Wolfgang Holzwarth has a background in Social Anthropology and Iranian Studies, and received his PhD in 1987 from Free University Berlin. He has been a research associate of the Chair of Iranian Studies, University of Bamberg, and a lecturer at the School of Central Asian Studies, Humboldt University Berlin. Between 2001–2017 he was a senior researcher at the Oriental Institute, University of Halle-Wittenberg, and between 2008 and 2017 also a senior researcher and research associate at the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, Halle (Saale). He has conducted field research in North-Eastern Afghanistan, Northern Pakistan and Southern Tajikistan, as well as research in archives and repositories of Oriental manuscripts in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. His publications focus on the history, society and culture of Central Asia and Northern South Asia since the early modern period.
Purnaqcheband, Nader & Florian Saalfeld (eds,=Aus den Tiefenschichten der Texte. Beiträge zur turko-iranischen Welt von der Islamisierung bis zur Gegenwart. Wiesbaden 2019., 2019
This chapter presents the texts of three sample ʿahd-nāmas on relations between Manghit Bukhara a... more This chapter presents the texts of three sample ʿahd-nāmas on relations between Manghit Bukhara and Keneges Shahr-i Sabz in the first half of the nineteenth century and contextualizes them. Section II outlines the historical and geographical setting. Section III introduces the manuscript that contains the sample treaties. Section IV introduces the texts in the order in which they appear in the manuscript and investigates their contexts. The attempt to contextualize the sample treaties will draw on a wide range of complementary sources, such as narrative chronicles and other collections of Bukharan state letters, including not only inshāʾ works, but also collections gathered for archival rather than stylistic purposes. Concluding remarks in Section V will point to some new insights into conflict and integration in pre-colonial Bukhara that the Keneges treaties provide.
Stefan Leder und Bernhard Streck (eds.), Shifts and Drifts in Nomad-Sedentary Relations. Shifts and Drifts in Nomad-Sedentary Relations. Wiesbaden 2005., 2005
This paper investigates a reported worst case of nomadic-sedentary relations:
steppe pastoralist... more This paper investigates a reported worst case of nomadic-sedentary relations:
steppe pastoralists ravaging the cultivated land of sedentary neighbours. The
regional frame of our case comprises the Bukharan khanate and its Kazak neighbours
in the Great Steppe. The period under specific concern is the second quarter
of the 18th century, when the Bukharan khanate lived through turmoil and its
established northern and southern boundaries seemed to dissipate. Large numbers
of Kazak steppe pastoralists crossed the Sir River, moved into the SamarqandBukhara
region, and eventually devastated agricultural lands during the years between
1723 and 1728. In 1740, an Iranian king, Nadir Shah, crossed the Amu River
and rode in triumph into the Bukharan capital. In 1746, Iranian troops operated
even on the banks of the Sir River.
Drawing on little known narrative sources and new documentary evidence, specifically
Bukharan diplomatic letters to steppe leaders, the aim of the following
study is twofold. Firstly, to review the background, course, and consequences of
these extraordinary events that seem to indicate a break-down and re-structuring
of regional networks. Considerable space is allowed for an outline of major geographical, economic and political features of Kazak-Bukharan relations between
roughly 1700 and 1723. The immediate cause of the worst case scenario mentioned
above were military events in 1723, when due to a shift of power in the Great
Steppe, the Mongol Jungars pushed the Kazaks southwards into the agricultural
heart of Uzbek Central Asia. Secondly, the study aims to trace changing perceptions
of steppe peoples in the Bukharan khanate. The historical experiences between
1723 and 1747, it will be argued, had estranged the Uzbek Central Asian
elites from their steppe heritage and cleared the ground for a breach with political
ideals and traditions they had hitherto shared with their steppe neighbours.
