The ISLAMISATION OF THE TURKESTAN REGION: FIRST MUSLIM CONQUESTS

Abstract

The Muslim conquests of the Turkestan region were an important part of the spread of Islam and the political, cultural and religious changes in the region. The spread of Islam to the region began with the Arab conquests of the 7th and 8th centuries. Particularly during the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates, Arab armies conquered Turkestan and brought Islam to these lands. There have been various wars between Turks and Muslims throughout history, but these wars have generally been caused by political or ethnic reasons rather than religious affiliation. The expeditions of the Arab armies into the region to Islamise the Turkestan region brought various regions of Turkestan under Islamic rule, and these expeditions deeply affected the political and religious structure of the region and contributed to Turkestan becoming a part of Islamic civilisation. This article evaluates the first conquest campaigns organised in the name of Islam in the Turkestan region from a new perspective. Literature review, document analysis and descriptive methods were used in the article.