ABSTRACT
Central Asia (Turkistan) was already an ancient and prosperous center of civilization when penetrated by Islam in the seventh century. Its population, both sedentary and nomadic, was of Iranian stock. For several hundred years its rulers had controlled the two most important trade routes of the ancient world, the Silk Road linking the Mediterranean to China and the Spice Road to India. Despite its location and the resulting prosperity, however, Turkistan had not been the center of a mighty empire: the native principalities were too weak to mount a successful opposition to their more powerful neighbors to the east, north, and west.