Anknüpfend an die Schilderung einer Gesprächssituation, in der um
1838 Auskünfte über Lebenswe... more Anknüpfend an die Schilderung einer Gesprächssituation, in der um
1838 Auskünfte über Lebensweise und Glaubensvorstellungen einer nichtislamischen Gruppe im äußersten Nordwesten des indischen Subkontinents eingeholt wurden, soll hier die Frage nach Tradition und Translation auf eine im 19. Jahrhundert zu beobachtende geistige Auseinandersetzung der im ostlichen Hindukusch-Gebirge lebenden Kafiren (,,Heiden") mit ihrer islamischen Außenwelt bezogen werden.
Purnaqcheband, Nader & Florian Saalfeld (eds,=Aus den Tiefenschichten der Texte. Beiträge zur turko-iranischen Welt von der Islamisierung bis zur Gegenwart. Wiesbaden 2019., 2019
This chapter presents the texts of three sample ʿahd-nāmas on relations between Manghit Bukhara a... more This chapter presents the texts of three sample ʿahd-nāmas on relations between Manghit Bukhara and Keneges Shahr-i Sabz in the first half of the nineteenth century and contextualizes them. Section II outlines the historical and geographical setting. Section III introduces the manuscript that contains the sample treaties. Section IV introduces the texts in the order in which they appear in the manuscript and investigates their contexts. The attempt to contextualize the sample treaties will draw on a wide range of complementary sources, such as narrative chronicles and other collections of Bukharan state letters, including not only inshāʾ works, but also collections gathered for archival rather than stylistic purposes. Concluding remarks in Section V will point to some new insights into conflict and integration in pre-colonial Bukhara that the Keneges treaties provide.
Stefan Leder und Bernhard Streck (eds.), Shifts and Drifts in Nomad-Sedentary Relations. Shifts and Drifts in Nomad-Sedentary Relations. Wiesbaden 2005., 2005
This paper investigates a reported worst case of nomadic-sedentary relations:
steppe pastoralist... more This paper investigates a reported worst case of nomadic-sedentary relations:
steppe pastoralists ravaging the cultivated land of sedentary neighbours. The
regional frame of our case comprises the Bukharan khanate and its Kazak neighbours
in the Great Steppe. The period under specific concern is the second quarter
of the 18th century, when the Bukharan khanate lived through turmoil and its
established northern and southern boundaries seemed to dissipate. Large numbers
of Kazak steppe pastoralists crossed the Sir River, moved into the SamarqandBukhara
region, and eventually devastated agricultural lands during the years between
1723 and 1728. In 1740, an Iranian king, Nadir Shah, crossed the Amu River
and rode in triumph into the Bukharan capital. In 1746, Iranian troops operated
even on the banks of the Sir River.
Drawing on little known narrative sources and new documentary evidence, specifically
Bukharan diplomatic letters to steppe leaders, the aim of the following
study is twofold. Firstly, to review the background, course, and consequences of
these extraordinary events that seem to indicate a break-down and re-structuring
of regional networks. Considerable space is allowed for an outline of major geographical, economic and political features of Kazak-Bukharan relations between
roughly 1700 and 1723. The immediate cause of the worst case scenario mentioned
above were military events in 1723, when due to a shift of power in the Great
Steppe, the Mongol Jungars pushed the Kazaks southwards into the agricultural
heart of Uzbek Central Asia. Secondly, the study aims to trace changing perceptions
of steppe peoples in the Bukharan khanate. The historical experiences between
1723 and 1747, it will be argued, had estranged the Uzbek Central Asian
elites from their steppe heritage and cleared the ground for a breach with political
ideals and traditions they had hitherto shared with their steppe neighbours.
Anknüpfend an die Schilderung einer Gesprächssituation, in der um
1838 Auskünfte über Lebenswe... more Anknüpfend an die Schilderung einer Gesprächssituation, in der um
1838 Auskünfte über Lebensweise und Glaubensvorstellungen einer nichtislamischen Gruppe im äußersten Nordwesten des indischen Subkontinents eingeholt wurden, soll hier die Frage nach Tradition und Translation auf eine im 19. Jahrhundert zu beobachtende geistige Auseinandersetzung der im ostlichen Hindukusch-Gebirge lebenden Kafiren (,,Heiden") mit ihrer islamischen Außenwelt bezogen werden.
