ABSTRACT
The Turks were among the major waves of invaders who first attacked, then settled in the Middle East. Nomadic tribes were often peaceful trading partners of settled peoples. If vast armies of nomads entered the Middle East from Central Asia, they could be expected to turn farm land into grass land to support their flocks, to the considerable detriment of those who had farmed the land. The Samanid rulers expanded their rule and raided into Central Asia, across the River Jaxartes, coming into close contact with the Turks. Other Turks contacted the Samanid dominions through merchant enterprises or as slaves, captured and taken back to the Middle East. The Turks were not complete strangers to monotheistic religion, since a significant number had converted to Nestorian Christianity, which had been spread throughout Central Asia by missionaries. The missionaries often accepted more ecstatic religious experiences and practices than did the more Law-minded orthodox Muslims.
