Narshakhi
Encyclopedia
Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Jafar Narshakhi (or Narshaki) (ca. 899–959), from the village of Narshak in the Bukhara
oasis
, can be considered the first historian in Central Asia
. His unique History of Bukhara was written in Arabic
and presented to the Samanid
ruler Nuh ibn Nasr either in 943 or 948. In 1128 Narshakhi's book was translated into Persian
(with abridgements). Nothing is known about Narshakhi except his authorship of this one book, which provides important information on Bukhara that cannot be found in other contemporary sources.
Bukhara
Bukhara , from the Soghdian βuxārak , is the capital of the Bukhara Province of Uzbekistan. The nation's fifth-largest city, it has a population of 263,400 . The region around Bukhara has been inhabited for at least five millennia, and the city has existed for half that time...
oasis
Oasis
In geography, an oasis or cienega is an isolated area of vegetation in a desert, typically surrounding a spring or similar water source...
, can be considered the first historian in Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
. His unique History of Bukhara was written in Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
and presented to the Samanid
Samanid
The Samani dynasty , also known as the Samanid Empire, or simply Samanids was a Persian state and empire in Central Asia and Greater Iran, named after its founder Saman Khuda, who converted to Sunni Islam despite being from Zoroastrian theocratic nobility...
ruler Nuh ibn Nasr either in 943 or 948. In 1128 Narshakhi's book was translated into Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
(with abridgements). Nothing is known about Narshakhi except his authorship of this one book, which provides important information on Bukhara that cannot be found in other contemporary sources.