Islam and the Oghuz in the Aral Region (on studies of the Jankent Settlement)

Research Article

Abstract

The work covers current issues of the historical period from the mid-7th to the mid-10th century. The article provides a brief historical overview of the period when the Oghuz state functioned, which played a key role in the process of Islamization of Turkic tribes throughout Central Asia and in the territory of modern Kazakhstan. The work aimed to demonstrate, using sources as an example, the processes of successful unification of ethnically diverse groups of nomadic and semi-nomadic populations, with different cultural and religious traditions, into a complex political structure. The territorial scope of the study covered a significant portion of these tribes, who settled and inhabited the fertile banks of the ancient Syr Darya River, moving from an exclusively nomadic way of life to a more sedentary, agricultural and trading activity. The discussion section of the work characterizes the geopolitical landscape of the region, which radically changed in 750 AD, when Arab troops defeated the Chinese armies, occupied many strategically important cities, and established strong Islamic rule in the territory of southern Kazakhstan. The paper demonstrates that this historical event marked a crucial turning point in the region's religious and cultural development, as vast territories came under the direct influence of Islam. The discussion section addresses questions regarding the integration of major urban centres in southern Kazakhstan and Semirechye into the broader Islamic ecumene, which contributed to the formation of distinct ethnoreligious communities. These groups, mostly composed of Turkic peoples who had converted to Islam, became known as "Turkmen" – literally meaning "Turk-like" – reflecting their special status as Islamic converts who retained their Turkic ethnicity and cultural characteristics. The authors also emphasize historical processes in their discussion that point to gradual religious transformations rather than an instantaneous mass conversion to Islam. The authors analyzed sources that described the lands located to the east as “countries of war and unbelief,” emphasizing the ambiguity of religious boundaries and ongoing clashes between Islamized and non-Islamized populations. In the concluding section, the authors express the opinion that the adoption of Islam by a significant portion of the Oghuz population had significant political consequences. Their active participation in protracted wars for control of Transoxania (Mawarannahr) during the gradual disintegration of the Samanid state in the 10th century led to significant demographic shifts and a mass exodus from traditional areas of residence. The authors, summing up the results of the study, concluded that, despite the mention of Dzhankent in historical sources in later periods, archaeological research data indicate that the main urban settlement actually ceased to exist by the end of the 10th century, marking the end of an important chapter in the history of urban development in Central Asia.