Islam in Central Asia

Islam in Central Asia is the history and practice of Muslim faith among the region’s peoples, shaped by local traditions, scholarship, empires, and modern states.

Muslim conquest of Transoxiana: The eighth-century Arab-led campaigns that brought much of Transoxiana under Muslim rule. These campaigns established political conditions for Islam’s spread beyond the region’s southern frontier.
Sunni Islam: The largest branch of Islam, grounded in the Quran, the Prophet’s practice, and the authority of the early Muslim community. Most Central Asian Muslims belong to this broad branch.
Abu Mansur al-Maturidi: A ninth- to tenth-century Muslim theologian from Samarkand associated with the Maturidi school. His theology became a lasting foundation of Sunni religious thought in Central Asia.
Timurid Renaissance: A period of artistic, scientific, and literary flourishing under the Timurid dynasty, especially in the fifteenth century. Timurid patronage strengthened the region’s Islamic scholarly and architectural legacy.
Islam in Uzbekistan: The history and contemporary practice of Islam among the people and institutions of Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan contains major historic centers of Islamic scholarship and pilgrimage.
Transoxiana: A historical region between the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers, centered on cities such as Samarkand and Bukhara. Its cities became early centers of Muslim rule, commerce, and scholarship.
Hanafi school: A major Sunni school of Islamic jurisprudence known for its use of reasoned legal interpretation. Hanafi jurisprudence became the predominant legal tradition across much of Central Asia.
Imam al-Bukhari: A ninth-century hadith scholar from Bukhara whose collection is among Sunni Islam’s most authoritative. His scholarly legacy made Bukhara a landmark in Muslim memory and learning.
Russian conquest of Central Asia: The nineteenth-century incorporation of Central Asian territories into the Russian Empire through military expansion. Imperial rule changed the political conditions under which Muslim institutions operated.
Islam in Kazakhstan: The history and contemporary practice of Islam among the people and institutions of Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan illustrates the region’s diverse religious landscape and post-Soviet institutions.

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