This blog, somewhat inspired by a former professor of mine, is meant to be a nice way for me to stay on top of my research for my independent study project. The aim of my project is to study Buddhist and Islamic interactions from the Pre-Islamic to the Post-Islamic conquest of Bactria aka Balkh, located in what is now Afghanistan and part of Tajikistan. I'll be covering background research of the area of Bactria and neighboring Tocharistan, and working my way down through the Achaemenid Empire to the Abbasid Caliphate, touching on major points in between. The main focus of this study, however, is the Buddhist and Islamic interactions.
For the primary sources of my research, I am currently reading relevant portions of Ibn al-Faqih's observations of Balkh. Tenth century Arabic literature is not easy to translate, but my professor and I are slowly making our way through this text. In the meantime, I have recently been reading about the Barmakids, a powerful Bactrian family that, though descended from prominent Buddhist leaders, converted to Islam and rose to extraordinary prominence during the Abbasid Caliphate. Though the family fell from favor in 803, their adaptability and longevity is noteworthy and fascinating. I'll be talking more about them in my next update.
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