Publisher's Synopsis
The multi-volume History of Civilizations of Central Asia is the first attempt to present a comprehensive picture of this subject. The publication of this work falls well within Unesco's terms of reference since the underlying research was conducted by a distinguished international team of specialists which for many years laboured in harmony at the task of presenting to a wider public the civilization of this vast area located at the heart of the Eurasian continent. The volumes will reveal the cultures that flourished and vanished in this area, from the dawn of civilization to the present time. Only a few names, such as those of Samarkand, Bukhara or Khiva, are familiar to a wider public, eminent specialists, many of them native to the region, now lift the curtain to reveal a richer, more varied civilization. To a great extent, the history of the ancient and medieval world was shaped by the movements of peoples in this heartland of Eurasia, stretching from the Caspian Sea in the west to the borders of China proper in the east.
