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Central Asian City States

Historical Overview Section

This list groans under the weight of covering everyone who enjoyed a moment in the sun between 500AD and 1000AD in and around the Tarim Basin.

The area had been variously on the fringes of Sassanid Persian, Skythian or Saka, Kushan or Indo-Skythian, Hephthalite Hunnic and all sorts of Chinese spheres of influence prior to this period, with the leading center the ancient Iranian kingdom of Khwarazm, ruled by the Afrighids of Kath. Khwarazm, was surrounded by all sides by steppe land and desert, making it geographically isolated from other areas of civilization. Before the 8th century, there had only been few ineffectual Arab Conquest and Ummayad Arab raids on the fringes of Chorasmia from the directions of Khorasan and Transoxania, but in 712 A.D., Qotayba the son of Moslem Baheli was able to intervene in a civil war between the Afrighid Shah and his brother Khorrazad. Two Arab invasions lead to much destruction as Biruni notes. Once the Arabs withdrew from their raid, the Shahs recovered power in Chorasmia and they continued to adhere to their ancestral faith, which according to Biruni was Zoroastrianism. The local shahs continued to ally with local Iranians princes, Soghdian merchances and even Turks and Chinese in order to resist the Arabs. It thus came vaguely under Muslim suzerainty, but it was not until the end of the eight century or the beginning of the ninth century that that an Afrighid was first converted to Islam. Since Khwarezm was part of the Silk Road, it was known internationally, and had several different names in several different languages.

Another major city state was that of the Kucha, an ancient Buddhist kingdom located on the branch of the Silk Road that ran along the northern edge of the Taklamakan Desert in the Tarim Basin and south of the Muzat River. Kucha was strongly influenced by Indian and Scythian thought, and Indian kings are said to have reigned there. For a long time Kucha was the most populous oasis in the Tarim Basin.

The Sogdians formed another coherent group, who used their position on the Silk road so well that that the Khotanese called all merchants suli ("Sogdian") whatever their culture or ethnicity

The city states fought off various attacks - or submitted to repeated incursions from the Late Tang to Five Dynasties Chinese, but the Arabs and Mongols finally did for them.

Using the army in FoG

  • Despite the rather bland description, its not a bad list - lancers of Bw/Sw cavalry is a good option with this much flexibility
  • Defensive Spearmen probably want to be taken in "bulletproof" units of 10, and can delay and fight if terrain falls against you.
  • Be careful if trying to skirmish with undrilled Bw/Sw cavalry - they cant expand / contract as easily as drilled versions.

UK Tournament Results with this army

User-contributed links about this army:

Allies

Put information on allied contingents here - including recommendations on which to use, and why.

Painting and Collecting the Army

  • Paint schemes, insignia, shield designs? Put it here.

15mm Manufacturers supplying figures for this army

Sort of a Turkish, arabic, Mongol type vibe here. Have a look at all these armies in the Ancients Photo Gallery also on this site. This listing only covers "arabic" figures - for Hunnic/Mongol figures see the relevant pages in this Wiki

Image Image Image Image

Army Lists

800 pts

  • IC
  • 2xTC
  • 7x4 Sup Armd Cav Lancer
  • 2x4 LH Bw Sw
  • 1x4 LH Bw
  • 3x6 LF

eBay Listings


UK Bookstore

Army Lists

  • IC
  • 2xTC
  • 7x4 Superior Lancer Cav
  • 3x6 LF Bow
  • 2x4 LH Bw Sw
  • 1x4 LH Bw

Created by philqw78. Last Modification: Tuesday 12 of November, 2019 19:00:13 GMT by admin. (Version 19)
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