The City of Balkh
The History, Archaeology, and Culture of a Great Islamicate Capital in Afghanistan 7th to 13th century CE
Edmund Herzig editor Arezou Azad editor Paul Wordsworth editor Philippe Marquis editor Professor Robert G Hoyland editor
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Publishing:25th Jun '26
£90.00
This title is due to be published on 25th June, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
In the early Islamic age, the city of Balkh was one of the largest and most influential cities in the world. Situated on the northern plains of modern Afghanistan, Balkh flourished from the 7th to the 13th centuries, home to a wide variety of scholars, artists and religious leaders.
This book presents the first comprehensive analysis of the history and archaeology of early Islamic Balkh. Archaeological research undertaken throughout the twentieth century has investigated the evolution of the city, but only more recently has the evidence for its medieval development been pieced together. The authors collate and examine the available textual and artefactual material in order to recreate the history of this unique city and assess its critical role in early medieval Eurasia.
Ancient and medieval Balkh in Afghanistan was one of the greatest cities of Central Asia. Capital of the ancient kingdom of Bactria, Balkh developed into probably the most important cultural, intellectual and religious centre of the early Islamic east that has attracted the attention of scholars since the nineteenth century. However, until now there has been no single volume that has brought this scholarship together. Drawing on the past century and more of scholarship, as well as new fieldwork undertaken in the early 2000s, this is the first single volume devoted to the historical, cultural, archaeological and geographical background of Balkh. Written by an impressive team of international scholars from different disciplines, this book will be the standard reference work on the city for many years to come and a vital contribution to the study of Central Asian studies as a whole. * Warwick Ball, author of The Archaeological Gazetteer of Afghanistan *
ISBN: 9781784538170
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
432 pages