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Afrasiab Murals
The Afrasiab murals, also called the Paintings of the Ambassadors, is a rare example of Sogdian art. It was discovered in 1965 when the local authorities decided to construct a road in the middle of Afrāsiāb mound, the old site of pre-Mongol Samarkand. It is now preserved in a special museum on the Afrāsiāb mound. Description The paintings date back to the middle of the 7th century CE. They were probably painted between 648 and 651 CE, while the Western Turkic Khaganate, members are well represented in the mural, was in decline and the Tang Dynasty was increasing its territory in Central Asia. Paintings on four walls of the room of a private house at the site depict three or four lands neighbouring Central Asia: On the northern wall, China (a Chinese festival, with the Empress on a boat, and the Emperor hunting); on the Southern Wall, Samarkand (i.e.; the Iranian world: a religious funerary procession in honor of the ancestors during the Nowruz festival); on the eastern wall I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Afrasiab - Details From The Ambassadors' Painting 3 - Great Procession
Afrasiab ( fa, ''afrāsiyāb''; ae, Fraŋrasyan; Middle-Persian: ''Frāsiyāv, Frāsiyāk'') is the name of the mythical king and hero of Turan. He is the main antagonist of the Persian epic Shahnameh, written by Ferdowsi. The mythical king and hero According to the ''Shahnameh'' (''Book of Kings''), by the Persian epic poet Ferdowsi, Afrasiab was the king and hero of Turan and an archenemy of Iran. In Iranian mythology, Afrasiab is considered by far the most prominent of all Turanid race, Turanian kings; he is a formidable warrior, a skilful general, and an agent of Ahriman, who is endowed with magical powers of deception to destroy Iranian civilization.Yarshater, E., "Afrasiab", ''Encyclopædia Iranica'' - digital library; accessed January 18, 2007. He is brother to Garsivaz, and the son of Pashang. According to Islamic sources, Afrasiab was a descendant of Tur (son of Fereydun), Tūr (Avestan: ''Tūriya-''), one of the three sons of the Iranian mythical King Fereydun (the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chaganian
Chaghaniyan (Middle Persian: ''Chagīnīgān''; fa, چغانیان ''Chaghāniyān''), known as al-Saghaniyan in Arabic sources, was a medieval region and principality located on the right bank of the Oxus River, to the south of Samarkand. History Hephthalite rule Chaganian was an "Hephthalite buffer principality" located between Denov and Termez, and became a sanctuary for the Hephthalites following their defeat against the Sasanian Empire and the First Turkic Khaganate in 563-567 CE. They resettled in Chaganian and other territories of Tokharistan, under their new king Faganish, who established a dynasty. Soon, the new Hephthalite territories north of the Oxus, to which Chaganian belonged, fell under Western Turk suzerainty, while the territories south of the Oxus were nominally controlled by the Sasanian Empire. The territories under the Turks rebelled in 581 CE. Their coinage in Chaganian was an imitation of the Sasanian coins of Khusrau I, with sometimes the addition of th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Afrasiab Sogdian Inscription
Afrasiab ( fa, ''afrāsiyāb''; ae, Fraŋrasyan; Middle-Persian: ''Frāsiyāv, Frāsiyāk'') is the name of the mythical king and hero of Turan. He is the main antagonist of the Persian epic Shahnameh, written by Ferdowsi. The mythical king and hero According to the ''Shahnameh'' (''Book of Kings''), by the Persian epic poet Ferdowsi, Afrasiab was the king and hero of Turan and an archenemy of Iran. In Iranian mythology, Afrasiab is considered by far the most prominent of all Turanian kings; he is a formidable warrior, a skilful general, and an agent of Ahriman, who is endowed with magical powers of deception to destroy Iranian civilization.Yarshater, E., "Afrasiab", ''Encyclopædia Iranica'' - digital library; accessed January 18, 2007. He is brother to Garsivaz, and the son of Pashang. According to Islamic sources, Afrasiab was a descendant of Tūr (Avestan: ''Tūriya-''), one of the three sons of the Iranian mythical King Fereydun (the other two sons being Salm and Iraj) ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sogdian Language
