Valentina Alekseevna Voropayevа

Candidate of Historical Sciences, Professor of the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek

«History of Central Asia» by Yuri Roerich – Feat in Protection of Culture of the People of the East

The three-volume research "History of Central Asia" by Yuri Nikolayevich Roerich which is a result of truly titanic scientific feat. Prepared on the eve of the Second World War, it should be accepted as the innovative contribution to development of the culture protection concept, containing in a titanic heritage of all family of the Roerichs. Yu.N. Roerich's such aspiration proves to be true in his own verdict: "In search of unity, in attempts of new bridges constructing for the sake of peoples’ integration we don′t have to forget past lessons, but, on the contrary, it is necessary to preserve carefully the remains of former unity and where it is possible to kindle anew sacred fire of a cultural unification and exchange which once brought good fruits to mankind and in which there is need in the modern world" (Yu.N. Roerich, New Delhi, 1950).

The "History of Central Asia" was written in 1935. However the first volume of the monography was published only in 2004, the second volume in 2007, the third in 2009. The foreword was prepared by the Kirghiz scientists - academician V.M. Ploskih and the chairman of the Tien-Shan Society of the Roerichs E.V. Trojanova.

Yuri Nikolayevich became intrested in history of Central Asia during his studying at the university. He got first scientific knowledge about Central Asia during his expedition in 1923-1928. The scientist wrote that the expedition had occurred in that part of the earth, where, "almost during two thousand years a wave behind a wave unrestrained tribes threw mighty civilisations under hoofs of their horses and enthralled the whole people".

In the first volume of the trilogy the sections giving a bright picture of history of the people of Central Asia from the deep ancient times till XIV century are designated. In details Roerich examined a problem of an ancestral home of tribes and peoples speaking in indo-european languages. Though the scientist closely connects it with the prehistoric population of Central Asia and Southern Siberia.

Yu.N. Roerich regreted that scientists were still in a stage of hypotheses and guesses. Each new discovery in this area could change in a root our notion about a problem of settling of these people and their ancestral homes, being forced to reconsider the most ancient section of history of the people of the Central Asia which was an epoch of prevalence indo-european tribes and peoples in the northern steppe belt.

Roerich made a conclusion that on the basis of his materials, it was possible to trace connection between the South Russian mound culture and Western Siberian and Kazakhstan cultures. He found out the general features both in a way of burial in wooden blockhouses and funeral cells and in ceramics and in other stock of burials. These artefacts proved that the Andronovskaya culture had been developing in the steppes of Western Siberia and Kazakhstan in the middle of the IIIth thousand B.C.

After the intensive researches having been carried out on the basis of linguistic and archaeological materials, Yu.N. Roerich defined a zone of settlement of ancient indo-european tribes: an extent of northern steppe belt from Carpathians in the West to Altai and Tien-Shan in the east.

The special section of his first volume Yu.N. Roerich devoted to the history of Huns, which he called "Early Turkic period. The empire of Huns and the epoch of the Great migration of peoples". Yu.N. Roerich marks: "To the beginning of the Han′s epoch (202 B.C.) in the east part of Central Asia the powerful nomadic empire of Huns (in the Chinese transcription - syunnu) was created". The main sources on early history of Hun′s tribes are "Shitsy" - historical annals of Sym Tsyan, and "Tsyan′ Han′shu", or "History of senior dynasty of Han", written by Ban′ Gu in the I century A.D.

The second volume of the solid research was subdivided into twelve sections therefore we have possibility to receive the full scientific information on various kingdoms, dynasties, ethnoses of Central Asia in logic and historical sequence from the VIth to the XIIIth centuries. This epoch, according to Yu.N. Roerich «was marked by three large phenomena in life of the Central Asian people: rising of the Turkic people, spreading of Islam which had captured the western part of Central Asia, and revival of the Iranian statehood in that part of Central Asia. By the Xth century the moving of Turkic tribes from the East to the West definitively ousted the Central Asian Iranians, and spreading of Islam from the West to the East led to Buddhism, Manicheanism, Nestorianism disappearance and to the general cultural levelling».

Yu.N. Roerich made a conclusion, corroborated by modern scientists that «the Turkics were the first nomadic tribe of Central Asia, whose historical inscriptions narrating about deeds of Turkic khans, have reached us and represent an exclusive interest. Due to these inscriptions we are in condition to supervise accuracy of messages of Chinese reporters, often written from the point of view of the Chinese».

Yuri Nikolayevich annotated the Turkic monuments of writing testifying stability of many cultural values and their traditions, peculiar both to the Turkic, Mongol, Chinese and other people living on the great spaces of Central Asia.

Yu.N. Roerich considered, that cultures of the peoples of Central Asia and Iran could be associated with the epoch of educated absolutism when the basis of new-iranian (new-persian) literatures was initiated. Creativity of 119 poets was connected with that time (Iranians and Arabs) which names were listed in the anthology of As-Sa’alibi. Among them are Zahid, Rudaki, Dakiki, Ferdowsi, Aviccena and the others. Poly-confessional character of the region presented by the Buddhism, Islam, Nestorianism, Manicheanism, Zoroastrism proves its religious tolerance.

The section called "the Western Central Asia after the falling of Samanid empire. The Karakhanids of the XIth-XIIth centuries" is of great interest for historians, culturologists, ethnologists, students of religion of Central Asia. Yu.N. Roerich examined sources and historiography of the problem, history of formation of city culture, a population, internal and foreign policy of the states. Process of Turkestan islamization and appearing of new unknown ethnoses like polovtsians, kipchaks, kangls was especially analyzed. The appearance of those ethnoses began to change a world picture on the coast of Sea of Azov, Balkan peninsula, Southeast Russia, in Irtysh.

Yu.N. Roerich had been paying special attention to the architecture monuments such as Merv, Bukhara, Uzgend, Hodgent since the pre-Islamic period up to now. Culture of the Karakhanids is presented by bright names – Al-Biruni, Utbi, Unsuri, Ferdowsi, J. Balasaguni and M. Kashgari.

The final third volume of the trilogy of Yu.N. Roerich is devoted to one of the greatest world empires of the Middle Ages - the Mongol Empire, its origins, formation, blossoming and disintegration.

The author of the trilogy considered all scientific problems within the scope of world-system approach to historical processes.

Yu.N. Roerich's work is fundamental and first of all it is connected with the broadest range of consideration of the historical processes occurring in this region, the huge list of names of the rulers who were the architects of dynasties of commanders and cultural figures.

Certainly, in those years when the scientific text "History of Central Asia" was created, Yu.N. Roerich could not have illustrated it as our contemporaries: editorial council, artists, photographers. There are hundred monuments of history and culture of the certain historical periods in the published manuscript. It is a successful method in publishing to unite archaeological artefacts given by the Central-Asian states in the historical work of Yu.N. Roerich. Aslo, it is a certain contribution to development of the concept of protection of cultural heritage of the international contract of the Pact of Roerich.

Each plot of the titanic scientific work "History of Central Asia" increases the liveliest interest and opens perspectives for experts-historians and any curious man. As Yu.N. Roerich noticed: "The Space of human knowledge incessantly extends, and new horizons appear as if by magic. Boundlessness of the possiblity attracts apprehensive human mind, not fearing to burn that what had already been learnt: only such condition opens a way to the real scientific work" ("Blossoming of orientalism").


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•  The Roerich Pact and the Banner of Peace as a Remarkable Phenomenon of the World Culture
Reports and Speeches at the International Social and Scientific Conference.
Delhi – Kullu – Shimla – Kalimpong October 22– November 5 2010


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