HISTORY OF THE SOCIO – POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHOCH OASIS IN THE 6TH-8TH CENTURIES

Аннотация

This article explores the socio – political development processes of the Choch oasis in the 6th-8th centuries. As a result of the choch Oasis being part of the Turkish Khaganate, political and economic life developed rapidly in the area. Trade and craft centers expanded in the cities and irrigation systems were improved. Cultural ties between Sughd traders and the local population were strengthened. However, as a result of the Arab Caliphate's raiding campaigns in the first half of the 8th century, the Oasis faces an economic crisis and most of the cities are destroyed. The study analyzes the political life, cities, defense system and influence of arab invasionsof thechoch Oasis based onhistorical and archaeological sources. Keywords:Choch Oasis, socio-political processes, Turkish Khaganate, Sugd culture, urban culture, trade and crafts, arab invasions,defense system, irrigation system, Choch cities. It is impossible to fully understand the roots and formation of urban culture in the Tashkent oasis without studying the socio-political processes that took place there in the early Middle Ages. Therefore, let us first examine the impact of socio-political processes in the 6th– 8thcenturies onthe economicand cultural lifeof theoasis. Unlike other regions of Central Asia, the territories between the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers were distinguished by their suitability for irrigated agriculture and a sedentary economy. As a result, urban planning and culture developed significantly in this region from ancient times. Additionally, this oasis was one of the areas where the interaction and symbiosis between the agricultural and pastoral populations were particularly intense. By the early Middle Ages, these processes had become even moreactive. It is known that during the early Middle Ages, the regions between the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers included historical and cultural provinces such as Chach, Fergana, Ustrushana, Sogd, Bukhara, Tokharistan, and Khwarazm. Each of these was an independent political- administrative entity, ruled by separate dynasties, with its own governance system, capital, military force, defined territorial boundaries, and coinage system. In the 5th–6th centuries, the Chach oasis became part of the Hephthalite state. According to Chinese sources, during this period, the oasis flourished, and urban culture advanced due to the development of mining and trade relations. Written sources do not provide precise information about the ruling dynasties of Chach during this time. However, according to "Xin Tang Shu," the oasis was governed by a dynasty belonging to the Chjaovu family. This source also provides details about the geographical location of the Chach oasis and its neighboring states: "The Shi state borders the Western Turks to the northeast and the Bola (Farab) state to the northwest. Two hundred li to the south lies Szyuchjan (Khujand), and 500 li to the southwest is the Kan (Samarkand) state. This country (Chach) is about 1,000 li in width, with its right side bordering the Suyye River. The ruler’s family name is Shi, and the administrative center is the page395 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ISSN:2692-5206,ImpactFactor:12,23 AmericanAcademicpublishers,volume05,issue02,2025 Journal: https://www.academicpublishers.org/journals/index.php/ijai city of Chje-chje. The Shi state is located where the ancient Kangju state's xiao-wang (minor ruler)resided inthecity ofYuni. To thesouthwest flows theYosha (Syr Darya) River." In 552, the Ashina Turks overthrew the Rouran Khaganate in the southern foothills of the Altai Mountains and established the Turkic Khaganate. Soon after, the Turks launched a campaign westward, first capturing the Chach oasis. The first confrontation between the Turkic Khaganate and the Hephthalites took place in Chach. In 555, the armies of the Khaganate, led by Istemi Yabgu, reached the Syr Darya (Injukuz). In the ensuing battle between the Turks and the Hephthalites, the latter suffered a severe defeat. However, it was in subsequent battles around 563and567 near Bukhara that theHephthalites were finally crushed. The westward expansion of the Turks triggered a large-scale migration of Turkic tribes. As a result, vast mountainous and steppe regions in northern East Turkestan and eastern Central Asia became settled by Turkic peoples. The local Turkic-speaking tribes in these areas were also incorporated into themilitary-administrative system established bytheTurks. Chach became a vassal territory under Istemi Yabgu's authority, and after the division of the Khaganate in 603, it was incorporated into the Western Turkic Khaganate. At that time, the Chach oasis encompassed territories bordering Otrar and Isfijab (Sayram) to the north, the Ilak (Ohangaron) Valley to the east, the middle reaches of the Syr Darya to the south, and Ustrushana tothesouthwest. After the establishment of Turkic rule in Chach, the proportion of Turkic-speaking peoples in the region's e