The Arab conquests in Central Asia

A critical study of early Islamic expansion into Central Asia, concentrating on the Oxus basin and Transoxania, it surveys Arabic narrative sources and evaluates their reliability. The text follows the sequence from initial raids through the major campaigns led by Qutayba, a Turkish counterstroke, and subsequent reconquest efforts. It examines administrative and political dynamics, highlighting the roles of Hajjāj, Arab–Persian relations, factional tensions, and the growing reliance on Persian officials. Military and diplomatic events are placed in broader regional context by juxtaposing Arabic, Persian, and Chinese accounts and by discussing contemporaneous Turkic movements.