Crossroads of Civilization: A History of Central Asia

by Eren Tasar

Though perhaps less well-known today than the great empires that surrounded them, the historic peoples of Central Asia—such as the Scythians, the Sogdians, the Xiongnu nomads of Mongolia, the Turkic peoples, and many others—produced cultures of major significance.

In the 24 lectures of Crossroads of Civilization: A History of Central Asia, taught by Professor Eren Tasar of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, you will embark on a wide-ranging journey into the majestic landscapes, steppe and desert cultures, resplendent cities, and epic conquests that characterized this mysterious part of the world. Along the way, you will:

· Travel into the history of the many peoples who dominated the region, from the Scythians and Sogdians to the empire of the iconic Tamerlane.

· Learn about the region’s nomadic peoples; their religious practices, display of power through elaborate burials; their remarkable animal art; and their often-lavish yurts.

· Encounter the conquering powers that ruled Central Asia, such as the Persian Achaemenid Empire, the Arab Abbasid caliphate, which brought Islam; and the fearsome Mongols.

· Explore the sophisticated culture that grew under the Samanids, Timurids and Shibanids, seen in wide patronage of the arts, sciences, and scholarship, and construction of dazzling monuments.

· Delve into the policies of the Tsarist colonial regime and the cotton economy it created, causing suffering and rebellion.

· Visualize the Soviet rule of the region, marked by tragic famines and later substantial development; trace the Chinese domination of East Turkestan, and the challenges and successes of the modern Central Asian nations.

Crossroads of Civilization: A History of Central Asia reveals a part of the world that is relatively unknown to many of us, but which has played an integral role in the unfolding of human civilization, from the Far East to the frontiers of Europe.

Genres: History, Audiobook, Asia, Ancient History, Nonfiction

24 pages, Audiobook

Published January 3, 2025

Reviews

[coolwind · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book gives a good overview of history. However, the author’s view is very much biased. He lacks of deep understanding of detailed history but try to interpret the current status of middle Asian countries in his own rules.

[Nilesh Jasani · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a rare and rewarding journey through a region that is usually treated as background scenery in global history books. In most histories, Central Asia makes cameo appearances as the staging ground for the Mongol conquests, the backdrop for the Great Game, the frontier of the Islamic caliphates, the colonies of the Russian empire, or the corridor of the Silk Road. This lecture series flips that perspective. Central Asia takes center stage in the narrative, and the professor uses the great events of the world only as context when they directly impacted the region. All the great civilizations of the Persians, Arabs, Slavs, Chinese, Indians, Mongols, and similar ones from the earlier eras turn peripheral in the lecture series, utilized only for their impact on the region.

The course excels at explaining steppe life, culture, and history with the right level of detail for someone like me, coming to the topic with almost no prior knowledge. The rhythm of nomadic life, the rise and fall of khanates, the waves of Turkic and Mongol migrations, the region’s Islamization, and the tug-of-war between empires are all brought vividly to life. The professor has a gift for making distant events and unfamiliar names memorable without ever overwhelming the listener.

One of the series’s greatest strengths is its pacing. The sweep of thousands of years is covered briskly enough to maintain momentum, yet never feels rushed. When a major external event — such as the collapse of the Abbasid Caliphate or the expansion of the Russian Empire — matters for Central Asia, it is acknowledged just long enough to frame what happened next on the steppes, then the focus returns where it belongs.

For anyone curious about the five Stans or simply about the history of Eurasia, this is a superb starting point.

[Ryan Patrick]

Solid. I mean, it's not amazing in any fashion, but it does what it sets out to do, which is narrate the history of Central Asia from ancient times up to today. The lecturer is good and intersperses his own experiences in the region where appropriate. You feel like the guy really knows what he's talking about.

I was probably most amazed at the period under Soviet rule. Things seemed pretty bad, but in the end, there were plenty who lamented the passing of the Soviet regime when it collapsed. It sounds like, of the five '-stans', the place to be is Kazakhstan, but we get only a very cursory glance at the situation, so I could be wrong (in reality, I don't think any of the five are a 'place to be'.)

[S Slivowitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the teaching of history in the West, this is a much-overlooked region. So this work is welcome.

Overall, I think it's quite well done.