Cultural Exchange in Central Asia

Cultural Exchange in Central Asia

Camping, massacres, & more massacres 

Central Asia

• Stretched from Hungary to Mongolia with parts of present-day NE China

• Dominated by the steppe

• Nomadic people in this region 

Nomadic Society

• Could only support so many nomads

• Break camp twice per year

• Groups pursuing same resources fought one another

• Trade or raid surrounding agricultural societies or other tribes

Nomadic Organization 

• Clans with chiefs chosen by military power

• Sometimes tribes would ally and form confederations

• Federations didn’t last more than 100 years

The Turks

• Dominated from the eastern Silk Road cities in Central Asia to Mongolia

• First in the region to leave behind a written record in their own language

• Specialized in metalworking

• Frequently raided Asia & fought amongst themselves 

• In western Central Asia, Muslims capture the Turks

• Some Turks convert to Islam on their own 

• 1071 the Seljuk Turks fought & won against the Byzantine army in eastern Anatolia 

Mongols

• Lived a little farther north than the Turks

• Lived in tents called yurts

• Groups of families camped together 

Mongolian Men

• Made carts, wagons, & yurt frames

• Made horse & oxen equipment

• Milked the mares

• Made bows & arrows

Mongolian Women

Women

• Cared for & milked the animals

• Drove the carts

• Dismantled the yurts

• Participated in family decisions

Chinggis Khan aka Genghis Khan 

• Born Temujin

• Only 12 when his father died 

• Gained followers as he got older through courage in battle

• Preferred conquest to administration 

• 1206 named Chinggis Khan which means Great Ruler

• Mongolian tribes united under him

• Recorded Mongol history, laws, etc.

• Tribes laid siege to nearby populations, like Jin China

• Genghis ensured his sons wouldn’t turn on eachother

Mongolian Way of Life

• Rewarded those who served them loyally

• Purpose of fighting was to gain riches

• Built their capital city of Karakorum in modern-day Mongolia

• Hated the idea of a farmer 

Mongols & Merchants

• Never looked down on merchants like many elite states

• Allowed caravans to pass

• Brought people into contact in new ways

Rashid al-Din

• Jew from Persia who converted to Islam

• Became a Mongolian physician then prime minister

• Aware of cultural differences & suggested ruling each place based on the principles of the majority

• Wrote a comprehensive world history 

Disease

• Bubonic Plague aka Black Death

• Plague could have led to a loss of mongolian power in the 1300s