Edited by Kurt Franz and Wolfgang Holzwarth. Nomaden und Sesshafte 18. Wiesbaden: Reichert, 2015
In Central Asia, the Iranian highlands and the Near East, the impact of nomadic groups on the cou... more In Central Asia, the Iranian highlands and the Near East, the impact of nomadic groups on the course of history was more felt than in other parts of the world. The Mongol Empire, which extended from Baghdad to the China Sea, is but one example of the successful military and political enterprises of nomad conquerors. This nomad power over the long period from the expansion of Islam to European colonial intervention, which includes the rise and fall of several Turko-Mongol empires, is the subject of this anthology.
The research focus is directed primarily to the conditions in which nomad power developed in the context of interrelated nomadic and sedentary ways of life. These interrelationships have been an essential aspect of the Collaborative Research Centre “Difference and Integration” (SFB 586) project from which this volume emerges. As Iran and the adjacent areas have historically been characterized by a complex geo-spatial environment of mobile and sedentary groups and political associations, they are especially suited to enquiry in this context.
Questions are particularly asked as to the circumstances, development patterns and effects of political and military alliances between nomadic and sedentary leaders or groups. Could nomad military power be enlisted in the strategies of sedentary rulers? What objectives did nomad allies pursue in these circumstances and with what, partly unexpected, results?
The volume also investigates the transformations that took place in states that emerged from nomad conquests. What political and military roles did rulers of ‘post-nomadic’ sedentary states assign to the descendants of nomad conquerors? What roles did these groups claim for themselves? And did nomadic traditions linger on in these states?
As well as the history of events and structures, contemporary conceptual approaches to nomad power and the visual representation of nomadic warfare in Persian miniature painting are also examined.
The anthology thus sheds light on an important aspect of the history of Iran and neighbouring countries that has so far not been examined systematically. It will be of interest to specialists in Islamic history, particularly in Iran and Central Asia, and to any historian looking for a transregional perspective on mediaeval and early modern military history.
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Papers by Wolfgang Holzwarth
steppe pastoralists ravaging the cultivated land of sedentary neighbours. The
regional frame of our case comprises the Bukharan khanate and its Kazak neighbours
in the Great Steppe. The period under specific concern is the second quarter
of the 18th century, when the Bukharan khanate lived through turmoil and its
established northern and southern boundaries seemed to dissipate. Large numbers
of Kazak steppe pastoralists crossed the Sir River, moved into the SamarqandBukhara
region, and eventually devastated agricultural lands during the years between
1723 and 1728. In 1740, an Iranian king, Nadir Shah, crossed the Amu River
and rode in triumph into the Bukharan capital. In 1746, Iranian troops operated
even on the banks of the Sir River.
Drawing on little known narrative sources and new documentary evidence, specifically
Bukharan diplomatic letters to steppe leaders, the aim of the following
study is twofold. Firstly, to review the background, course, and consequences of
these extraordinary events that seem to indicate a break-down and re-structuring
of regional networks. Considerable space is allowed for an outline of major geographical, economic and political features of Kazak-Bukharan relations between
roughly 1700 and 1723. The immediate cause of the worst case scenario mentioned
above were military events in 1723, when due to a shift of power in the Great
Steppe, the Mongol Jungars pushed the Kazaks southwards into the agricultural
heart of Uzbek Central Asia. Secondly, the study aims to trace changing perceptions
of steppe peoples in the Bukharan khanate. The historical experiences between
1723 and 1747, it will be argued, had estranged the Uzbek Central Asian
elites from their steppe heritage and cleared the ground for a breach with political
ideals and traditions they had hitherto shared with their steppe neighbours.
