Chinggis Khan

Makers of the Muslim World

by Michal Biran

In this novel perspective on a much-maligned figure, Michal Biran explains the monumental impact Chinggis Khan has had upon the Islamic World, both positive and negative. Often criticised as a mass-slaughterer, pillager, and arch-enemy of the faith, Biran shows that his constructive influence upon Islam was also considerable - his legacy apparent in Central Asia even today. Covering Chinggis Khan's early career, his conquests, the enduring power of his descendents, and the numerous ways he is presented in different Muslim contexts, this accessible book provides a fascinating insight into one of the most notorious men in history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Ozymandias · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book, which represents the latest scholarship, curious to find a different viewpoint from David Morgan’s old classic The Mongols. I know that a lot of modern scholars have a more positive view of the Mongol Empire than that one, which represents the traditional black scourge accounts. So I was rather surprised to find that, while this book is more positive and nuanced in many respects, I still find the Mongols to be a pretty monstrous. I suppose it was inevitably going to always be a matter of degree, but the empire never seems like a positive contribution to world history and the conquest itself (while strong efforts are made to limit the scale of massacres reported by particularly Persian sources) is just as brutal as it appears in Morgan’s work. The dispassionate approach to Mongol history can result in odd lines like this: “In [respect of creating new ethnic and national identities], Chinggis Khan was second only to Stalin in reshaping the map of Central Asia.” Is that a good thing? It sounds like a very bad thing stated in a positive way. Except for a narrow focus on military history (where the Mongols truly were far more innovative than people give them credit for – no numberless horde for example) or perhaps diplomatic/scientific history I don’t really feel much sympathy. Which is not to say I don’t understand why it’s interesting.

This book is presented as a biography, but I feel that was rather misleading. The book is built around Genghis Khan of course, but more than half the book covers events after the subject of the book is dead. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that this is the new and innovative part of the book – the study of Genghis’ reputation and political legacy in the succeeding centuries; primarily focused on the Muslim world. Given that the book only has 162 pages of text that means we get a very cursory look at everything before this reception study. My fault obviously for not researching what this book covered, but people should know in advance what its limits and focus are. It does at least offer a very good bibliographical essay that led me to a book (Paul Ratchnevsky’s Genghis Khan: His Life and Legacy) which I think is closer to what I was hoping this one to be.

With the negatives out of the way, I do feel that this book offers a good (if brief) account of the Great Khan’s life. The description of steppe culture felt more nuanced than Morgan and expressed a lot of the details of organization in a way that really made more sense. This is very much a “biographical history” as opposed to a straight biography in that it uses Temujin as the lynchpin for a look at what happened during his reign. And it does well at this, though again I do wish it included more detail. Genghis’ afterlife could be interesting at times, but of course whether you find it so will largely depend on what your background (or research background) is.

I liked this book but felt it could have done more. That may have been due to my own preconceptions. As an introduction to the Mongols and their legacy it’s a pretty good choice, though given the price its not exactly going to draw in a lot of beginners. It is always clear and intelligent and lays out what it wants to say in a very logical manner. I just wish there was more to it, particularly given the dearth of genuinely scholarly overviews of Mongol history available.

[Bennett Mackay · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really enjoyable and fast read. I especially enjoyed the focus on Chinggis Khan and his ancestors’ impact on the Muslim world. This book greatly expanded my understanding of his/their impact on a section of the world I am woefully ignorant about. As David Morgan said, Michal Biran is uniquely placed to write on Chinggis Khan given her understanding of both the Chinese and Arab sources.

[Timur Oruç · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cengiz Han'ın dünya tarihindeki önemini anlamak için okunması gereken, oldukca sade ve akıcı yazılmış bir eserdir.

[Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

Novel perspectives, but no references in the text: Negative point.

[Casey Cantrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scholarly book! Equal parts Chinggis and Islamic world. Nicely includes other perspectives such as Russian and Chinese giving the reader a sense of the grandeur this man has.

[Bryn Hammond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anything and everything Michal Biran writes on Mongols (and surrounds) is good. This, along with Ruth Dunnett's, are the only two biographies of Chinggis that are up-to-date and decent history. Both are quite brief, and I still wish for a more in-depth, but not bad, biography from somebody... but at least these two plain treatments are honest to the brevity of the basic material.