The Sogdian language was an Eastern Iranian languages, Eastern Iranian language spoken mainly in the Central Asian region of Sogdia (capital: Samarkand; other chief cities: Panjakent, Fergana, Khujand, and Bukhara), located in modern-day Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan; it was also spoken by some Sogdian immigrant communities in ancient China. Sogdian is one of the most important Iranian languages#Middle Iranian languages, Middle Iranian languages, along with Bactrian language, Bactrian, Saka language, Khotanese Saka, Middle Persian, and Parthian language, Parthian. It possesses a large literary corpus. The Sogdian language is usually assigned to a Northeastern group of the Iranian languages. No direct evidence of an earlier version of the language ("Old Sogdian") has been found, although mention of the area in the Old Persian inscriptions means that a separate and recognisable Sogdia existed at least since the Achaemenid Empire (559–323 BCE). Like Khotanese, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kushan
The Kushan Empire ( grc, Βασιλεία Κοσσανῶν; xbc, Κυϸανο, ; sa, कुषाण वंश; Brahmi: , '; BHS: ; xpr, 𐭊𐭅𐭔𐭍 𐭇𐭔𐭕𐭓, ; zh, 貴霜 ) was a syncretic empire, formed by the Yuezhi, in the Bactrian territories in the early 1st century. It spread to encompass much of modern-day territory of, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and northern India, at least as far as Saketa and Sarnath near Varanasi (Benares), where inscriptions have been found dating to the era of the Kushan Emperor Kanishka the Great. The Kushans were most probably one of five branches of the Yuezhi confederation, an Indo-European nomadic people of possible Tocharian origin, who migrated from northwestern China (Xinjiang and Gansu) and settled in ancient Bactria. The founder of the dynasty, Kujula Kadphises, followed Greek religious ideas and iconography after the Greco-Bactrian tradition, and being a follower of Shaivism. The Kushans in general were a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Book Of The Later Han
The ''Book of the Later Han'', also known as the ''History of the Later Han'' and by its Chinese name ''Hou Hanshu'' (), is one of the Twenty-Four Histories and covers the history of the Han dynasty from 6 to 189 CE, a period known as the Later or Eastern Han. The book was compiled by Fan Ye and others in the 5th century during the Liu Song dynasty, using a number of earlier histories and documents as sources. Background In 23 CE, Han dynasty official Wang Mang was overthrown by a peasants' revolt known as the Red Eyebrows. His fall separates the Early (or Western) Han Dynasty from the Later (or Eastern) Han Dynasty. As an orthodox history, the book is unusual in being completed over two hundred years after the fall of the dynasty. Fan Ye's primary source was the ''Dongguan Han Ji'' (東觀漢記; "Han Records of the Eastern Lodge"), which was written during the Han dynasty itself. Contents References Citations Sources ; General * Chavannes, Édouard (1906).T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ashina Mishe
Ashina Mishe (; ?–662) was a puppet Turkic khagan installed by the Emperor Gaozong of the Tang dynasty to rule over former Western Turkic territories. Xue Zongzheng suggested he and Duolu Khagan were the same person. Early life He was titled Baghatur Yabgu () before 632. In 632, Tang dynasty sent official Liu Shanyin (刘善因) to create him Xilibi Dulu Khagan (奚利邲咄陆可汗). However, he was in bad terms with his elder cousin Ashina Buzhen who wanted to take his lands and people. In order to escape his machinations, he submitted to Tang in 639 with his subordinate tribes Chuyue and Chumi. He was soon created a general and took part in Goguryeo-Tang war in 645, for which Taizong awarded him with title Count of Pyongyang (平壤县伯). Later life After Su Dingfang's conquest of Western Turks, was created Xingxiwang Khagan () and Protectorate General to Pacify the West was divided in half, Kunling Protectorate and Tulu tribes being awarded to Mishe. However, i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ashina Buzhen
