Talks
The Samanids, rulers of Central Asia: Art and culture
by Dr Katherine Hughes
Date: Friday 22 November 2024
This illustrated talk will introduce the dynasty of the Samanids, rulers of an Early Islamic empire (819-1005 AD) covering modern-day Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, and parts of Iran.
This extended talk will introduce the dynasty of the Samanids, rulers of an empire (819-1005). They deserve to be better known for their history and many spectacular cultural achievements. Their celebrated art and architecture will be explained within its historical context.
This early Islamic Dynasty holds a special place in the historical consciousness of the Iranian world with a “mystique” connected to the fact that they are seen to have saved the legacy of ancient Iran from extinction and united Transoxiana and Khurasan under Persian speaking rulership for the only period in its history.
Katherine Hughes gained her PhD from the School of Oriental and African Studies, London in 2015. She studied for her BA and MA at University College London and Berlin Free University. She has travelled widely and carried out long periods of fieldwork in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran and Turkey.
