Turk Shahi

Coin of the Turk Shahi Tegin

The Turk-Shahi is a Turkish ruling dynasty that ruled in what is now Kabul from the 7th to the early 9th century .

The Turk Shahis succeeded the Nezak , whose last king is documented in 661. Like this late antique tribal group of the Iranian Huns , the Turk Shahis predominantly ruled in Kabulistan , but also in Zabulistan , with Kapisa continuing to play an important role. Forays into this area by the Arabs in the late 7th century (see Islamic expansion ) could be stopped quickly.

The Turk Shahis early turned to Buddhism , which they promoted. In Chinese sources, their empire is mentioned as Jibin . It was divided into several principalities, with the king residing in Kabul and Udabhandapura further to the east. Proof of the not insignificant economic prosperity is the archaeological excavation site Mes Aynak in Logar southeast of Kabul, which is rich in metal deposits and where, in addition to Buddhist shrines, artfully decorated plants have been exposed and coin finds have been made.

The Turk Shahis symbolically emphasized the successful defense against the Arabs and the consolidation of their dominion. Her second King Tegin called himself the "King of the East", which is to be seen as a direct reaction to the caliphate's claims to power over this area. He even went so far as to emphasize his efforts to defend himself against the caliphate by calling himself Phrom Gesar , the Roman emperor, while at the same time seeking help from China. However, rival power struggles during his reign also led to a split in the empire when one of his brothers rose to be ruler in Zabulistan. At the same time, both kings were looking for recognition and probably the protectorate of the Chinese emperor. In any case, there were close political and economic contacts to China, as evidenced by various embassies (described in Chinese sources), whose political influence in Central Asia was considerable up to the middle of the 8th century.

In 814/15 the ruler of Kabul suffered a severe defeat against the Abbasids . A few years later the ruling family was overthrown and the Arabs advanced to Kabul around 870. The new rulers in this area, the so-called Hindu Shahis , successfully continued the defensive battle against the Muslim attackers for decades.

The coinage of the Turk Shahi was based closely on the Nezak models, whose characteristic bull head crown they retained. The bull and elephant, symbols of strength and royal power, were featured as prominent motifs, whereby the quality of the coins increased. The coinage changed over time.

literature

Michael Alram et al. a. (Ed.): The face of the stranger. The coinage of the Huns and Western Turks in Central Asia and India. Publishing house of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna 2016, p. 123ff.
Minoru Inaba: The Identity of the Turkish Rulers to the South of Hindukush from the 7th to the 9th Centuries AD In: Zinbun 38, 2005, pp. 1-19.
Minoru Inaba: Across the Hindūkush of the ʿAbbasid Period. In: DG Tor (Ed.): In The ʿAbbasid and Carolingian Empires. Comparative Studies in Civilizational Formation. Brill, Leiden / Boston 2018, p. 123 ff.
Shoshin Kuwayama: Historical Notes on Kāpiśī and Kābul in the Sixth-Eighth Centuries. In: Zinbun 34, 1999, pp. 25-77.

Remarks

↑ Michael Alram et al. a. (Ed.): The face of the stranger. The coinage of the Huns and Western Turks in Central Asia and India. Vienna 2016, p. 123.
↑ Michael Alram et al. a. (Ed.): The face of the stranger. The coinage of the Huns and Western Turks in Central Asia and India. Vienna 2016, p. 124f.
↑ Johannes Preiser-Kapeller: Beyond Rome and Charlemagne. Aspects of global interdependence in late antiquity, 300–800 AD Vienna 2018, p. 45.
↑ Michael Alram et al. a. (Ed.): The face of the stranger. The coinage of the Huns and Western Turks in Central Asia and India. Vienna 2016, p. 131.
↑ Michael Alram et al. a. (Ed.): The face of the stranger. The coinage of the Huns and Western Turks in Central Asia and India. Vienna 2016, p. 132 and p. 139f.
↑ See Shoshin Kuwayama: Historical Notes on Kāpiśī and Kābul in the Sixth-Eighth Centuries. In: Zinbun 34, 1999, pp. 54ff.
↑ Michael Alram et al. a. (Ed.): The face of the stranger. The coinage of the Huns and Western Turks in Central Asia and India. Vienna 2016, p. 151.
↑ Michael Alram et al. a. (Ed.): The face of the stranger. The coinage of the Huns and Western Turks in Central Asia and India. Vienna 2016, p. 123f.
↑ Michael Alram et al. a. (Ed.): The face of the stranger. The coinage of the Huns and Western Turks in Central Asia and India. Vienna 2016, p. 134f.

[1] Michael Alram et al. a. (Ed.): The face of the stranger. The coinage of the Huns and Western Turks in Central Asia and India. Vienna 2016, p. 123.

[2] Michael Alram et al. a. (Ed.): The face of the stranger. The coinage of the Huns and Western Turks in Central Asia and India. Vienna 2016, p. 124f.

[3] Johannes Preiser-Kapeller: Beyond Rome and Charlemagne. Aspects of global interdependence in late antiquity, 300–800 AD Vienna 2018, p. 45.

[4] Michael Alram et al. a. (Ed.): The face of the stranger. The coinage of the Huns and Western Turks in Central Asia and India. Vienna 2016, p. 131.

[5] Michael Alram et al. a. (Ed.): The face of the stranger. The coinage of the Huns and Western Turks in Central Asia and India. Vienna 2016, p. 132 and p. 139f.

[6] See Shoshin Kuwayama: Historical Notes on Kāpiśī and Kābul in the Sixth-Eighth Centuries. In: Zinbun 34, 1999, pp. 54ff.

[7] Michael Alram et al. a. (Ed.): The face of the stranger. The coinage of the Huns and Western Turks in Central Asia and India. Vienna 2016, p. 151.

[8] Michael Alram et al. a. (Ed.): The face of the stranger. The coinage of the Huns and Western Turks in Central Asia and India. Vienna 2016, p. 123f.

[9] Michael Alram et al. a. (Ed.): The face of the stranger. The coinage of the Huns and Western Turks in Central Asia and India. Vienna 2016, p. 134f.