the Tibetan Plateau is further evidence of connections between peoples living on different slopes of the “Roof of the World”
Loyalty and identity in Tukharistan was felt towards one´s village, clan and chief, rather than the wider realm or Tukharistan as a whole. In Sughd, the Tukhari are known to be short-tempered and hot-blooded, lacking the usual elaborate etiquette of the Persianate urban society.
The Talikids struggled to reign in Tukharistan, as the local chiefs struggled to maintain their autonomy and customs. Buddhist monks of the “True Fire “school of Mahayana Buddhism- this school of Buddhism, broadly belonging to the Mahayana branch, can trace some of its elements to the original Mazdaic (8) beliefs that had been ingrained within the culture of the realm prior to the advent of Buddhism
Of Multan and Pantzab
While Multan and Pantzab got conquered by the Abaqids early on in the 14th century, the areas distinctiveness has made it sure that it during the succession crisis in easily tore itself apart from the rest of the khanate. Tarmashirin, the Abaqid prince that rallied his followers in Multan has sought to adopt the customs of his new-found followers , earning him the name “Dharmashirin”, Dharma being a reference to his open-mindedness towards Indian culture.
It can be argued that Pantzab is the part of the Subcontinent that has experienced much more contact with the rest of Eurasia than any other part of the Subcontinent. The warrior-ethos of the Multani people has become even strengthened once the Abaqids conquered their realm.
View attachment 569899
Different forms of society organization in Central Asia. Notice the resurfacing of nomadic tribe organization in Karlukistan .
Dharmashirin and his court were fast to accept the Roshblani creed of the Manicheans and Manichean elect or clergy have assumed an important role in the society of Pantzab. Indian caste system has actually resurfaced the original Gnostic roots of the Manichean faith in this corner of the world, which even further strengthens inequality and the hierarchic nature of Pantzabi society (9). While three in five of every Pantzabi are peasants, roughly one quarter of the Pantzabi are artisans and other townsfolk. The remaining fifteen percent belong to the elite of the Pantzabi society, belonging to warrior and clerical castes.
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
- The word Khasa is an archaic term for the language, which later becomes known as Gorkha or Nepali
- I have come across these names on the wikipedia. These however do not correspond to their OTL counterparts
- Analogue of “Moghulistan”
- Notice, this is a Sogdian name he gave his son
- Being a fan of the Game of Thrones, we could get a number of courtiers like Varys and Littlefinger at the court, and most likely and Tukhari arriving to the court with their short-temper and a sense of honour is likely to face a fast end like Ned Stark in Season 1. Or perhaps they may navigate the court intrigue like D´Artagnan in the Three Muscateers. Be their fate as it would, the reign of Varzak is often written about.
- With a geographic position and history like Sogdia, the genetics of the population are so diverse, that you can find a vast diversity of phenotypes, from people looking like Greeks to people looking like Chinese or Pashtuns. With each conqueror having also contributed to the genetics, the competition na dnatural selection seem to have selected the best genes, so if there are a people who were inbred, definitely not the Sogdians.
- Remember the country of Kafiristan in the The Man Who Would Be King? Replace Sicandarism with Buddhism, and you get what I imagine the culture in Tukharistan.
- Zoroastrian-like
- Is it really a natural evolution of things that civilizations along great river systems develop high inequality and a rigid hierarchy, as well as a strong religiosity – see Egypt, Mesopotamia, Pakistan, you could argue also the Mississippians of North America. Compare it with the maritime cultures, where the family you were born to and your religion are not of such primary concern- being more the question of your talent or lack thereof that defines your destiny.
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
What are your thoughts about developments so far? What would you like to know more about? Next time, we are to be taking a look at Iran. Let me know in the comments
What are your thoughts about developments so far? What would you like to know more about? Next time, we are to be taking a look at Iran. Let me know in the comments
- Tomislav Addai
- Word Count: 3.2k