THE BATTLE OF TALAS AND ITS CONSEQUENCES IN THE WORKS OF MUSLIM AUTHORS (9TH–13TH CENTURIES)

Abstract

This article examines the Battle of Talas of 751 and its consequences on the basis of the works of Muslim authors from the ninth to the thirteenth centuries. The main aim of the study is to provide a systematic and comparative analysis of information contained in Muslim written sources concerning the causes of the Battle of Talas, its location and date, the participating sides, military commanders, the size of the armies, the course of the battle, and its outcomes. The article examines the works of such Muslim authors as al-Fasawi, Ibn Tayfur, al-Maqdisi, Ibn al-Nadim, al-Tha‘alibi, al-Biruni, Ibn al-Athir, and al-Qazwini. The source materials are analysed using chronological and comparative-historical methods in order to identify their similarities and differences. The study demonstrates that political rivalries among local rulers, China’s attempts to expand its influence in Central Asia, and Abbasid military and political activity in the east played an important role in the outbreak of the battle. It also notes that the political influence of the Tang Empire in the region weakened after the battle, while the Abbasid position in Transoxiana became stronger. Some Muslim authors associate the development of papermaking in Samarkand with Chinese craftsmen captured during the Battle of Talas. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of the place of the Battle of Talas in the political, religious-cultural, and technological processes of Central Asia.