by Boris Zubry
The Judaism came over to the Eastern and Central Asia in the form of a powerful tribe of Jews retreating in a complete order from the steadily increasing pressure from the wild but fast-growing Islam. There was no chance for coexistence between the peace-loving agricultural Hebrews and very aggressive murdering and thieving nomad Arabs. The Muslims zealously enforced policy was: convert - live or die. There was no other option, middle ground. And, even if you convert, nothing was guaranteed. Not too many Jews converted though, and many died. The relatively small tribe of Hebrews fought bravely, but the sheer numbers of Arabs made the decision for the weaker tribes. They had to leave the lands they occupied for at least five hundred years and move to the unknown land; the land of the Eastern and Central Asia. That was a mystery land but did they have a choice. What choice – to convert and not to die or to die anyway, no matter what. So, they decide to move on, and Islam was following them step by step.
The unexpected luck provided the Hebrews with a break. Arabs, entangled in own problems, were too slow to trail the Jews that far. Even more, the aggressive Arabs were met with aggression stronger than their own. Was it even possible? Not in where the Arabs came from. No one was that strong and so aggressive where they came from. The Muslims were not ready for that. However, the Asian tribes of the mountain passes met the militant Muslims with the sword and the arrow. Arabs were not welcomed. These passes were hard to pass at any time, but fighting was almost impossible. The fight was incessant and bloody, and Arabs were not allowed to move to the valleys of the East. The Hebrews, on the other hand, were friendly and not threatening. They were tired, hungry, bleeding, and full of wounds and tragic stories. They were suffering and looked more like the long-lost cousins than the aggressors. People of suffering were always welcome by the people that knew what suffering was. Compassion worked its charm, and the hand of friendship was extended. The Hebrews were let in. The kingdom of Khazars was in the making.
In force, Islam came much later, in about two hundred years, in the nine century and it was not done by the sword. Arabs learned the old lessons and came in peace as traders. Trade came first, and that was the attraction. Merchants from the faraway lands were welcome just about everywhere. That was a noble occupation. Religion came second, and the Muslim kingdoms came third. Harezm (present Uzbekistan) was the biggest and the richest one with Samarkand and Buchara as the separate, but powerful city-states. Turkmens, Tajiks, Uzbeks, Azeri, Hebrews, Kalmycks, Bashkirs, and many other tribes, the leftovers of the Persian Empire, presented the perfect ethnic mix there.
The conditions were faultless to produce great thinkers, writers, artists, scientists, doctors, statesmen, warriors, craftsmen, and traders. They were celebrated and often financially supported by the powers in charge. For hundreds of years, while Europe was still enveloped by the dark ages, often getting even darker, this was the cultural center of the world, and it was booming. Links between Baghdad, Damascus, Samarkand, Buchara, Fergana, and some other places in Central Asia became so crucial that the Silk Road incorporated them as a permanent branch. At times, more people traveled there than in any other direction. Interesting to say that for so many years there was such a peaceful coexistence of Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, and the Pagans. There was a balance that no one dared to upset. That was the time of peace. Everyone was happy that way, for so many years. And, Christianity had never made its way in until hundreds of years later as in the wake of the Mongol invasion stirring communities, and the cultures up, moving people, tribes, and the entire nations from land to land. These were newcomers with new ideas, customs, and new laws. East was affecting the West, and the West was affecting the East even more. The Christian slaves from Russia, Eastern, and Western Europe were the most essential Christian influence in the Eastern and Central Asia at the time. They were the biggest and the unending link to the other very little-known side of the world. East did not know West and West did not know East, yet they were moving toward each other. It was a slow process, yet it was progressing. East was meeting West not in the middle of the road but in the middle of the West.
The Buddhist faith, being well nourished and quite protected in the region, gave birth to many different sects, also well received in Central Asia. That was the widespread movement of mystery, peace, love, and the fairytales that little educated citizens of Central Asia really enjoyed. It was something to dream of. That gave them the sense of something really good being just around the corner and coming for you soon. After all, this was the leading religion of the continent. Of these, the “Pure Land” and the “Chan” (also known as Zen) sects were particularly strong and welcomed and even beyond China. They are both still flourishing in India, Indo-China, Japan, Europe, and America. Concepts of peace, love, and earth were so appealing to people with all kinds of background that foundation for religion became stronger surviving the turmoil of age, sex, station in life, distance, hardship, and hate. Wars and injustice scarred it, making even stronger and more acceptable by those who yearned love and peace. Love and peace were more desirable than war and hate too many people. Is not it true even now? Primitivism and the huge holes in the theory were not crucial for the average human trying to hide from his share of the daily problems. After all, life was not easy for anyone and at any time. Who could understand the holes in the theory if you could hardly understand the argument itself? It was so soothing, and that was most important. Buddhism, its philosophy, branches, and the gentleness of approach were well suited for scores of people, so it flourished and spread out.
