INTELLECTUAL GEOGRAPHY AND MATERIAL FOUNDATIONS OF THE FIRST CENTRAL ASIAN RENAISSANCE IN KHWAREZM (9TH–12TH CENTURIES)
- Authors
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Esimkan Kanaatov
Department of Mass Media and Mass Communication of Karakalpak State University named after Berdakh, Nukus, Uzbekistan
Author
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- Keywords:
- First Central Asian Renaissance, Khwarezm Ma'mun Academy, al-Biruni, Ibn Sina, intellectual geography, Silk Road trade, Gurganj.
- Abstract
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This study analyzes the intellectual geography, institutional frameworks, and material foundations of the First Central Asian Renaissance (often designated as the Islamic Renaissance or Eastern Renaissance) in Khwarezm during the 9th to 12th centuries CE. Focusing on the activities of the Khwarezm Ma'mun Academy in Gurganj, this paper examines how regional scientific achievements—spearheaded by polymaths such as Abu Rayhan al-Biruni and Ibn Sina (Avicenna)—were enabled by long-distance commercial logistics, urban prosperity, and state patronage. The research investigates the structural role of the northern Silk Road branches crossing the Ustyurt Plateau, demonstrating how trade routes facilitated not only commodity exchange but also the trans-Eurasian circulation of scientific manuscripts, geographical data, and scholarly personnel. The paper establishes that Khwarezm's intellectual flourishing was fundamentally rooted in its spatial position at the intersection of sedentary oasis urbanism and steppe communications.
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- Published
- 2026-04-30
- Issue
- Vol. 2 No. 4 (2026)
- Section
- Articles
- License
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
