Levi, Scott C. and Ron Sela. Islamic Central Asia: An Anthology of Historical Sources. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2010.

Levi and Sela's anthology is a great compilation of a diverse type of Central Asian historical and literary works from the Seventh to the Nineteenth Centuries, many of which are not widely accessible in English.  Each work contains a brief introduction and then a sample (the complete text in some cases) of the subject text translated into English.  Even though its title states "Islamic Central Asia," many of the works are not Islamic, but important historical works. The Acknowledgments are very important as they give the bibliographic citations for the sources of the works included in this book.

Sections: Acknowledgments; Introduction; Central Asia in the Early Islamic Period, Seventh to Tenth Centuries; Encounter with the Turks; The Mongol Empire; Timur and the Timurids; Central Asia in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries; Central Asia in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries; Glossary; Index.  Descriptors: 2010s, anthology, historical, history, L, literature, pre-Tsarist, S, Soviet, Tsarist

DeWeese, Devin. "A Neglected Source on Central Asian History: The 17th Century Yasavi Hagiography, Manaqib Al-Akhyar." In Essays on Uzbek History, Culture, and Language, edited by Bakhtiyar A. Nazarov, Denis Sinor, and Devin A. DeWeese, 38-50.  Indiana University Uralic and Altaic Series, v. 156, edited by Dennis Sinor. Bloomington: Indiana University, Research Institute for Inner Asian Studies, 1993.

DeWeese in this chapter reviews the Manaqib Al-Akhyar, a hagiographical account completed by Muhammad Qasim in 1626. According to DeWeese this account contains valuable information on the history of Central Asia and the Yasavi and Nashqabandi Sufi tariqas.  Descriptors: 1990s, archival, chapter, D, historical, literature, pre-Tsarist, Sufism

Feldman, Walter. "Interpreting the Poetry of Mahktumquli." In Muslims in Central Asia: Expressions of Identity and Change, edited by Jo-Ann Gross, 167-189. Durham: Duke University Press, 1992.

In addition to being "the most significant figure in the creation of Turkmenian written literature," Mahktumquli is also a Muslim figure from Turkmenistan.  The following introduction, also from page 167, describes the chapter: "This brief chapter will attempt to demonstrate how the aesthetic choices of Mahktumquli made literary form into a strong symbol of the historical and the incipient national consciousness of the Turkmen people."

Sections: The Biography of Mahktumquli; Poetry of Mahktumquli

Babur Padshah Ghazi, Zahiru'd-din Muhammad. Babur - Nama (Memoirs of Babur). Translated by Annette Susannah Beveridge. New Delhi: Oriental Books. Reprint, 1970. First published in 1922 by Annette Beveridge.

Babur (1483-1530) was the founder of the Moghul Dynasty in India. The Baburnama is his autobiography written in Turki text.  It follows, Babur's rule from Samarqand, through Kabul and other cities, and to India.  In the work, Babur keeps track of time according to Muslim prayers and holidays and he discusses his practice of Islam with regard to such items as drinking/refraining from alcohol consumption.

Hajib, Yusuf Khass. Wisdom of Royal Glory (Kutadgu Bilig): A Turko-Islamic Mirror for Princes. Publications of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Vol. 16., edited by Richard L. Chambers. Translated by Robert Dankoff. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1983.

The Karakhanid Turks embraced Islam in 961. About one hundred years later, Yusuf Hass Hajib wrote the Qutadgu Bilig in Karakhanid or Middle Turkic and presented it to the Karakhanid Khan. There are four major characters in this work: 1) Rising Sun (the king who represents justice), 2) Full Moon (the Vizier who represents fortune), 3) Highly Praised (a sage who represents intellect/wisdom, and 4) Wide Awake (a ascetic who represents man’s last end).  The work is Islamic and gives advice to future generations.

Muhammad Ali. Eternal Longings: Historical Novel. Translated by Dilbarkhon Muhammad Ali qizi. Tashkent: Literature Foundation Press, 2006.

This is a nice historical novel set in the early 20th century. It traces the true story of Said Mahmudkhon Ture (and some of his relations) who was raised in Chust, Uzbekistan, but ended up as a religious scholar at the Dorulmuallimin madrasa in Kabul, Afghanistan. His mother was an otin and his grandfather was a Sufi ishan and sheikh.  The book's main theme is Uzbeks who ended up outside of their motherland for various reasons, including escape from the Soviet regime, and their "eternal longings" to return to the motherland.  As the author jumps between scenes, the reading does not always easily flow, but it provides some very interesting insights into Islam in Central Asia that can only be achieved through Central Asian literature. 

Sarykhanov, Nurmurat. "The Book." In Against the Desert: Stories by Writers of Soviet Turkmenia. Translated by Fainna Glagoleva, 7-27. Moscow: Foreign Languages Publishing House, 1960.


Sarykhanov's short story is about a man in Turkmenistan during Tsarist and Soviet times who after hearing a mullah recite from a book purchased it for the price of his only camel. He is chastised by his wife and neighbors for making such a "poor" trade, but after his son learns to read, all agree that he made a good trade. The book he purchased was a work of "Makhtum Kuli, who laid the foundation of all Turkmenian classical literature" (p. 27). Makhtum Kuli was also a Sufi. This story shows not just the lack of Islamic literature among the nomadic people of Central Asia, but also a deep appreciation for such literature when it is available.  Descriptors: 1960s, chapter, G, literature, S, short story, Soviet, translation, Turkmenistan