Christianity also made an early, but a somewhat limited appearance on the scene, yet it was not the Roman Church. The Nestorian sect was outlawed in Europe by the Roman Church in 432 A.D., and its followers were driven eastwards. One could stay but had to give up the principles, and many did not like that. Many would rather die than to give up the beliefs, and many did. Nestorians had some fundamental disagreements with the ruling church doctrine giving more powers to men and limiting the importance of God. The Roman Church could not accept it without fighting, and the Nestorians lost. The Nestorians had to go and rather fast. They were few and with no money or power to speak of. What chance did they have fighting the machine of the organized religion that was supported by the Emperor? It was not clear if the Emperor really understood the difference or cared about, but Constantine was on the other side and how do you fight that. With what? Church of the time trying to survive and to gain the momentum could not allow any cracks in the united front of the teaching. The church was presenting itself as a united front. After all, it was the “True Religion with a True God,” and there could be only one interpretation of that. How else could you handle such complex issues as God, the Bible, Jesus Christ, the Apostles, and the doctrine itself? The theological revolts (there were a few) were put down with brute force not allowing any deviations from the mainstream or the “freethinking.” Even the writings of the opposition were destroyed, burnt to ashes. Who knows for sure what documents were burnt? Was there another Christianity, hidden from us, that we were not allowed to know? The theological deviations were considered the sacrilege by all in the mainstream. After the condemnation of Nestorius, the Patriarch of Constantinople, at the Council of Ephesus (431 AD), and his banishment, his disciples, fleeing for life, spread the “errors of Nestorius” through Asia. It went far and wide. They believed in doing God’s work even if they could be severely punished and even killed. That was the strength of the beliefs. The belief was extremely strong, and to the levels, we probably do not have now. So, they suffered and died but kept going farther and farther. Some documents and facts indicate that they reached China and were allowed to live there and preach Christianity in the Nestorian interpretation. That was the only part of the known world where tolerance was a common virtue. Did they reach any other areas, regions? We do not know for sure but most likely, yet not in numbers. From the religious point of view, the Silk Road culture was as multifaceted as was only possible at the time. Still, there were many different relig
ions and beliefs. Some were easy to understand and embrace, and some were quite difficult to swallow. Many religions were only cults, and some were violent. Yet, tolerance, including religion, was one of the cornerstones of the society thriving there. Everyone who came in peace was welcomed and could live in peace. It was not just the law but the widely accepted belief. “Peace be upon you and all you love and care about.” That’s what was preached there and by many, but not always followed. Still, we know that and respect. This probably was the best part of that society.
NOMAD WARRIOR
Mongols
The final shake-up that occurred along the Silk Road came from a completely different direction. It was not China, India, or the Arabs. It was not Western Europe that was still trying to figure out what the Silk Road was and combat the internal problems. That was not Eastern Europe that was shaking like life in the wind. That was the Nomads, the Mongols. The hordes from the grassland of Mongolia had overrun Asia and then Europe changing everything: people, countries, rulers, cultures, and religions. That was like the major surgery restructuring all civilizations along the road from the Mongolian steppes and to the West. Trade along the route was already adversely affected by the strife rapidly building up between the Christian and the Muslim worlds. Now, came the Mongols introducing the new twist.
The Crusades did not make these relations any better but had brought the Christian world a little nearer Central Asia. But, the unified Muslim armies under Saladin drove them back again and again, defending the realm. Blood was flowing freely on both sides and for a while already. In the Fourth Crusade, the forces of Latin Christianity scored a triumph over their Muslim rivals with the bloody capture of Constantinople (present Istanbul). As a result, Islam suffered a tremendous and excruciating defeat. However, it was not the Christians who finally split the Muslim world but the unknown Mongol hordes from the East. While Europe and Western Asia were torn by religious differences, the Mongols had only a simple framework of spiritual beliefs and that helped them to unite on many levels. And, other Nomads were joining them at will. Religion was the only tradition for them and never a fervent obligation. In their philosophy, Gods served them more than they served gods. That was the prevailing trend among the Nomads. Then, several of the tribes from Turkistan launching the offensives westwards towards Persia and Arabia, came to adopt Islam. As a result, Islam started to spread out far away across Central Asia but had not reached as far as the tribes wandering the vast grasslands of Mongolia and Kazakhstan. The foreign God, Allah, was still unknown to them when they started to see the world ready and ripe for taking. The riches were the attraction and not the religion. It was quite questionable if they even thought about faith. The hordes of the Nomad people from so many tribes, national groups, and even nations, swelled to the wave that could not be stopped if it rolled over the world. The world had to unite first to resist, but it did not even see the problem yet. The world was looking the other way fighting the wasteful crusades and among themselves for better pieces of the pie. Well, pies were not that many around because everyone was concentrating on fighting and not on producing the pies. Often, they were fighting for any piece of the pie, just to be at the table. Brother was killing a brother and son was killing the father and often just for the crumbs of the pie. And, that was a hard piece of the pie no matter how you slice it. Loyalty and the kinship were doubly important, but the riches were.
