Ikhshids of Sogdia
Ikhshids of Sogdia Unash | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
642–755 CE | |||||||||||||
Hund | |||||||||||||
Capital | Samarkand | ||||||||||||
Common languages | Sogdian | ||||||||||||
Religion | Zoroastrianism | ||||||||||||
Historical era | Late antiquity | ||||||||||||
• Established | 642 | ||||||||||||
• Disestablished | 755 CE | ||||||||||||
|
The Ikhshids of Sogdia, or Ikhshids of Samarkand, were a series of rulers of
The
Ikhshids dynasty of Sogdia
Shishpir, originally ruler of Kish, conquered Samarkand in 631-642 CE and founded the Ikhshid dynasty.[3] His rule in Samarkand followed that of the Hunnic tribes who had taken control of the city since around 437 CE. The founder Shishpir was succeeded by several generations of kings, who are recorded in Chinese chronicles and known through their coinage.[3]
The Hunnic legacy appears in the coinage of Shishpir, as he adopted the Hunnic Y-shaped
Inscriptions found in the ruins of the Ikhshid palace at Samarkand and the legends of coins suggest that the Ikhsids called their own dynasty "Unash", i.e. "Hunnish".[5] The paintings of the Afrasiab murals, made in the early Ikhshid period, contain an inscription mentioning King "Varkhuman Unash"
Afrasiab murals
The paintings of Afrasiab in Samarkand date back to the middle of the 7th century CE at the early stage of the Ilkhshid period, showing a reception of foreign dignitaries by Ikhshid king
-
-
Tang dynasty emissaries at the court of Varkhuman in Samarkand carrying silk and a string of silkworm cocoons, circa 655 CE, Afrasiyab murals, Samarkand
Chinese protectorate (from 658)
The Ikhshids became nominal vassals of the Chinese
During the Yonghui (永徽) era (650-655 CE), emperor Gaozong made this territory the Government of Kangju, and gave the title of Governor to the King of the country, Varkhuman (拂呼缦, Fúhūmàn).
The
During this period, the Ikhshids and other Central Asian polities repeatedly requested Chinese military aid, especially against Muslim conquests, but these requests were generally met with empty promises, as the Chinese army, led by general Gao Xianzhi, was busy with the war against Tibet.[20]
Epilogue
The line survived into
Ghurak
Among the most notable and energetic of the Soghdian kings was
In 718, Ghurak is known to have sent an embassy to the China court, asking for support against the Arabs, but military help was denied, probably because of the huge cost and distances involved:[22][23]
"Then King
Ghurak couldn't win in war against the Arabs. He came to plead for help, but the Emperor refused."
In retaliation, the Arab governor may have appointed
Turgar
The reign of the last Ikhshid ruler
Turgar sent an embassy to China in 750 CE, probably asking for support.
Turgar was probably deposed circa 755-757 CE, and stopped minting coinage.
Ikhshids of Sogdia
Ruler | Date | Coinage | Coin legends[22][27] | Chinese name | Transcription |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Shishpir | 642-655 CE | 沙瑟毕 | Shāsèbì[28] | ||
Varkhuman | 655-696 CE | <(ʾ)βrγwmʾn MLKA> /(ə)warxumān xšēδ/ |
拂呼缦 | Fúhūmàn[29][30] | |
Urk Wartramuk | 675-696 CE | <ʾwrk wrtrmwk MLKA> /Urk Wartramuk xšēδ/ |
|||
Tukaspadak | 696-698 CE | <twkʾspʾδk MLKA> /Tōkəspāδak xšēδ/ /Tōkəspāδē xšēδ/ |
笃娑钵提 | Dǔsuōbōtí[29][30] | |
Mastich-Unash | 698-700 CE | <mʾstn-nʾwyʾn MLKA> <mʾstc ʾwnš MLKA> /Mastič Unaš xšēδ/ |
泥涅师师 | Nínièshīshī[29][30][5] | |
Tarkhun | 700-710 CE | <trγwn MLKA> /Tarxūn xšēδ/ |
突昏 | Tūhūn[29][30] | |
Ghurak |
710-738 CE | <ʾwγrk MLKA> /Uγrak xšēδ/ |
乌勒伽和 | Wǔlèkāhé[29] | |
Turgar | 738-755 CE | <twrγʾr MLKA> /Turγar xšēδ/ |
咄曷 | Duōhé[29] |
Coinage
The Ikhshids issues mostly copper coins on the Chinese model (
-
Coinage of Varkhuman, Ikhshid of Sogdia. Circa CE 650-675
-
Coin in the name of Samarkand Ikhshid Ukar (Urk Vartramuka). Thetamgha appears on the reverse, to left.[3]Circa 675-696 CE.