1838 Auskünfte über Lebensweise und Glaubensvorstellungen einer nichtislamischen Gruppe im äußersten Nordwesten des indischen Subkontinents eingeholt wurden, soll hier die Frage nach Tradition und Translation auf eine im 19. Jahrhundert zu beobachtende geistige Auseinandersetzung der im ostlichen Hindukusch-Gebirge lebenden Kafiren (,,Heiden") mit ihrer islamischen Außenwelt bezogen werden.
steppe pastoralists ravaging the cultivated land of sedentary neighbours. The
regional frame of our case comprises the Bukharan khanate and its Kazak neighbours
in the Great Steppe. The period under specific concern is the second quarter
of the 18th century, when the Bukharan khanate lived through turmoil and its
established northern and southern boundaries seemed to dissipate. Large numbers
of Kazak steppe pastoralists crossed the Sir River, moved into the SamarqandBukhara
region, and eventually devastated agricultural lands during the years between
1723 and 1728. In 1740, an Iranian king, Nadir Shah, crossed the Amu River
and rode in triumph into the Bukharan capital. In 1746, Iranian troops operated
even on the banks of the Sir River.
Drawing on little known narrative sources and new documentary evidence, specifically
Bukharan diplomatic letters to steppe leaders, the aim of the following
study is twofold. Firstly, to review the background, course, and consequences of
these extraordinary events that seem to indicate a break-down and re-structuring
of regional networks. Considerable space is allowed for an outline of major geographical, economic and political features of Kazak-Bukharan relations between
roughly 1700 and 1723. The immediate cause of the worst case scenario mentioned
above were military events in 1723, when due to a shift of power in the Great
Steppe, the Mongol Jungars pushed the Kazaks southwards into the agricultural
heart of Uzbek Central Asia. Secondly, the study aims to trace changing perceptions
of steppe peoples in the Bukharan khanate. The historical experiences between
1723 and 1747, it will be argued, had estranged the Uzbek Central Asian
elites from their steppe heritage and cleared the ground for a breach with political
ideals and traditions they had hitherto shared with their steppe neighbours.
1838 Auskünfte über Lebensweise und Glaubensvorstellungen einer nichtislamischen Gruppe im äußersten Nordwesten des indischen Subkontinents eingeholt wurden, soll hier die Frage nach Tradition und Translation auf eine im 19. Jahrhundert zu beobachtende geistige Auseinandersetzung der im ostlichen Hindukusch-Gebirge lebenden Kafiren (,,Heiden") mit ihrer islamischen Außenwelt bezogen werden.
The research focus is directed primarily to the conditions in which nomad power developed in the context of interrelated nomadic and sedentary ways of life. These interrelationships have been an essential aspect of the Collaborative Research Centre “Difference and Integration” (SFB 586) project from which this volume emerges. As Iran and the adjacent areas have historically been characterized by a complex geo-spatial environment of mobile and sedentary groups and political associations, they are especially suited to enquiry in this context.
Questions are particularly asked as to the circumstances, development patterns and effects of political and military alliances between nomadic and sedentary leaders or groups. Could nomad military power be enlisted in the strategies of sedentary rulers? What objectives did nomad allies pursue in these circumstances and with what, partly unexpected, results?
The volume also investigates the transformations that took place in states that emerged from nomad conquests. What political and military roles did rulers of ‘post-nomadic’ sedentary states assign to the descendants of nomad conquerors? What roles did these groups claim for themselves? And did nomadic traditions linger on in these states?
As well as the history of events and structures, contemporary conceptual approaches to nomad power and the visual representation of nomadic warfare in Persian miniature painting are also examined.
The anthology thus sheds light on an important aspect of the history of Iran and neighbouring countries that has so far not been examined systematically. It will be of interest to specialists in Islamic history, particularly in Iran and Central Asia, and to any historian looking for a transregional perspective on mediaeval and early modern military history.