These nomadic peoples had perfected the arts of swordplay, archery, and the horsemanship. They were tireless in the saddle and could survive on morsels of food and sheer drops of water while on the move. They knew how to kill and how to avoid death from the hand of the enemy. Living at the expense of the others and often serving as mercenaries for anyone who could pay was the preferred way of life for the Mongolian tribes. Martial arts became the most significant part of their existence. They also proved to be innovative managers that thought to improve the “status quo” through better management and economic reforms. That is hard to believe, but it was a fact. With an eye on expanding their sphere of influence, in 1206, they elected a leader, the Great Khan, for the combined forces. His name was Temujin – the Genghis Khan (the Universe ruler). Under the leadership of Genghis Khan, Mongols rapidly proceeded to conquer large regions of Asia and later, Europe. The Empire they carved out enveloped the whole of Central Asia from China to Persia and stretched as far west as the Mediterranean and India. We can find traces of the Mongol warriors and the Mongol Empire almost throughout the entire world known at the time. This Mongol Empire was maintained after the death of Genghis with the western section of the empire divided into three chief lordships falling to various of his descendants as lesser Khans. The eastern part of the Empire was remaining under the rule of the Great Khan, a title which was inherited by Ogedei Khan. Ogedei completed the conquest of China subduing the Song Dynasty in the South of the country and established the Yuan Dynasty.
Ogedei Khan was the third son of Genghis Khan, and he was perfect for maintaining the bloodline of the Great Khan. He was the ruthless Mongolian leader destined to conquer China, making it the most important and one of the largest parts of the Mongolian Empire. And, at the same time, he was the Chinese Emperor caring about China and its interests, and that is where the Mongolian bloodline stopped. Chinese Empire was not the part of the Mongolian Empire any longer, but the Mongolian Empire became a part of the Chinese Empire, and Ogedei Khan ruled it all. He was the Emperor of both empires. It was a controversial situation where Mongols had the upper hand but could not play it because of the Great Khan. The Great Khan wanted to play it differently and who could argue with him but only his own blood. Like always, that’s where the danger lied. Being blood-related was not always good. It could be dangerous if not fatal. Relatives were powerful, and the close relatives could be outright hazardous. All close relations Ogedei Khan removed from himself and the court as far as possible giving them some districts to manage on the semi-autonomous basis. For as long as the close relatives could maintain peace in the kingdom and paid taxes, they were left alone. Some of them even were celebrated as trusted friends. Some were even moved up and rewarded. Peace was promoted and celebrated, but the disobedience or suspicion in plotting a revolt could quickly end up in punishment, death and not only of the violator of the rules but his entire family, friends, and even the slaves. That was quite customary at the time and the place. Well, that was quite customary just about everywhere. A well devised and spread out gossip placed in the right ear could end the lives of dozens of people, maybe solving some problems of the gossiper. That could be the idea. There could be many ideas rolled into one gossip. Many called it diplomacy. Some called it lies. The goal was to start something that should benefit you but stay away from the consequences so, no one would figure out that it was you who started it. You did not want that to come back to you and to hunt you. The longer Emperor lived, the thinner and thinner Genghis’s bloodline was becoming. Fewer and fewer people could claim the direct descend from the Great Khan, and that was the link to the throne. It was not safe. Now, Ogedei Khan could rule safely and forever without possible claims and challenges from the closest relatives. His, Ogedei’s, descendants were destined to rule the greatest empire of the time, the Chinese Empire. In Ogedei’s mind, nothing could change that, not even death. But, it did not last for long. After Ogedei’s death, the blood relatives killed each other faster than ever in the “sharing of inheritance” spree. The Genghis blood rapidly became the deadly curse, the poison. And it worked fast. The Chinese had waited the killing spree out for as long as it was necessary and took the throne over. The throne was safely back. After all, China was for the Chinese, and the Chinese liked it that way. The new dynasty was in the making, but the Mongols had no part in it any longer. They were the outsiders now and had to stay out. Still, they were the most formidable power in the region, and that had to be considered. The Chinese had to be conscious not to provoke the Mongols, and that did not take much, just a little spark could become a to
rnado of fire. They knew what the Mongols could do if anyone crossed them. They had seen it. So, the vision of loyal friendship was officially maintained until China was strong enough or the Mongols were sufficiently weak to play it differently. That could take time but the time they had.
Out of all Ogedei’s close and far relatives and friends of the Mongolian descent, Batu Khan was the most important one. Well, he definitely became one. He unquestionably stood out in a crowd of shallow but ruthless and ambitious people surrounding the Emperor. Being Genghis Khan’s grandson and Ogedei’s nephew, Batu was one of very few showing the strength of the Great Khan while not being threatening to the others. It was like he gave one hundred percent to anyone he met, and then, you start losing the points. And, so many did, but some managed to stay true. He was friendly to anyone but the ones that went against the Empire. The small squabbles did not trouble him at all. Everyone knew that Batu would rather kill the plotters regardless of who they were than to join the plot. He seemed to be that loyal and not too many questioned that. Was it the loyalty to Ogedei Khan?