Ashina Buzhen was a member of the ruling caste of the Western Turks. He was appointed khagan by Emperor Gaozong of the Tang dynasty after the conquest of the Western Turks. His fierce rivalry with his cousin, Ashina Mishe, was instrumental in driving the Western Turks away from the Tang and into allegiance with the Tibetan Empire. Life Buzhen was a member of the ruling caste of the Western Turks. According to modern Turkish historian Ahmet Taşağıl, he was a descendant of Istemi. After the Western Turks were conquered by the Chinese Tang dynasty his younger cousin Mishe was created khagan in 632. Angered by this, Buzhen attacked Mishe in 639 and killed 20 people including several of Mishe's brothers and nephews. Consequently, Mishe submitted to the Tang, fearing for his life. Buzhen declared himself Yabghu_(khagan)_of_the_ Dulu_tribes_(咄陆叶护)_but_was_not_accepted_by_the_Dulu._Having_lost_prestige,_he_too_submitted_to_Tang. Buzhen_participated_in_the_Goguryeo–Tang_Wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Khagan
Khagan or Qaghan (Mongolian:; or ''Khagan''; otk, 𐰴𐰍𐰣 ), or , tr, Kağan or ; ug, قاغان, Qaghan, Mongolian Script: ; or ; fa, خاقان ''Khāqān'', alternatively spelled Kağan, Kagan, Khaghan, Kaghan, Khakan, Khakhan, Khaqan, Xagahn, Qaghan, Chagan, Қан, or Kha'an is a title of imperial rank in the Turkic, Mongolic and some other languages, equal to the status of emperor and someone who rules a khaganate (empire). The female equivalent is Khatun. It may also be translated as " Khan of Khans", equivalent to King of Kings. In Bulgarian, the title became known as ''Khan'', while in modern Turkic, the title became ''Khaan'' with the ''g'' sound becoming almost silent or non-existent; the ''ğ'' in modern Turkish ''Kağan'' is also silent. Since the division of the Mongol Empire, monarchs of the Yuan dynasty and the Northern Yuan held the title of ''Khagan''. ''Kağan, Hakan'' and ''Kaan'', Turkish equivalents of the title are common Turkish names ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nana (Bactrian Goddess)
Nana (Kushan Greek: Νανα, Ναναια, Ναναϸαο, Sogdian ''nny'') was a Bactrian female divinity, a conflation of Sumero- Babylonian Inanna with a local divinity, in her Kushan form with the indigenous (Zoroastrian) Harahvati Aredvi Sura Anahita. Such syncretism was common among the Kushan deities. Nana is first attested by name on a coin of Sapadbizes, a 1st-century BCE king of Bactria who preceded the Kushans. In this singular case, Nana is depicted as a lion. Nana then reappears two centuries later on the coins and seals of the Kushan kings, in particular of the mid-2nd century CE Kanishka I. The Rabatak inscription of Kanishka I invokes her as well. Her characteristics are martial in these depictions, and she was typically depicted as a seated martial goddess, escorted by a lion, which is almost similar to the Hindu goddess of war Durga, who rides on a lion and protects her devotees from evils. She was also associated with fertility, wisdom and the waters (in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Varkhuman
Varkhuman, also Vargoman (Chinese: 拂呼缦 ''Fúhūmàn'', c. 640-670 CE) was an Ikhshid (King) of Sogdia, residing in the city of Samarkand in the 7th century CE. He succeeded King Shishpin. He is known from the Afrasiab murals of Afrasiyab in Samarkand, where is seen being visited by embassies from numerous countries, including China. There is also an inscription in the murals directly mentioning him. His name is also known from Chinese histories. One of the murals show a Chinese Embassy carrying silk and a string of silkworm cocoons to the local Sogdian ruler. The scene depicted in the Afrasiyab murals probably occurred soon after 658 CE, when the Tang Dynasty had conquered the Western Turkic Khaganate. Varkhuman was a nominal vassal to the Chinese. He is mentioned in the Chinese annals: Varkhuman's legacy was short-lived, as his palace was destroyed by the Arab general Sa'id ibn Uthman between 675 and 677 CE. At that time, according to Narshakhi there was no king of Sama ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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