Other uses of the title "Ikhshid"
The Arab authors report that the title was also used by the ruler of Ferghana during the same period: Ibn al-Athir reports that it was the ikhshid of Ferghana who called upon the Chinese for aid against the Arabs, resulting in the Battle of Talas.[2]
The title's prestige in Central Asia remained high as late as the 10th century, when it was adopted by the
References
- ISBN 978-9461616272.
- ^ a b c d e Bosworth 1971, p. 1060.
- ^ S2CID 194538468.
- ^ Rezakhani 2017a, p. 138.
- ^ S2CID 194538468.
- ^ "Afrosiab Wall Painting". contents.nahf.or.kr. NORTHEAST ASIAN HISTORY FOUNDATION.
- ISBN 978-1-83860-868-2.
- ISBN 978-1-932476-13-2.
- JSTOR 41913392.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-83860-868-2.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-932476-13-2.
- ISBN 978-1-932476-13-2.
- ^ Grenet, Frantz (2004). "Maracanda/Samarkand, une métropole pré-mongole". Annales. Histoire, Sciences Sociales. 5/6: Fig. C.
- ISBN 978-90-04-48294-4.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-231-13924-3.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4744-0030-5.
- ^ JSTOR 41913392.
- ^ New Book of Tang, Book 221. 新唐书/卷221下: "高宗永徽时,以其地为康居都督府,即授其王拂呼缦为都督。" in "新唐书/卷221下 - 维基文库,自由的图书馆". zh.wikisource.org (in Simplified Chinese).
- JSTOR 41913388.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-83860-940-5.
- ^ Gibb 1923, pp. 42ff..
- ^ S2CID 194538468.
- ^ ISBN 978-7-5482-2594-2.
- ^ New Book of Tang, Book 221. 新唐书/卷221下: "其王乌勒伽与大食亟战不胜,来乞师,天子不许。" in "新唐书/卷221下 - 维基文库,自由的图书馆". zh.wikisource.org (in Simplified Chinese).
- ISBN 978-81-85026-16-9.
Many houses appear to have been renovated and repainted during the reign of the Samarkand King Turgar, who came to the throne in AD 738. This phase of activity coincides with the conciliatory policy of the Muslim governor , Nasr ibn Saiyar . It was to come to an end with the revolt of Abu Muslim, when locals were converted to Islam .
- ^ S2CID 194538468.
- ^ Šafiʿī, I. (2018). "ARAMAIC TRACES THROUGH COINS IN THE IRANIAN WORLD" (PDF). Shodoznavstvo: 146. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-03-22. Retrieved 2022-05-02.
- ^ "In the year 642, the Lord Shishpir sent presents to the court" "贞观十六年,君 沙瑟毕献方物。" in "Classical texts"., also in "钦定古今图书集成/方舆汇编/边裔典/第068卷 - 维基文库,自由的图书馆". zh.wikisource.org (in Simplified Chinese).
- ^ Ghurak lost in war against the Arabs, came to plead for help, but the Emperor refused. Later, he asked for his son Turgar to be ordained King, which was accepted...." in "新唐书/卷221下 - 维基文库,自由的图书馆". zh.wikisource.org (in Simplified Chinese).
- ^ a b c d Tang Huiyao Book 99 (唐会要 卷九十九): 显庆三年。高宗遣果毅董寄生列其所居城为康居都督府。仍以其王拂呼缦为都督。万岁通天元年。则天封其大首领笃婆钵提为王。钵提寻卒。又册立其子泥涅师师。神龙中。泥涅师师卒。又册立其子突昏。 in "唐会要/卷099 - 维基文库,自由的图书馆". zh.wikisource.org (in Simplified Chinese).
- ^ JSTOR 24048777.
- ^ Šafiʿī, I. (2018). "ARAMAIC TRACES THROUGH COINS IN THE IRANIAN WORLD" (PDF). Shodoznavstvo: 146. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-03-22. Retrieved 2022-05-02.
- ^ Bacharach 1993, p. 411.
Sources
- Bacharach, Jere L. (1993). "Muḥammad b. Ṭug̲h̲d̲j". In ISBN 978-90-04-09419-2.
- OCLC 495469525.
- OCLC 499987512.
- ISBN 978-1-4744-0030-5.