west turkestan 341that Tashkent, Samarkand, Ho, Kish, Mu, Tokharia and other states
fell under their sway from 639 (Tzu-chih t’ung-chien p.6151). However,
the Western Turks were soon challenged by the Arabs. After the Arabs
had won the battle of Nehavend in 641, the Sassanid Kingdom of
Persia ceased to exist, and the Arabs soon appeared in West Turkestan.
Between 650 and 656, Samarkand complained to the T’ang court that
it was attacked and taxed by the Arabs (T’ang-hui-yao 99:18a). The
policies of Emperor Kao-tsung and the Empress Wu had no lasting
effects, and the Western Turks managed to maintain their loose control
over the states of West Turkestan until the arrival of the great Arab
warrior Qutayba ibn Muslim in 705. By the time he died in 715, he
had added West Turkestan to the caliphate. Thereafter, the Western
Turkish Turgesh tribe contested the presence of the Arabs. It defeated
them in 724, but was defeated itself in 737. The Arab conquest was
completed with their victory over the Chinese in 751 in the battle at
the Talas River near Tashkent.
During this crucial period, the states of West Turkestan struggled
to survive. In 719, Samarkand and Bukhara informed the T’ang court
that they were under attack by the Arabs. Tashkent sought aid from
China in 741. When this was not forthcoming, it surrendered to the
Arabs (Wen-hsien t’ung-k’ao 339:55a). As late as 752, one year after the
battle at the Talas River, Kabhåd§n proposed to Emperor Hsüan-
tsung a joint attack on the Arabs.
The remarkable thing is that in spite of the Western Turks, and in
spite of the Arabs from 705, missions from West Turkestan managed
to make it to China. Even after the Arab victory in 751, they only
ceased gradually, from Ferghana after 762, from Tashkent after 777,
from Samarkand after 772, from M§imargh after 772, from Bukhara
after 759, and from Tokharia after 758. This does not mean that
thereafter envoys from West Turkestan no longer arrived in China,
only that henceforth they were labelled as those of their conquerors,
the Arabs.
The T’ang married a Chinese princess to the king of Ferghana,
it recognized the kings of at least Ferghana, Tashkent, Samarkand,
Kabådh§n, Kish, M§imargh, and Khuttal, and it conferred honourary
titles on many rulers. None of this had any lasting effect. No missions
of condolence are recorded, no posthumous titles were conferred.
There was no mourning at the T’ang court for deceased kings. There
is no mention of hostages. West Turkestan was foreign country, and
its kings were not politically close to China.